The ploughman's lunch: an English tradition

The ploughman's lunch is a common meal in English pubs, partly because it is easy to prepare - it just needs to be assembled, with no heating or cooking required. There is no American equivalent, which is a real shame.

A typical ploughman's lunch will include cheese, bread (often a small baguette), chutney (such as Branston pickle), and other extra items which vary from pub to pub, including scotch eggs, pickled onions, a small salad, and so forth. Oh: and it's usually served with a beer.

I like many people had always assumed that the ploughman's lunch was a tradition dating back hundreds of years to medieval times when people just ate bread and cheese for lunch before going back to the fields. But no: turns out the ploughman's lunch was created in the 1950s as a marketing campaign by the Cheese Bureau in order to improve cheese sales. Those sneaky marketers!

Incidentally, if you are able to track down a source of Branston pickle, I recommend that every American try it at least once. I was surprised at how delicious it was, given its unlikely ingredients (cubed turnips and such) and off-putting appearance (thick, black, and glutinous). Branston pickle can be served in a dollop as a side dish in and of itself, but it is also delicious on a cheese sandwich. Bread, cheese, and a good heaping layer of Branston pickle is a combination that is far more delicious than its description would suggest.

Some upscale grocery stores carry Branston pickle in their "International Foods" section. My local Haggen store stocks it alongside the cans of Heinz beans in the turquoise label, and canned spotted dick. You can also find it at Cost Plus Imports, if you happen to be within their range. For those who lack either resource, you can always buy it on Amazon.

Image courtesy Flickr/trawets1