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?

Only 0lace I know is my nans care home cafe

Thanks to this thread I've had to cobble together what bits I had in the fridge to make a Ploughman's lunch. Nowt posh, nowt special but I did hand bake the bread if that makes it a bit fancier

Years ago, in Yorkshire, I discovered the delights of Cake&Cheese .

I did think What the Jeff , it was thin sliced Wendsleydale and a slice of fruitcake. Bloody lush it was too

Ploughman's (IMO) is good white bread, no butter, good strong cheddar, Branston Pickle, pickled onion and tomato .
No ham or pork pie thanks .

I had an excellent ploughman's at a place called The Balloon Tree at Gate Helmsley outside York. Highly recommend it, in fact I now need to go there this weekend!

Not to be confused with the Helmsley near Sutton Bank

StiffUpper that looks very nice - great presentation if I may say. You’ve gone to real effort there - slicing onions n allsorts!
(Meanders off to check fridge for ploughman’s supplies) --suspect they were all eaten on Sunday though—

Quip

That looks effing fantastic - I love, bloody LOVE silverskin onions! (And indeed, any pickled onion - my mam did amazing pickled onions - I can't seem to master the Craft.

Cheese and cake - especially Christmas cake with stilton - is INCREDIBLE, Target. So is a cheese and apple sandwich . . . which I also fancy now.

Just because something's unfashionable doesn't make it crap food. Trendy food is fine, but shunning a British classic made with local cheeses or whatever just because it's very 70s is crazy!

A PP asked about other versions of the ploughman's lunch.
I can recall a meatier version which was called a pig-man's lunch. Should include good ham in thick slices, cut off a joint and not plastic wrapped, and a home made pork pie. Minimum!

My DH ploughs at ploughing matches - and they tend to offer either a hog roast, a pie, or a full roast dinner to the ploughmen.

None of this salad leaf, Branston's, cheese and pickled onion with chunks of bread............

Oh, I bloody love a pluffmans. Nothing like it on a summer day in a pub garden. I’m in Sussex and a fair few pubs round here still do them.

pluffmans

I asked DH if he'd like a Ploughman's lunch for lunch.

He didn't know what one was.

Do I LTB?

I disagree with the white bread no butter....granary bread lots of butter for me.

I had an amazing one in Devon about 4 years ago.

StiffUpperQuip that looks delicious! beautifully presented!

I’m getting jealous of all these mumsnetters with ploughmen for dh’s. I always fancied marrying a strong farmer type - well sexy!

Do I LTB?

NO!!!

This is your opportunity to have TWO!

Ariela you’ve shattered everyone’s illusions now.

Plenty of ploughmans in pubs around here.

I asked DH if he'd like a Ploughman's lunch for lunch

He didn't know what one was..

This should have been discussed before marriage. However, all is not lost - present him with a ploughman's and his reaction will tell you all you need to know.

Ploughman’s turned into antipasti surely.

I've got to make one for lunch now!

Fresh crusty bread, local cheese, homemade chutney and extra spicy onions with salad I think.

Going to be delicious

They do a Farmer's tasting platter at a naice farm shop not to far from me:

half of our award-winning pork pie, traditional sausage roll, quiche of the day. Finished with pickled onions, cheese of the week, fruity chutney, house salad, farmhouse bread and traditional coleslaw.

Other highlights from the menu include local bonfire night favourite, pork pie and mushy peas served all year round in the 'small plates' section and especially for 70isaLimitNotaTarget the fruit cake on the afternoon tea comes with Wensleydale, cos it's illegal round these parts to serve it without.

I do love a good ploughman’s! If it’s done well it’s a great, simple, tasty and filling lunch. I fancy one now. Might suggest we do our own version over the weekend...

Mmmmm yes I love a good helping (or three) of cheese and fruitcake delight at Christmas! Although I have Stilton, and add a handful of walnuts and some dried cranberries on the side. So good! Roll on December!