Perfect Ploughman's Lunch
How to throw together the perfect Ploughman's Lunch! Our traditional Ploughman's is ideal for picnics, parties or just because you fancy one!
Now I do love a proper Ploughman's lunch. It reminds me of lazy afternoons sat in the countryside in a beer garden by the river, lovely picnics and even lazy summer days in the garden.
A proper Ploughman's Lunch (or ploughmans for short) is a total treat to eat. One of our favourite British recipes. It's just a matter of choosing great ingredients and spending just a little time arranging them so they look beautiful.
WHAT'S IN A PLOUGHMAN'S LUNCH?
I think everyone has their own little way of making a ploughman's lunch and has their own preferences about what should be included. It's a delicious selection of good British food - ham, cheese and bread.
I like to add in a pork pie or a scotch egg, sometimes even a sausage roll. There should be fruit - like apples or pears. Tomatoes, celery sprinkled with salt and a selection of pickles and chutney.And... always a pot of crisps. Proper crisps, like Fiddlers crisps - made right here in Lancashire!
I think on the whole for me a ploughman's platter needs to be mainly British food - little regional goodies, roast ham, good bread and regional cheese like a vintage Cheddar or crumbly Lancashire. There's no room for continental cheese or meats in a traditional ploughman's lunch - choose robust, chunky British food.
PLOUGHMAN'S LUNCH INGREDIENTS
- Bread rolls - choose any bread you like, soft floury barmcakes, crusty cobs or granary rolls. Or thick slices of nice soft white bread.
- Butter - to spread on your bread
- Slices roast ham - you can add more if you like.
- British cheese - I like vintage Cheddar or Crumbly Lancashire - you could do a mix of both if you like, or try a stinky blue cheese like Stilton
- Pork pies - just choose your favourite pork pie - you can choose artisan pies, pork pies with black pudding, pork and chutney pies - just pick your favourite.
- Celery - cut into batons
- Vine tomatoes - sliced into quarters, you can swap this for cherry tomatoes.
- Cucumber - sliced
- Radishes - sliced
- Red apples - sliced
- Pickled onions - big crispy ones or little silver skinned pickles - or both
- Chutney - I tend to use Branston pickle but you can just choose your favourite or switch it or Piccalilli, tomato chutney or caramelised red onion chutney or a selection.
- Crisps - I use Fiddlers - Lancashire Cheese & Onion or Lancashire Sauce flavour.
TASTY EXTRAS TO ADD TO YOUR PLOUGHMAN'S LUNCH
- Scotch eggs - add in some artisan scotch eggs, they work super well with a Ploughman's - grab our Gluten free scotch egg - just the BEST homemade gluten free scotch egg recipe, easy, flavoursome and oh so perfect for picnics.
- Sausage rolls - homemade sausage rolls are a total treat to eat and go so well with this British food platter. Get our homemade sausage roll recipe or our air fryer sausage rolls recipe here.
- Roast beef - add in some slices of roast beef alongside the traditional ham. If you're adding roast beef, don't forget the English mustard or horseradish.
- Hard boiled eggs - a couple of hard boiled eggs, shells remove and sliced into halves go great on a ploughman's.
- Watercress - peppery watercress is always delicious with a ploughman's lunch.
Get loads of lunch recipes and ideas here
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
- Chopping board
- Colander - Salad spinner
- Sharp vegetable knife
- Bread board
- Bread knife
- Serving platter
- Small serving bowls
- Serving spoons
HOW TO MAKE A PLOUGHMAN'S LUNCH
- Prepare all the ingredients - wash and slice the salad and fruit, sliced the bread rolls, cut the cheeses and meat.
- Arrange the platter - just start on one corner of the platter and build up all the food in a nice arrangement as you go across the platter - filling in any gaps with sliced radish, cucumber or freshly chopped herbs so it looks lovely.
FANCY A PLOUGHMAN'S SANDWICH?
You could always switch up your Ploughman's lunch and serve it as a Ploughman's sandwich instead. Take two slices of thick cut granary bread and load it up with - sliced cheese, ham, lettuce leaves, Ploughman's pickle or relish and sliced tomatoes.
WHAT TO DRINK WITH A PLOUGHMAN'S LUNCH?
You really can't beat a nice cold beer or cider alongside a ploughman's lunch, it's traditional!
Go for British brewed ales like...
- Cheddar Ales - Potholer - a lovely refreshing golden ale, zesty with a hoppy finish.
- Bowland Brewery - Buster - brewed right here in Lancashire a lovely IPA, fruity finish and oh so perfect with ham and pork! Slide one next to your ploughman's lunch.
Get lots of fresh and healthy salad recipes here
GIVE YOUR PLOUGHMAN'S A TWIST!
Fancy adding a modern twist to your ploughman's lunch you could try any of the tasty ideas below!
- Opt for a flavoured pork pie - try out a Thai pie, or Spanish style pork pies.
- Use continental meats in place of the plain roast ham.
- Serve with continental cheeses, breads and chutney.
MORE EASY LUNCH RECIPES
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Ploughman's Lunch
How to make the BEST Ploughman's Lunch - delicius, easy all British recipe
Ingredients
- 4 bread rolls
- 4 slices roast ham
- 150g Cheddar cheese
- 400g pork pies (four pies)
- 3 celery sticks - cut into batons
- 6 vine tomatoes - quartered
- ½ cucumber - sliced
- 8 radishes - sliced
- 2 red apples - sliced
- 8 pickled onions
- 2 tbs chutney
- 150g crisps
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients – wash and slice the salad and fruit, sliced the bread rolls, cut the cheeses and meat.
- Arrange the platter – just start on one corner of the platter and build up all the food in a nice arrangement as you go across the platter – filling in any gaps with sliced radish, cucumber or freshly chopped herbs so it looks lovely.
Notes
Optional ingredients - sliced roast beef, scotch eggs, sausage rolls
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1142Total Fat: 68gSaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 37gCholesterol: 209mgSodium: 1393mgCarbohydrates: 75gFiber: 8gSugar: 17gProtein: 60g
Nutritional content will vary depending on the exact ingredients you use and how careful you are with measuring - this nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate - you should always calculate your own nutritional information especially if you have specific dietary requirements.
Get more delicious meal ideas and easy recipes here
Wendy is the creator of Daisies & Pie, a UK food blog sharing easy meals and home lifestyle tips since 2012
