The surprising ingredient that transforms Shepherd’s Pie

I’ve said many times that I am not a food purist: I like shortcuts and variations, I have a massive soft spot for oven pizzas, and no time at all for those who are sniffy about prepared food or ingredients. I don’t think there’s anything to be gained by being categorical or dictatorial about food – what is the point in me insisting you cook your thick steak rare if you can’t bear to eat it that way? Eating and cooking should be about enjoyment, and I don’t get to decide what you do or do not enjoy, what is to your taste. So I try my very best to be flexible, to offer up alternatives, and not to make pronouncements from on high.

However, I draw the line at shepherd’s pie. I am given to understand (or rather, there are countless sources to this fact, I just don’t want to believe it), that the terms cottage pie and shepherd’s pie can be used interchangeably to mean any red meat braised dish with mashed potato on top. But, frankly, shepherd’s pie being made with lamb mince is a hill I’m willing to die on. I simply don’t accept that, where a simple delineation between the two is possible (shepherds look after sheep, sheep become lamb, this shouldn’t be complicated), we wouldn’t embrace that. So as far as I’m concerned, shepherd’s pie is lamb-based, and I will not countenance counter-arguments.

Unsurprisingly for a one-pot dish that is designed to feed a family and make meat go a little further, shepherd’s pie would originally have been made with the leftovers from a leg of mutton or lamb. Today, we tend to make it with lamb mince, rather than shredded, roast lamb. The idea is to eke out meat with veg and sauce and potatoes, and create something hot and comforting and deeply savoury.