Plate of Plowman's Lunch
(click to enlarge)

Plowman's Lunch


England
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 13.8 oz
**
25 min
Yes		 This is the famous Plowman's Lunch in its several forms. For the sandwich form, see Plowman's Sandwich It can be Vegetarian, and see also Comments.




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of

-- Required
Bread (1)
Butter, salted
Hard Cheese (2)
Onion (3)
-- Normal
Plowman's Pickle (4)  
Mustard
Ham, sliced, or.. (5)
Pork Pie (6)
Eggs, hard (7)
Apple Slices
Radishes
Celery Sticks
Tiny Salad (8)
-- Party
All + More (10)
-- Serve with
Beer or
  Cider

No amounts are given for most ingredients, because what and how much you put on the plate is whatever you choose to put on it (beyond the "required" items). No warm items may be included.

Build:   -   Mix as you go   (20 min)
  1. Slice CHEESE into chunks or small wedges
  2. Properly, soft BUTTER is provided as a lump on the plate, or today often little packets of butter. I didn't have room on my photo plate, so I buttered the BREAD. Bad me.
  3. MUSTARD and PICKLE should also be piles on the dish, except for the party serving.
  4. All items should be cut to convenient size, as fingers are the main utensil.
  5. See Serving.
NOTES:

  1. Bread:

      Two to three thick slices of crusty bread, preferably a rustic style.

  2. Cheese:

      Sharp Cheddar is obvious, but a couple of other English hard cheeses such as Stilton, Red Leicester, and Double Gloucester are often included. Cheeses are served as chunks or small wedges.

  3. Onion:

      For the original version, Fresh Onion sliced thin (I prefer white onion) or Pickled Onion can be used. Modern versions almost always include Pickled Onions.

  4. Plowman's Pickle:

      [or Branston Pickle}. See our recipe Plowman's Pickle. This is traditionally a modest mound on the plate, but now often in a little cup.

  5. Ham or..

      Sliced Ham is by far the most common, but other sliced meats can be used, or even sausage. An acceptable alternate to meats is a wedge of Pork Pie.

  6. Pork Pie:

      A wedge of English Pork Pie is frequently used in place of the Sliced Meats mentioned above.

  7. Eggs Hard:

      These may be Fresh Boiled or Pickled. See our recipes Boiling Eggs and Pickled Eggs.

  8. Salad:

      This can be as little as just a couple wedges of Tomato, or some greens (arugula in the photo) and a few slices of whatever you want. Scant dressing or none. The key word is small- unless (see Party).

  9. Serving:

      The normal serving is on a plate for both traditional and modern presentations (but see also Party). The proper untensils are a knife and fingers. Napkins should be provided.

  10. Party:

      These days the Plowman's Lunch is also served as a party offering. Usually this is presented heaped on a large Cutting board, and may include many of the ingredients listed here and anything else the preparer thinks appropriate. Butter, Mustard, and Plowman's Pickled (or Branston Pickle) are provided in cups or bowls with little spoons. There may be several meats including Chicken and Beef.

  11. Vegetarian:

      The original Plowman's lunch was Vegetarian, see Comments. This recipe can be vegetarian by simply omitting the Ham or other sliced meats.

  12. Comments:

      The original Plowman's Lunch was just thick slices of Buttered Bread, chunks of Hard Cheese, and Onion, fresh sliced or pickled, and always Beer or Cider (properly dry Hard Cider). In times past, this was standard pub fare, often the only pub fare. Note the name "Plowman's Lunch" was invented by the cheese industry in the 1950s, but this was the standard farmer's lunch for generations.
  13. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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