The Ploughman's Pasty

The Ploughman’s. Originally a British farm worker's packed lunch to be eaten on a midday break in the fields 100 years ago. A really dead simple and satisfying meal of cloth-bound cheddar, strong pickles and tough bread.  Strangely enough the ploughman's lunch was promoted in the 1960’s as a marketing ploy, by what was then (no longer around) the Milk Marketing Board. The idea was to promote this as a quick, easy pub meal as part of a campaign to get Britons to eat more cheese.

(🤔 Strange to think we didn’t eat much cheese in the 60’s)

But move on a few decades and with the rise of casual eating, shared platters and craft beer - the ideal companion - the ploughman's is back on the menus of many pubs. Take a chunk (😉) of cheese, often a great Cheddar or Stilton, a crusty slice of bread with butter (never margarine!) and pickle...Branston is the traditional, but with so many great local chutneys around now - the skies the limit here! Plus some pickled onions and apple, a slice of good ham, maybe a pate and a little salad to complete the serving.

But nothing fancy - stick it all on a breadboard and served in a simple, rustic fashion. Really sociable pub food, pretty much what you’d serve for a picnic...but you're at the pub ...and because you are ….what about one of those craft beers or cider to wash it down. 🍺

But this still stands as a much-loved British meal, and one which people feel passionately about. As Tommy Cooper once put it: "I had a ploughman's lunch the other day ... he was livid” 🤣🤣

With a real nod to the Ploughman’s you’d expect from any great pub, the Chunk recipe is just as simple and satisfying!. Tastes as good cold as hot ...so picnic perfect.

We've taken a great local, mature Cheddar cheese from the guys at Quickes (just half an hour away from Chunk), pickled onions, tomato, Branston pickle and some British ham - tumbled it with some potato and wrapped it up in our shortcrust pastry and (of course) crimped them by hand.

We created The Ploughman's Pasty a couple of years ago as a summer special and had such a great response - we thought that with the picnic season upon us and the promise of a staycation summer ahead, it was the perfect opportunity to bring this tasty pasty back onto our menu! 

Plus - we've had such a positive response to our Vegan range, we really wanted to create a Vegan alternative, packed with gobsmacking flavour too!

Now Both available - for the summer the Traditional and the Vegan Ploughman's Pasty.