whatever happened to the ploughman's lunch?

[PineappleDanish]

We didn't often eat out as children but did have the occasional pub lunch. My parents would ALWAYS order a ploughman's lunch - bread, cheese, cured meats, pickle, sometimes a pork pie, salad. It was seen (in the 70s and 80s) as a culinary delight.

They appear to have disappeared - are all the ploughmen now eating Vietnamese pho or Japanese bento boxes instead?

Right. I'm going off piste but I have some meatballs that need eating today - so meatballs, cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, gherkin, beetroot, onions and cold pasta smothered in salad cream.

Can I call it Anglo Italian Ploughman's?

Are you spying on me at work?! I had exactly this conversation with colleagues

In fact, I've had this conversation countless times over the years - usually when I order a ploughman's, and some know-all pipes up, "It was invented in the 1950s!" as if that means I shouldn't have it!

It was a fad invented by a publican. Nothing to do with ploughmen

Hunter's chicken wasn't invented by or only eaten by hunters either.

The best ploughman's I ever saw had thick slabs of home cooked ham. Fragrant tomato crumbly cheeses. coleslaw and wedge of crusty home-baked bread... And pickled onions as big as door knobs

I am ravenous.

Too many people are gluten or lactose intolerant now! Bread and dairy are not so popular anymore

OK gang, I've got:

Crusty bread
Best butter
Torchon ham
Pastrami
Salt beef
Mature Cheddar cheese
Cheddar & balsamic onion cheese
Wensleydale cheese
Cheese & onion quiche
Dinky pork pies
Proper pickled onions
Pickled beetroot
Nice salted crisps

How many portions am I making?

I love a ploughman’s but not seen one since the mid 90s!

Bread cheese pickle salad apple

This sounds a nice combination and would be nice at Home and cheaper.. Brawn is

2 slices classic smoked ham
1–2 hard-boiled eggs (or use pickled eggs if you have them)
tomatoes
3 chunks sourdough bread
25 g cultured butter
2 pickled onions, cut or sliced if you like
another pickle, such as pickled pear, or a relish
100 g good quality cloth-bound cheddar
mustard
radishes, if you have them
cider or pale ale, to serve

Brawn looked awful It looked like dog meat I took that off the list of ingredients 😄😄😄

Oh I do love a good ploughman's!
Brings back memories of going out for a Sunday lunch as a kid in the summer

I regularly do them but go a bit overboard.
Lots of cheese, pickle, good crusty bread, meats, apple, coleslaw and whatever else is lying around.

Im hungry now