Pub Classics · England-wide

The Ploughman’s Lunch

Name: The Ploughman’s Lunch
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 300g mature farmhouse cheddar (or half cheddar, half Stilton); Crusty white or granary bread; salted butter; Pickled onions; 4 tbsp Branston-style chutney; 1 crisp apple, quartered; handful of watercress; Celery sticks; 2 boiled eggs (optional); Ale or cider, mandatory

A wedge of mature cheddar, crusty bread, pickled onions, chutney and an apple — the cold lunch that defined the British pub garden. No cooking, only standards.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 0 min
Total: 10 min
Yield: Serves 2
Difficulty: Easy
Era: Mid-century pub board

Ingredients

300g mature farmhouse cheddar (or half cheddar, half Stilton)
Crusty white or granary bread; salted butter
Pickled onions; 4 tbsp Branston-style chutney
1 crisp apple, quartered; handful of watercress
Celery sticks; 2 boiled eggs (optional)
Ale or cider, mandatory

Method

Bring the cheese to room temperature — cold cheese is a wasted cheese.
Cut it into generous wedges, never cubes.
Arrange on boards with the bread, butter, pickles, chutney, apple and watercress.
Eat in the correct order: bread, butter, cheese, pickle. Repeat. Ale throughout.

Oven temperatures are given in Celsius, Fahrenheit, fan and gas mark throughout. Quantities are metric, as cooked and written in the UK.