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?

@cricketmum84 I’d add...

Beetroot
Cheese and onion quiche
Coleslaw

But that’s going off piste tradition wise!

I order ploughmans lunch whenever I see it so its definitely still out there.

Excellent idea :) I have fresh beetroot in the fridge. And I love quiche. I am so looking forward to this!

Last time I went out for a pub lunch I had a cheese ploughman’s. Love them.

@cricketmum84 a porkless pie from Holland & Barrett would finish that off lovely!

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

Yes, it was invented to serve in pubs in the 1950s. How does that make it a fad? We're still eating it 60+ years later!

And ploughman's lunch isn't a bad name for it. Agricultural workers took bread and cheese out to the fields for their mid-day meal every day for centuries.

Are you spying on me at work?! I had exactly this conversation with colleagues a couple of days ago!

Now I want a Ploughman’s....

Move to the East Midlands! Still on the menu at most of the pubs here! I love them.

Love a ploughman’s!!!

We are still having this on Sundays (yep, we have cheese & pickles left from Christmas) but effectively it’s very close to the (sometimes) despised ‘picky tea’.

Chicken in a basket seems to hav gone the same way

I often make chicken in a basket for my family.

I bought the baskets specifically for thet purpose! It's a fun meal.
Although I usually make chicken strips- crispy oven baked, hm chips.

@SweetMarmalade excellent idea! I really like the Morrison's vegan pork pie and work very near a H&B so I'll pop in today!

Yes, it was invented to serve in pubs in the 1950s. How does that make it a fad?

As was Coronation Chicken and that's amazing too! People are really missing out when they describe the good old ploughman's as "grotesque".

@cricketmum84 ooh I didn’t know about Morrison’s selling porkless pies! Might have to give them a try, although I do love the H&B version and their scotch eggs.

I think I'll be serving ploughmans when the family come for supper on Saturday........

Bring back scampi in a basket I say

Had one in a pub in the Yorkshire Dales recently. No pork pie though 😢

Funny story. When I moved to the UK I didn't know what a ploughman's lunch was, so my then-boyfriend-now-husband made me one. He added random bits he found in the cupboards and fridge to bulk it up a bit, and for years I thought that a ploughman's = two types of ham and crisps.

I really fancy a ploughman's now!

Chicken In A Basket anyone?

Haven't RTFT but all I can say is where on earth are you seeing scampi and Black Forest Gateaux? So retro!!!

Ploughman's lunches are plentiful around these parts.

My DS had a ploughman’s in a pub last year but they called it British tapas. The pork pie and bread were all home made and it was huge and I know they locally source lots of stuff as my mate was the chef. It’s an award winning pub. I often eat stuff like this as I do love pickles and chutneys. Branson is ok but rather controversially I favour piccalilli.

I loved a ploughman's lunch! Not had one since the mid 90s though....

I'm in Scotland and one cafe near me does a ploughmans, a tenner seems a bit much for some cheese and side bits so I am going to make my own once I have been shopping. I don't understand ham or cheese, a good one has both.

I had a ploughmans sandwich from Sainsburys yesterday although since it was just cheese and pickle it doesn't really count.

Boire

Can't help you on the black forest gateaux front, but I don't think I've ever been in a pub that doesn't have scampi on the menu .