Tonight I am well stuffed (in the culinary sense)… I baked a wartime ‘cottage pie’ and fear that an actual cottage could have been the main ingredient as I am so full! This was one-hell-of-a-satisfying-meal on a cold winter night! I must make this more often…
One of the most satisfying things about the meal was the comments that flew my way as it was being gobbled down
Youngest hobbit…” Yum- this tastes good! There is no bits of starch in it like last time…”
Eldest hobbit …. ” Jeremy (boyfriend) wants to hire you as a cook”..
Eldest hobbits boyfriend.… ” Every meal I have tasted here has tasted so good..”
Middle hobbit …” Ewww- what’s that????” (this is not surprising as he is a vegetarian who doesn’t like vegetables)
Eldest hobbit….(who is also vegetarian but who I prepared a separate topping for)… ” ………just silence….” (trust me this is good!)
Try this fabby, tasty, tummy filling, stick to your ribs meal- it is worth the effort!
Cottage Pie
- 1 lb mince beef ( note a weeks ration of mince beef for one person was about 1/2 lb )
- several large potatoes
- 2 oz cheese
- dried herbs (Rosemary & Thyme work well)
- salt and pepper
- beef stock like bovril ( 1 pint or more)
- bisto gravy powder
- peas and finely chopped carrots and onion optional
- blob butter or margarine
Method
- Brown the mince
- Add the chopped veggies (optional)
- Add salt and pepper and herbs
- Add beef stock, stir and simmer for 15 minutes (thickening towards the end by mixing bisto powder with a little cold water to a runny paste and adding to beef stirring all the time- beef sauce should be quite thick!)
- Meanwhile chop up all the potatoes into small chunks
- Place in salted hot water and bring to the boil until tender and drain.
- Mash with generous blobs of butter or margarine, add salt and pepper to taste
- Finally add milk so mash is spreadable
- Place beef sauce in a small cooking tray with deep sides or shallow casserole dish
- Pipe or spread mashed potato on top
- Sprinkle with 2 oz of grated strong cheddar and some dried herbs if you like
- Place in oven for 20 minutes at 200 c
- Finish off under broiler/grill to brown top
Serve with steamed fresh veggies!
Serves 4 with veggies
“This post is part of Twinkl’s VE Day Campaign, and is featured in their Best Wartime Recipes to Celebrate VE Day from Home post”
This looks so good – it’s only 7.30am here and my mouth is watering. Guess what we’re eating today !!xx
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Hey Pat- did you get this cooked? I was thinking of doing this again tomorrow but I don’t have enough potatoes in the house- darn!!!!! C xx
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Carolyn this looks fantastic! I’m always looking for good recipes that include cottage cheese!
~Kellie
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This sounds like the shepherds pie I’ve been feeding my kids for years, except I don’t use cheese. Truly satisfying food.
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Yes I think Cottage Pie and Sheperd’s Pie are the same thing- truly delicious. I don’t think you can beat something like this on a cold winter’s night!!! 🙂
C xx
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Sorry I’m a bit late to the party, but take it from a Brit, cottage pie and shepherd’s pie are different. One uses beef mince and one uses lamb. Easy to remember, just think of shepherds and sheep.
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My Dad was a Cook/Chef in the Royal Airforce stationed in Canada during the 2nd world war, he taught us that a Cottage pie is made with beef and a shepherds pie with lamb, he also taught me how to make it, my family love both and I am eternally grateful for that.
I have tried to pass the recipe on but I am retired in Florida now and every thing is fast food from the takeaway or salads and I am afraid that his recipe will be lost forever, so sad. Elaine originally from England.
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Yes, definitely beef for cottage pie and lamb for shepherd’s pie – and my husband does his own version which we call his “Piggery Pie” as he uses pork mince !
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Just wondering – and probably me missing the obvious-but where does the sugar go?
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Hi Barbara- it goes in the meat sauce… try 1/2 teaspoon first. C xxx
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Do you have breakfast and lunch then dinner?
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Neither Shepherds nor cottage pie should include sugar – is just is not done in England – I think this is an American idea as you appear to have a sweeter tooth than us – not a criticism just a difference. It is also more common to make the potato mash with butter or margarine rather than with cheese. The cheese would make it more luxurious and would be called a cheesy mash. In any event love the blog
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Hi Linda I’m British and thanks for spotting that teaspoon of sugar- it wasn’t used in the recipe so that was my fault for listing it in the ingredients!!! LOL! Also I always use margarine or butter to make mash (see method) and this recipe was from a British wartime cook book and it called for a sprinkling of cheese over the top 🙂
Thanks so much for reading xxxx
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Caroline, I can tell you are British…cooking with Bovril and Marmite! What a give away 😉 Great recipes! One of my fav books and cooks is, We’ll Eat Again by Marguerite Patten. I have a few books by Marguerite including my still go to book for traditional English fare, 3,000 recipes, which I brought just before I got married in 88. Love the site and the blog and the concept!
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Apologies, Carolyn..I really should wear my glasses more!
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I keep seeing meat mince in these recipes, is that what we in the USA would call hamburger?
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Yes thats correct! Minced beef or minced meat here is hamburger. But mincemeat used to make mince pies at Christmas is dried fruit in a spiced sauce xxxx
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