Cottage/Shepherd's Pie

junie2, May 27, 5:13am
Years ago I used to make a potato-topped dish using cooked and minced up lamb/mutton. I always thought it was called Shepherd's or Cottage Pie but all the recipes I find on google refer to using fresh mince. What was I making back then?! TIA.

laspaz, May 27, 5:26am
I think cottage is beef and shepherds is lamb/mutton?

I assume the other ingredients are the same. I have been making cottage today. I like rosemary in the mash, and plenty of wine in the meat part.

kaddiew, May 27, 5:33am
In the 50s and 60s my mother did the same with left over roast lamb or hogget, and she always referred to it as Shepherd's Pie.

glynsmum, May 27, 5:39am
ooo lovely I like to add a oxtail soup to my cottage pie tasty.

junie2, May 27, 6:44am
Thanks peeps. So maybe no one does that cooked-meat one anymore? Sometimes it had a topping like the batter used for Yorkshire pudding. I used to cook for shearers ( mutton was large part of diet ) and it was always well rec'd. At home the kids loved it. I had the old mincer permanently screwed to the bench in those days!

sarahb5, May 27, 8:06am
I still make shepherds pie with leftover roast lamb and cottage pie with leftover roast beef - I don't really have a recipe for either though

aisling8, May 27, 9:39am
Shepherds Pie is made with leftover meat (any). On the farm we have huge roasts that are cooked for the shepherds - hence any left over turned into Shepherds Pie. Cottage Pie is usually made with fresh meat - mostly done with mince.

sarahb5, May 27, 9:40am
That's your tradition but it's not mine

hd07, May 27, 12:38pm
Shepherds = sheep
Cottage = beef

Whether you use fresh or pre cooked is irrelevant. If it's sheep it's shepherd and beef is cottage.

mjhdeal, May 27, 11:26pm
Pie made with leftover lamb is the best! If you use search terms like 'shepherd's pie leftover lamb', you will find recipes without fresh mince. Like this one:

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/8867/shepherd-s-pie-made-with-leftovers.aspx

junie2, May 28, 8:07am
Yes, that's the sort, thanks mjhdeal. I dug out some ancient recipe books in the end, and that is the basic recipe. There is no mention of beef or raw mince/meat at all. . Old Aunt Daisy book has Shepherd's Pie similar to above ( with mashed potato on top ) and Cottage Pie basically the same meat mix, but with pancake batter on top.

harrislucinda, Jul 1, 6:03pm
Never heard of cottage pie with a batter on top only know both have mashed spuds