Ploughman's Lunch

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About Ploughman's Lunch

An 1880 photograph of an actual ploughman enjoying his lunch


Photo courtesy of Marty Pinker's blog

In the United Kingdom, ploughman's lunch is a cold snack or meal, comprising at a minimum a thick piece of cheese (usually Cheddar, Stilton, or other local cheese), pickle (often Branston Pickle, sometimes piccalilli and/or pickled onions), crusty bap or chunk of bread, and butter.

It is often accompanied by a green salad; other common additions are half an apple, celery, pâté, diced hard boiled egg or beetroot.

The concept is closely associated with British cuisine, especially rural British food. Many British pubs offer ploughman's lunch on their menus, although it can also easily be prepared at home.

The name and ingredients of the ploughman's lunch are meant to evoke a bygone era, when a ploughman would have packed his lunch to the field so that it would be ready to hand when he wanted to take a break.