Neil,

As a frequent user of this site, I find your commments to be snobish and uncalled for. You are giving "Brits" a bad reputation (not all Brits are snobs). Sheppards Pie is made in many different variations, with many different ingredients all over the globe. Get over yourself.

Clara

I will add an Amen to you Clara... I agree as well, I found it offensive and rude.

Thanks for the recipe. And just so that you know Clara, Neil is right. Shepard's pie is lamb, cottage pie is beef. It has nothing to do with being British. I was born and raised in the good ole' US of A! This is just something that every good cook knows!

Yes, Neil is a snob, very rude and probably hates Americans. But nontheless, he is correct! Traditionally, Shepherds Pie is made with lamb and Cottage Pie with Beef. If you want to break with a British tradition, as Americans have done for 245 years, then use beef in your recipe and call it Shepherds Pie! American born and bred here.

You are absolutely right. There is nothing snobish about the recipe. I lived in England and I know how shepherd's pie or cottage pie taste like. I enjoy food with the flavours from the contry they originated from.

To clara, when somebody is telling you the right stuff, don't call him snobbish, shepherd's pie - lamb, Cottage Pie - beef...end of discussion! If want to use turkey to make a pie, just go ahead n do it but don't call it cottage pie or shepherds pie, call it Clara's.

The lamb isn't the issue. Ranting and raving about how unauthentic the use of cheese is, while simultaneously publishing a recipe that requests the use of a processed gravy granule product is what bothered me. Authentic my foot. In addition, the original term for the dish was first referenced in 1791 as "Cottage Pie". Shepherd's Pie was first referenced in 1854 and was used interchangeably with beef and mutton. It wasn't until the late 20th century that the UK started to use Cottage specifically for beef, and Shepherd's specifically for mutton. Most people still use Shepherd's for both.

Right.

Rude or not, he's right. Words used to have meaning, not anymore I guess.

Thank you Clara. As a naturalized American I take exception to his rude attitude towards Americans. I still consider myself a Brit but hate to hear criticism of my newly adopted country.

In what sense was he rude? Shepherds Pie is made with lamb and topped with mashed potato.
English in origin. Every Australian schoolchild was taught that, and he's right also about the Savoy cabbage though that's not historical.

You can read his tone. He does sound like a snob, regardless if he is correct or not.

American in Washington, DC

Love the British and love the recipes here.

Go Neil... I agree with you... shepards pie is lamb... cottage pie beef... no two ways about it... and NO cheese please.

There's one thing about American's whose heritage is from England, we love to learn about the English. Their culture fascinates us. In America growing up, my mom used to make shepards pie in three layers, mashed potatoes as the bottom layer, cream corn and sometimes peas mixed as a second layer and the top layer with usually hamburger and gravy, then she baked it. No cheese. Never heard of cheese with shepard's pie but I won't deny the US has an obsession with putting cheese on just about everything. We also seem to put ketchup on everything. I can understand that lamb would be the original recipe, hence the name and sounds delish!

There is nothing snobbish about offering a recipe that is made according to what the author likes or prefers. I make "Shepard's Pie" as a quick left over meal with either browned ground beef or cut up pot roast. I put a layer of corn between the meat & potatoes. It may have started off in Britain, but over the years has been changed to reflect what was in the cupboard at the time. It is interesting to me to see the various versions of this tasty dish.

I'm w/ you there Marcia, I make mine the same way, it is one of my families favorites... Honestly I couldn't nor wouldn't eat it w/ mutton, NOT THIS - MADE IN THE USA GIRL!!.. LOLOL

I don't think there is anything snobby w/ offering a recipe according to what the cook prefers but I don't think it's necessary to make certain comments throughout the recipe that sound angry. Do you have something against the USA or cheese? I think you should just post your recipe without putting down another's recipe. I am an American and I like to put cheese on food. Why do you seem to have such a problem with this?

So funny... I just finished watching Days of our Lives and was left wanting more drama. I guess I came to the right place :) But, I have to say, Cooks.com was the last place I expected to find it.

LOL :)

Have to go with the first two. Whole tone of recipe is rude... "if you know what that is" for a listed ingredient??? Come on. You can be right without being rude and snobby. Because American food is different than British, Jamaican, Indian, Chinese, or Bulgarian doesn't mean it is any less delicious. Just different. Call that the.....Spice of Life!!!

I didn't know what Bisto was, or is. When I need to I'll look it up.

I don't think he has a problem with cheese or Americans. He is just a serious cook.

I say! To each it's own, taste is only in the mouth of the hungry! The best place I have ever had Shepherd's Pie was in an Irish Pub! It was over the top!

Donna,

He was NOT trying to be rude. A lot of people don't know what Bisto is. It depends on how you read the recipe, and if you don't like the way he typed it up, then go find another recipe.

I agree. We used to make it in Scotland as a leftover from mince (ground beef, cooked with Bisto (powder, not granules) and mashed potatoes.
We mixed the leftover mince and potatoes together and put it in a casserole, then the next day we would put it in the oven to reheat it and serve it with either green peas or Heinz baked beans. YUM!

Thank you for the proper ingredients for this recipe and your explanation of the correct way to make it Neil ! I also appreciate the explanation of Cottage Pie and Shepherd Pie !! My Grandparents were from Wells in Somerset and Sussex :)

ROFL!!!

Oh, for the love of Pete, take this recipe (and the tongue-in-cheek attitude) the way it was meant: Poking a joke at Americans for slandering by making "Shepherd's Pie" with corn, and cheese and what not. This is not the end of the world, I hope you all read it again and have a laugh. Any proud Jewish Grandma (or Italian, or Polish, etc) would just as proudly defend her beloved, native recipes and scoff at anyone who makes them the American Way. So take it with a grain of salt (harhar) and enjoy making a real, traditional Shepherd's pie--with lamb. And hold the cheese, please.

You are so right!!!

Thank you for your comment. I am glad other people realized it was meant to be humorous. You made my night!

I agree to the majority here. There are always variety in anything you cook. But there is no reason for that negative comment about Americans. Yes Donna it was rude and uncalled for! We are all Cooks here, serious or not, so lets enjoy original recipes as well as creative versions of the original and leave the negative comments out.

Let it roll off one's back, like water off a duck. We all change recipes to our liking and they become our recipes. There's not a thing I cook twice from a recipe that I don't tweak to meet our likes. And yes, I'm a sinful American, who has ancestors that made a stir over their tea tax and use cheese frequently in recipes. He can cook it with lamb, leave the cheese off and cheat on making real gravy. I won't use this recipe, but his attitude and comments were hilarious. When in Rome, do as the Roman's do. I'm not in Rome ;)

It's not so much the comments on this recipe that are offensive it was the comments made on other shepherds pie recipes that were rude and uncalled for. I was looking for a simple recipe and happened to catch the first couple comments and your's are incredibly rude. The same can be said for comments from you on more than one recipe. Its one thing to correct someone but to do so in such a condescending manner is just uncalled for and incredibly spiteful.

Somebody please. What IS bisto?

Bisto is a british brand of food products, most notably gravy mixes. By the by, I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek humor of this post. And I am American!

Bisto is gravy granules, I would compare its use to the Americans using bouillon cubes, same idea, different form.. The controversy over a recipe is outrageous, some people may enjoy the correct version and others may want to "compliment" this dish by adding other ingredients - whatever floats their boat - They are the ones eating it!!

There are 2 forms of Bisto. The original is a powder, and only comes in beef flavor. The powder should be used in this recipe. The other version are instant granules, comes in many flavors. Not as good as the original.

I learned about "Bisto" and had no idea how it is used. But the idea of using "gravy granules" is confusing. Why would you not just simply make gravy?

Still laughing ...
My mother-in-law introduced me to Bisto. I had no idea it was from England as she was from Holland. We can buy it here in Canada in just about any larger grocery store. I haven't used it in years but thought it was a gravy thickener. Sort of like a brown gravy mix, which is what I use today.
Where I grew up you couldn't get lamb and anyway my English father didn't like it. My Mom (Irish/ English) always used ground beef or if using left over roast beef she chopped it into small cubes. Lots of onion, carrot and any other veg that was in season - don't remember her ever using tomatos.
If she used ground beef she would brown it on top of the stove before adding the veggies and gravy. If it was cut up roast then she did it all in the pan she was going to cook it in. The potatoes always had chopped onion in them and I hadn't heard about adding cheese. I bet my Dutch/ Canadian/ American children would love it.
This was always a much appreciated dish when it was cold.

BTW, Bisto is not exclusively British. It can be bought in Canada.

Bisto is a powder that you make into brown gravy, according to the directions. You can buy it in World Food Market.

I just logged onto this site to find a good ol' recipe for Shepherd's Pie. I find all the negative comments made hysterical. You people need to lighten up! Why are you getting your panties all in a ruff? It's just a recipe, who cares about Neil's personal opinions?! Just make it before you start crying about it.

I'm a brit and I agree with the writer in that shepherds pie is made with lamb (because shepherds herd sheep!). Other than that it does feel a bit rude in the writing. I have added cheese to cottage pie in the past but wouldn't have it on a lamb based dish.
I have lamb mince for a SHEPHERDS PIE on the stove right now and have added lamb stock, tomatoes, peas and sweet corn, so I really think it depends on taste and where or from whom you learnt to cook. I'm also topping with a mix of sweet potato and white potato, I've done it with parsnip in the past too. All equally good.