This whole coversation is a hot mess.....Shepherd's pie is a poor man dish...orginally...so whatever you have is fine...Everyone cannot afford lamb in this day and age....but they can afford the next best thing.....

The problem with "poor man's" dishes is when the TV 'chefs' discover them (e.g. Gordon Ramsay) the ingredients all of a sudden become unaffordable or unavailable. I grew up eating oxtail, tripe, tongue. Still love those dishes as Mom made them, but if I can find them, I can barely afford them. I first noticed this happen with olive oil in the early 1980s; my family is Sicilian-American -- Italians were the only ones who bothered with it before that time.

Your all so sad arguing over a recipe sort your lives out....................Peace!!!!!!!!!

So many of the girls' responses remind me of -- I think it was the "Lockhorns" comic strip -- where the husband says, without looking up from his newspaper, "Women always take things so personally" and the wife scolds back, "I DO NOT!"

We Americans DO like to add cheese to things that did not originally -- or traditionally -- call for it. Part of this may be due to our fondness for French and especially Northern Italian cuisine, both of which are often heavy on the cheeses. Neal's point is that neither Shepherd's nor Cowherd's Pie traditionally included cheese, probably because way back when, English shepherds & cowherds were Commoners who had little or no access to cheeses hence did not cook with them, hence their traditional recipes did not use them. Our famous HAMBURGER is not ours at all, but a ground beef patty on a round bun was originally the traditional signature "Philly Cheese-steak Sandwich" of the German city of Hamburg. When we add a slice of cheese we then call it a Cheeseburger; our own national variation, not traditional, not supposed to be. Neal's point was that no original or traditional English Commoner's meat pie recipe included cheese, not that it would be some violation of International Law to do so. And not that we Americans are nuts, just, uh, cheesy... Well, we ARE cheesy, LOL.

Ed -- have you ever actually Had a Philly cheesesteak? Your comparison Not Even Close...

I cannot believe most of you are taking this so seriously. Get over yourselves and just enjoy some nice food and Neil's "british sense of humor"... I take it you've never seen Fawlty Towers, Python, Are you Being Served or Eddie Izzard before? Wink Wink Nudge Nudge...

Now just get to cooking!!

I LOVE this recipe. As a Brit, I can say it is truly authentic - just like me mum used to make. It tastes even better with a spot of cheese on top. Carry on, Neil.

Just as another reference to some of you who have commented on this page.. Neil's comments on cheese and what not (AND this recipe) are all in response to the other alleged "Shepherds Pie" recipes on this site which are inundated with calls for cheese and other non-authentic ingredients and cooking methods.

Cant fault a guy for wanting to see at least one recipe get it right, although this isnt the only one to do so.

And the Brits are still calling them "chips" when we all know they are "fries". Different cultures, different names. The next day when it all comes out, I am sure we all have the same name for it.

Well lets see.... I'm hungry. I have limited ingredients and a hungry kid. So I look on here for a recipe and find this. I'm an American Redneck just lookin for something different to cook. My question is to Neil. You ever try it with Deer meat Neil? Just a thought. Turned out real nice.

And to the rest of you I say live and let live. Life is too short to worry about who said what. Thank you all for the input. I have taken a little out of what everyone said and made a great dinner for my family. Happy holidays to all of you and good night.

Neil, thanks for a very good recipe. I'm a Virginian and don't mind a bit your humorous/humourous (and true, I think) comment on the general American predilection for adding cheese so gratuitously to many dishes. Why add cheese OR Bistro to an otherwise perfectly adequate recipe?

But I have a question for you: I just shot a deer and plan to incorporate ground venison into your recipe. What should I call this pie, "cottage" or "shepherd's"?/" And would you recommend the addition of cumin? Thanks.

Pardon me. Bisto. Sacred Bisto.

It's been a while since I've made a Shepherd's (cottage) Pie. Glancing through these comments got my appetite up. I think I'll try it without the cheese, like the Brit suggests.

Neil,

I don't find your recipe "snobby" nor "offensive" I am a good ol southern girl with TONS of brit friends. Keep on keeping on, man! Love the recipe... and so did my kiddos! Thanks!

Hi Neil and Others,

I couldn't find the original recipe and it has been a very long time since I made Shepherd's Pie with lamb.

I find this post very amusing and refreshing and not at all offensive.

My father was English, my mother French and my husband, Irish. I love food and cooking; especially the original recipes after reading the history behind their origin.

Thanks for the entertainment.This recipe is that which I have made many years ago; thanks for the refresher course.

Wishing you all a prosperous and happy 2010. Bon Appetit!

My husbands mum makes hers with ground turkey. She's scared of mad cow!!!so no ground beef. And a bit of cheddar cheese just for good luck. Now that i know ours can't be called shepherds or cottage. I don't know what to do.......... (maybe american pie?)

I love finding these ridiculously long and involved threads over simple things. it's so entertaining.

Happy 2010

Does anyone have a recipe for "cottage pie" all that came up for cottage pie was cottage cheese pie, I would assume this is different then the real Cottage Pie. I would love to have an original if possible, the old fashioned way always tastes the BEST.
Happy New Year to All!!!