Ploughman’s Lunch is a a very British and extremely popular pub lunch item. A meal consisting of cold meats, cheeses, bread, pickle and of course, beer. It’s like a picnic on plate. This is a fun way to eat. A little of this, a little of that. Make it gourmet or casual.

A classic Ploughman's lunch. A board with bread, meats, pickle, cheeses and beer.

All week I’ve been bringing you the recipes that make up this Smörgåsbord of British food. First this week was pickle relish, then pickled onions. As you can see, there’s been a lot of pickling going on around here!

Where does the name Ploughman’s Lunch come from?

Ploughman’s lunch history only dates back to the 1960’s (which is really new by British standards!), it is said that it was devised as a marketing tactic by the English Cheese and Milk Marketing Board to promote the sale of cheese in pubs. However, it was also mentioned in the 1837 book Memoirs of the life of Sir Walter Scott by John G. Lockhart, but it was a very vague reference as ‘a  lunch for a ploughman.’ So nothing really ground-breaking for the history books, but historic nonetheless.

What is in a Ploughman’s Lunch?

The components are quite specific. There must be a couple of semi-hard cheeses, English of course, some Ploughman’s chutney (pickle), pickled onions and sometimes either Scotch eggs or a pork pie and some bread if you feel like it.

Cheese wedges and sliced bread

This versatile meal a perfect lunch idea to eat on a warm Summer day sitting outside of the pub on picnic benches enjoying the rare warm sun and drinking a nice cold (yes, we do drink it cold) beer to wash it all down. Cheers!

Scotch eggs cut in half showing the yellow yolk and sausage inside

Peppery radishes add a nice fresh crunch as well as celery and cherry tomatoes for a sweet colorful bite. You could also add English mustard.  

A bowl of pickle relish and pickled onions

The Ploughman’s is a perfect lunch idea to eat on a warm British ummer day sitting outside of the pub on picnic benches enjoying the rare warm sun and drinking a nice cold (yes, we do drink it cold) beer to wash it all down. Cheers!

If you’ve tried this Ploughman’s Lunch or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers!

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Yield: 4

Ploughman's Lunch

A very British and extremely popular pub lunch item, the Ploughman's lunch is a meal consisting of cold meats, cheese, bread, pickle and of course, beer. It's like a picnic on plate. This recipe, the fabled Ploughman's lunch, completes my British recipes week.

A meal consisting of cold meats, cheese, bread, pickle and of course, beer. It's like a picnic on plate.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces (113 grams) ham
  • 2 ounces (56 grams) English stilton cheese
  • 2 ounces (56 grams) English cheddar cheese
  • 6 slices good quality crusty bread
  • English pickled onions
  • English pickle relish
  • 4 whole radishes
  • 2 ounces (56 grasm) cherry tomatoes
  • 2 sticks celery cut into bite size pieces
  • English mustard
  • Beer of your choice

Instructions

  1. Arrange all the meat, cheese and vegetables onto a wooden cutting board.
  2. Put the pickled onions, pickle and mustard in small bowls.
  3. Pour beer into beer glasses, serve and enjoy.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 225Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 25mgSodium 369mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 1gSugar 4gProtein 9g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.