Been out of UK for decades with only an occasional trip back. Mentioned to my vegetarian daughter who is visiting my grandfather that she should try a Ploughman's Lunch at the local. Only to be met with howls of laughter as apparently that is no longer a thing, and replaced by ultra cool (and expensive) meal options.
Is simple British pub food really a thing of the past. Has my beloved pub fish and chips also gone? Bangers and mash?
So I'm in York for work at the moment, and 10 weeks in I'm yet to spot anywhere serving a ploughman's. I'm dying for a good one, has anyone got any suggestions? I want to scratch the itch, and scratch it well...
He wasn't happy about it...
https://preview.redd.it/6knvfr7u18j71.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=cd0f4b796e5a871c727d8186a12afb4b4b88b41c
Would they have a special cutting board and knife for the cheese? Same with the bread? How did they carry all these accoutrements? How did they keep their food off the ground? How did they keep it dry in case of rain? How did they carry their drinks?
Picnics are logistically complicated enough as it is in today's world of plastics.
I've heard for years about the ploughman's lunch of just bread, butter, cheese, and onions (sometimes salad instead) and have always been curious about it since it sounds delicious. I love good artisan bread, spread makes it that much better, and I'm not one to turn down a good salad or sliced onions. The one real hangup is the cheese... I'm allergic.
What are some good alternatives that would fit the same sort of nutritional niche in the meal while not making the meal unwieldy or too complex?
Me and a friend have been discussing this for a few days and we're both on about the same page with the things we'd expect:
Bread - fresh but slightly hard with a bit of butter
Cheese - a few different varieties, very strong
Apple - Crisp, red, cut into chunks
Pickles/Chutney - A multitude of different flavours
Onion - Fresh, raw, colour is not really important
Pork Pie - Yes
Meats - Cold, fresh sliced meats
Salad - Take it or leave it
Pints - Many, preferably ales
Also yay or nay to ploughman's in sandwich form?
I think bread, cheese, and the Branston pickles (or something similar) are the essentials. Anything to add to the list?
I personally like a meat as well but I'm not sure if it is a general essential.
I really like a ploughman's lunch from time to time. It's not like its hard and at most pub-like restaurants they have all the ingredients but I haven't been able to convince anyone to offer one. Here in the culinary wasteland of Annapolis MD we even have a restaurant that claims to be a British pub; *sigh* their "ploughman's lunch" is a Cobb salad. They must really think Americans are stupid.
So I'm going have to do my own. The classic is bread, cheese, onions, and pickles and you will often see preserved meats like ham, hard-cooked eggs, fruit such as tomato or pear, and chutney.
This is a generic outreach on the subject. Any specific thoughts on pickling your own onions or making chutney would be welcome.
