A meal of bread and cheese washed down with cider had provided sustenance for farm labourers working in the fields for centuries. Both bread and cheese were made in most rural households and were a mainstay to the diet, particularly in the southern counties of England. While labourers would often take their bread and cheese to the fields to eat at lunchtime, a meal of bread, cheese and onions accompanied with cider or beer was served in most inns. By the twentieth century bread and cheese were often the only food served in public houses. It wasn’t until the 1950s and 60s that pubs began to refer to this fare as a Ploughman’s Lunch with its associations with an innocent and idyllic country life, and it is likely that it was invented as a marketing ploy to attract people to eat in pubs. Since then, the simple meal of bread and cheese has been added to and most pubs these days include ham, pickled onions, chutneys and salad garnishes.
Equipment
Large serving platter
Preparation method
Arrange all the ingredients apart from the bread on a serving platter and serve the bread in a basket or large bowl.
I have not stated the amounts of the ingredients as it depends on how many people you are serving and how hungry they are. I have therefore not stated the calories or nutritional values either.
20th century
Serves:
Ingredients
English hard cheese e.g. Cheddar, Wensleydale, Lancashire, Double Gloucester
Thick slices of ham off the bone
Bread: thick slices of wholemeal bread, cottage loaf or bread rolls
Butter
Cherry tomatoes
Celery sticks
Chutney
Pickled onions
Apple slices
Nutrition
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