"A traditional ploughman's lunch, so named because it's supposedly what a farmer might unpack during a hard day ploughing fields, is served cold. In its simplest form, it might be a wedge of cheese, some cured or smoked meat, and bread. More elaborate versions will include a few cheese and meat selections, maybe a chutney, a relish, or mustard for dipping, and a variety of fruits and fresh vegetables, hard boiled eggs, and pickled vegetables. You can think of it like a rustic charcuterie board."
"A ploughman's lunch is a British pub favorite, and you can enjoy it with a pint of beer or cider. For a meal consisting of honey ham, Wensleydale cheese, rolls, pork pie, salad, olives, and crackers with that classic condiment Branston pickle, you might pay between £17 and £18, or about $23 to $24. Of course, making it yourself would be more cost-effective and allow for more customization."
"Although the meal is presented as if it were a throwback to olden times, its prevalence was mostly the result of a marketing push by the Milk Marketing Board in the 1950s and 1960s to sell more cheese. That said, farm workers would have taken something cold and probably simple into the field for lunch for centuries. After popping up in some recent viral TikTok videos, viewers became obsessed with the idea and the popularity spread."
Ploughman's lunch is a cold, pick-and-snack British meal typically featuring cheese, cured or smoked meat, and bread. More elaborate versions add multiple cheeses and meats, chutney, relish or mustard, fruits, vegetables, hard boiled eggs, and pickles, resembling a rustic charcuterie board. The meal is a pub favorite often served with beer or cider and can cost around £17–£18 in pubs for a composed plate. The modern prevalence grew from a 1950s–60s Milk Marketing Board campaign to boost cheese sales, though farm workers historically carried simple cold lunches. Recent viral social media videos have renewed its popularity.
Read at Tasting Table
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]