Cottage/sheperds pie ?

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uli, Jul 16, 9:03pm
I make "pies" with just leftover mince and veges, which is cooked and seasoned and put into a pie dish. Then top with some sort of mash.

Last week we had it with a potato/celeriac/cauli mash which was extra nice. Have also used potato/carrot/swede and other mixes. A bit of leek in the topping is nice too.

Add a great big green salad and you have a healthy and quick meal.

uli, Jul 16, 9:03pm
I have never understood why people would mince a perfectly cooked roast just because it is cold.

I usually slice the cold meat and carefully re-heat in the leftover gravy for another roast meal.

If there is not enough gravy I "stretch" it with some wine and cream.

If there is no gravy at all I fry onions and add lots of herbs and mushrooms and re-heat the roast slices in that.

Serve with vegetables and mash for another great meal.

rainrain1, Jul 17, 5:23am
Because it was a delicious family recipe handed down from our mothers and their mothers. I loved it as a kid, my mothers seemed to be tastier than I can make it today, or maybe I just get sick of my own cooking?
Reheating the meat in the gravy is another option which I often do.

gaspodetwd, Jul 19, 8:26pm
I always do lots of extra veges on Sunday lunch so we can have a reheated meal on Monday. Then we make soup or do something interesting with the leftovers again.

What amazes me is how people nowadays seem to buy enough of something highly butchered, for their family. Pork chops, sausages, lamb steaks, etc. I find that they cost a lot, whereas a full chicken to roast or a joint of meat gives you loads for several meals, gravy and fat, soup. It stretches a long way. Whereas pork chops just give you. bones.

I think my best leftover meal is either pie, bubble and squeak or soup.

biscuitd, Jul 19, 9:05pm
Alison Holst's book 'Meals without Meat' does a fab vegetarian version of this pie. with kidney beans.

Even my meat-eating friends ask to have their plates reloaded!

uli, Jul 20, 5:50am
In winter definitely soup.
In summer leftover meat is great in or on a great big salad.

drommy, Jul 20, 6:50am
Elliehen, love the meat rationing!

I used to be rubbish in the kitchen and didn't make the most of my resources. My budget-conscious Gran would have been horrified! I've got better though - now a roast chicken lasts two of us roast dinner, leftovers for the next day's lunch, another dinner, and shredded chicken for toasted sandwiches, a fantastic light dinner. And then we make stock out of the remnants - Gran would be much happier with me now!

In terms of cottage vs shepherds pie, I had always assumed that it depended on the meat being used - lamb for shepherds, beef for cottage. But then, any pie is good pie in my book!

wendalls, Jul 20, 11:38am
I made Shepherds pie as per the Edmonds cookbook using raw minced beef. I made it specially because I thought it would be bland and boring enough for my daughters 12 yr old fussy friend. I did add a bit of extra tom sauce , and BBQ sauce and made sure it was well seasoned. I needn't have bothered as she wouldn't eat it. She did try the beans and broccoli which she said she'd never eaten before. Apparently her Mum does cook them. She just would never try them.

effcee1, Oct 15, 2:45am
cottage pie and sheperds pie does anyone know if there is a difference, i have always been lead to believe that sheperds pie was lamb mince and cottage pie was beef mince can anyone enlighten me on this, thank you.

davidt4, Oct 15, 2:54am
That's right - lamb = shepherds, beef = cottage.

rainrain1, Oct 15, 2:57am
They are both the same thing if you ask me, and can be made with any cold meat

olwen, Oct 15, 3:06am
I have a recipe from the 1950's which suggests left-over whale meat.

rainrain1, Oct 15, 3:51am
That sounds a bit fishy olwen, and horrible

sarahb5, Oct 15, 3:52am
So would that be whaler's pie then?

I agree though - beef = cottage, lamb = shepherd - not sure what you call it if you use leftover roast pork though .

245sam, Oct 15, 4:06am
I have a recipe that uses pork mince (raw) and it is called Cottage Pork Pie, otherwise my understanding is that the difference between Shepherds and Cottage Pies is as above. lamb (or other minced sheep meat) = shepherds; cottage = other meats, usually beef. :-))

jynx66, Oct 16, 7:18pm
I always thought a shepherd's pie was mashed potato over mince. A cottage pie is sliced potatoes over mince.

anne1955, Oct 16, 8:19pm
For me the difference was Shepard's Pie was made with left over roasted meat minced then topped with mashed spuds. And cottage was made with 'normal' mince and topped with mashed spud. Shepard's I think always better :)

nauru, Oct 16, 9:42pm
Agree with above, Shepherds = lamb. Cottage = beef but I still refer to either as Shepherds Pie.

sarahb5, Oct 17, 12:56am
I always used to call both lamb or beef versions Shepherds Pie but it was my children who pointed out the difference

nauru, Oct 17, 6:20am
Shepherds/Cottage pies are great with mashed kumera topping instead of potato too. Sometimes I mix some mashed pumpkin or cooked chopped spinach into the potato/kumera topping.

biddy6, Oct 17, 6:29am
I've never been tempted to make a cottage pie as I love the shepherds pie made with left over roast lamb/hogget, onion, watties tomato sauce and mashed tattie. Had this once a week whilst growing up and it's still a regular in our household nearly 60 years later. Farming daughter also continues to make it this way. It's such a pain using the old mincer but is a must and well worth it to get the right texture.

olwen, Oct 17, 6:39am
My mother used to make one with left over corned beef. The meet was minced and mixed with mashed potato to bind, and a little onion. More mashed potato on top. The top I think was forked and dotted with butter, but I would put cheese. We loved it with copious amounts of watties tomato sauce.

mwood, Oct 17, 7:55am
Yes I remember eating this first we had it boiled like corn beef then we had it minced in "shepherd's pie"

nannahall1, Oct 17, 8:22am
we also made the cooked meat variety and when we had minced the meat up put some aside and used same mixture with added egg flour and a little water as rissoles the next day, those were the days when one roast lasted at least 4 days

rainrain1, Oct 18, 12:27am
Any cold minced meat goes into a sheperds/cottage pie, all one and the same thing. !