Cottage pie, shepherd's pie & Cumberland pie – What’s the difference?

The only true answer of course is, “Who cares? They all taste good!”

The definitive answer would be, “Onions and minced or finely chopped meat topped with mashed potato!”

After hours of painstaking reasearch I think I finally have the answer! – shepherds pie is made from shepherds, cottage pie is made from cottages (watch out for the bits of grit), and Cumberland pie; well nobody seems to know for sure, perhaps it’s made with either but in Cumbria.

In a recent survey when asked what their spouses prefered, 9 out of 10 shepherd’s wives said their husbands prefered shepherds pie over the other two – the other 1 out 0f 10 were vegetarian. The only big exception was 8 out of 10 shepherdesses in the Lake District said their husbands prefered Cumberland pie. No surprise there then! The other 2 out of 10 – had no idea what our surveyors were on about.

In reality though; although none of the results of my research are set in stone it is commonly held that cottage pie is made using minced or ground beef, shepherd’s pie uses minced lamb or mutton, and Cumberland pie can be either but has an extra layer of breadcrumbs on top of the mash (and often cheese also).

The recipe is basically the same for all: minced meat and onions in gravy (sometimes carrots and/or peas are mixed in also but not always) topped with mashed potato, and baked in the oven uncovered so the top starts to crisp and brown. The precise amounts of each ingredient vary dramatically and are usually left to personal preference.

What I do know for sure however is that whether Cumberland, cottage, or shepherd’s all make a delicious hearty British meal, especially when served with some side veg and extra gravy over it all.

So there you have it, call ‘em what you like, they’re all good!