| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts 10:21 - Oct 6 with 3701 views | hopphoops |
I've rediscovered the joy of a proper ploughman's this summer, it can really hit the spot but it's oh so easy to feck up.
I've concluded that everything has to be in blocks not slices; the quality of the ham andthe pork pie are the difference makers; and a wooden board is the only acceptable base. Tomatoes with flavour are obviously desirable but not essential, but they must be just halved or quartered. Cheese combos should range from smooth to crumbly to semi-soft at a stretch, but no softs however good they might be in other contexts. I'm good with a couple of lettuce leaves.
Absolute no-nos are slate bases (in general), decorative fruit, processed ham.
Contentiously, a bitter top or bitter shandy or even a cider shandy hit the spot, and the acid edge helps sluice the cheesey bits off the palate. |  |
| |  |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 10:27 - Oct 6 with 3005 views | wombat |
no mention of pickled onions surely a mistake ? |  |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 10:46 - Oct 6 with 2959 views | hopphoops |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 10:27 - Oct 6 by wombat |
no mention of pickled onions surely a mistake ? |
Of course, I knew i'd missed something, the pickled onions are the Clint Hill and the Jamie Mackie of the whole thing. Personally i'd go for strong but not hyper-strong.
Branstons is in of course but piccalilli and sweet homemade pickles are out for me. | |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 11:04 - Oct 6 with 2933 views | blacky200 |
I had one the other day at a pub in Henley. It had bloody celery in it. That's not a proper ploughmans. |  | | |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 11:20 - Oct 6 with 2909 views | TacticalR |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 10:46 - Oct 6 by hopphoops |
Of course, I knew i'd missed something, the pickled onions are the Clint Hill and the Jamie Mackie of the whole thing. Personally i'd go for strong but not hyper-strong.
Branstons is in of course but piccalilli and sweet homemade pickles are out for me. |
Warnock used to call them and Derry his 'bread and butter players', if that's any help. |  |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 11:24 - Oct 6 with 2902 views | Metallica_Hoop |
I haven't had piccalily for ages.
Thick cold roast pork slices for me with mine.
I prefer ham with me chips. |  |
| Beer and Beef has made us what we are - The Prince Regent |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 11:35 - Oct 6 with 2877 views | hoof_hearted |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 11:04 - Oct 6 by blacky200 |
I had one the other day at a pub in Henley. It had bloody celery in it. That's not a proper ploughmans. |
Correct. Celery should be banned. Bloody Chelsea vegetable. |  | | |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 12:20 - Oct 6 with 2789 views | R_from_afar |
Sod football, this is where it's really at!
I reckon onion marmalade would be a great addition, but is it simply too esoteric?
I should imagine the cheese must be British, but must it be Cheddar? Hmm not sure. Wensleydale with apricots in it might be nice, but is that too winebar?
How about gherkins? Acceptable addition or unwanted gatecrasher?
The quality of the bread is key too. Needs to be home made, with plenty of texture, a thick crust and some seeds in it.
Questions, so many questions....
RFA (drooling more than normal) |  |
| "Things had started becoming increasingly desperate at Loftus Road but QPR have been handed a massive lifeline and the place has absolutely erupted. it's carnage. It's bedlam. It's 1-1." |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 12:26 - Oct 6 with 2780 views | TheBlob |
Ours are made with real ploughmen. |  |
| |
Login to get fewer ads
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 13:05 - Oct 6 with 2686 views | scot1963 |
don't mind what a ploughman's arrives on - it's usually an oval plate when I've had one. Necessary ingredients are the lump of cheese (cheddar), buttered baguette, pickled onion, beetroot, branston pickle, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, coleslaw and onion rings. I've always thought the ham version is a huntsman's |  | | |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 13:11 - Oct 6 with 2679 views | R_from_afar |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 13:05 - Oct 6 by scot1963 |
don't mind what a ploughman's arrives on - it's usually an oval plate when I've had one. Necessary ingredients are the lump of cheese (cheddar), buttered baguette, pickled onion, beetroot, branston pickle, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, coleslaw and onion rings. I've always thought the ham version is a huntsman's |
"Buttered baguette"? Sacre bleu, a bit too cosmopolitan, surely? 
RFA | |
| "Things had started becoming increasingly desperate at Loftus Road but QPR have been handed a massive lifeline and the place has absolutely erupted. it's carnage. It's bedlam. It's 1-1." |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 13:15 - Oct 6 with 2662 views | loftboy |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 13:05 - Oct 6 by scot1963 |
don't mind what a ploughman's arrives on - it's usually an oval plate when I've had one. Necessary ingredients are the lump of cheese (cheddar), buttered baguette, pickled onion, beetroot, branston pickle, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, coleslaw and onion rings. I've always thought the ham version is a huntsman's |
All of this basically, has to be cheddar with plenty of branston, fed up with arty farty pub/ bistros advertising a traditional dish then serving up a terrible "trendy" alternative. |  |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 13:24 - Oct 6 with 2637 views | scot1963 |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 13:11 - Oct 6 by R_from_afar |
"Buttered baguette"? Sacre bleu, a bit too cosmopolitan, surely?
RFA |
surely that's the only bread that is acceptable with a ploughman's? I've never had one with any other bread - you do have to butter it yourself with those mini butter portions though
 | | | |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 13:31 - Oct 6 with 2625 views | whiffer |
"A wooden board is the only acceptable base"?! What's wrong with a plate? I hate the wooden board thing. Bits fall/roll off! Coming from Somerset, I would say it just has to be farmhouse cheddar, a large bit of rustic bread, butter, pickled onions (indispensable), sweet pickle, a few slices of carvery ham and a bit of salad if you must. End of. |  | | |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 13:33 - Oct 6 with 2614 views | TheBlob |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 13:24 - Oct 6 by scot1963 |
surely that's the only bread that is acceptable with a ploughman's? I've never had one with any other bread - you do have to butter it yourself with those mini butter portions though
|
Yes it's got to be butter - none of that axle grease pretending to be healthy spread like Flora or Olivio .......(shudder) | |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 14:15 - Oct 6 with 2546 views | Dorse |
Phwoar! Eh? Eh? You LOVE it! Eh?
Muahahahahahaaa! |  |
| 'What do we want? We don't know! When do we want it? Now!' |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 14:31 - Oct 6 with 2529 views | wombat |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 14:15 - Oct 6 by Dorse |
Phwoar! Eh? Eh? You LOVE it! Eh?
Muahahahahahaaa! |
a tomato based chutney needs to on the plate
also the following
cheddar grade five ideally
stilton stinky as possible
brie english preferably
pickled onions nuclear strength
french bread
good size tub of butter
some good home cooked gammon ham thick cut not sliced by machine
dosnt need anymore than that apart from and ice cold cider and busty wench of a barmaid to serve | |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 14:52 - Oct 6 with 2497 views | Toast_R |
What no peeled apple slices? |  | | |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 15:10 - Oct 6 with 2477 views | hopphoops |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 13:31 - Oct 6 by whiffer |
"A wooden board is the only acceptable base"?! What's wrong with a plate? I hate the wooden board thing. Bits fall/roll off! Coming from Somerset, I would say it just has to be farmhouse cheddar, a large bit of rustic bread, butter, pickled onions (indispensable), sweet pickle, a few slices of carvery ham and a bit of salad if you must. End of. |
It would have to be a biiiig plate. Look at this - not bad from 20 yards but get up close and you've got a full plate but only a pale shadow of a ploughman's, no ham, no pie and not much else.
 | |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 15:22 - Oct 6 with 2458 views | wombat |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 15:10 - Oct 6 by hopphoops |
It would have to be a biiiig plate. Look at this - not bad from 20 yards but get up close and you've got a full plate but only a pale shadow of a ploughman's, no ham, no pie and not much else.
|
never been that keen on the pork or indeed game pie on a ploughmans myself , our local country pub has a meat terrine instead which makes a nice change on the odd occasion
way to much salad to call that a ploughmans, thats a a south west london cheese salad | |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 15:35 - Oct 6 with 2433 views | ShotKneesHoop |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 14:31 - Oct 6 by wombat |
a tomato based chutney needs to on the plate
also the following
cheddar grade five ideally
stilton stinky as possible
brie english preferably
pickled onions nuclear strength
french bread
good size tub of butter
some good home cooked gammon ham thick cut not sliced by machine
dosnt need anymore than that apart from and ice cold cider and busty wench of a barmaid to serve |
Don't forget the Partners Port. |  |
| Why does it feel like R'SWiPe is still on the books? Yer Couldn't Make It Up.Well Done Me! |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 16:05 - Oct 6 with 2403 views | wombat |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 15:35 - Oct 6 by ShotKneesHoop |
Don't forget the Partners Port. |
see the port takes it into a different timescale for me
evening snack plate of biscuits and cheese then out comes the port.
never been tempted myself to grab the bottle during a lunch time snack | |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 18:14 - Oct 6 with 2306 views | R_from_afar |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 13:31 - Oct 6 by whiffer |
"A wooden board is the only acceptable base"?! What's wrong with a plate? I hate the wooden board thing. Bits fall/roll off! Coming from Somerset, I would say it just has to be farmhouse cheddar, a large bit of rustic bread, butter, pickled onions (indispensable), sweet pickle, a few slices of carvery ham and a bit of salad if you must. End of. |
It could've been worse, someone could've said it needed to be served on a slate/in a shoe/in half a skull...
RFA | |
| "Things had started becoming increasingly desperate at Loftus Road but QPR have been handed a massive lifeline and the place has absolutely erupted. it's carnage. It's bedlam. It's 1-1." |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 18:19 - Oct 6 with 2301 views | PlanetHonneywood |
I think there is often a tendency to over-complicate that which doesn't need to be. The simpler its kept, the more focus on the authenticity of the produce, then you're on to a winner.
For me, a stand up Ploughman's needs six things. I have only skimmed read much of the above, and didn't see the sixth essential. Anyway, here's my take:
1. Cheese - minimum two, maximum three cheeses. The first is an obligatory proper Cheddar, preferably cave aged. After that, a Stilton works, but as I like my pickles/chutneys etc., then I'd add either a Double Gloucester or a Wensleydale, but not as someone mentioned above, one of those fruity cheeses! Big no-no for me.
2. Bread - I would prefer not to see a baguette over two thick doorstep slices of rustic bread. There's a place in Lyme Regis that does a fantastic sourdough. (Butter, optional but not for me).
3. Chutneys - Very susceptible to these, and would happily subscribe to a melange of tomato chutney, Branston's pickle, onion marmalade and unashamedly, some chunky piccalilli as well.
4. Meat - No deli/mass-produced stuff! It has to be a couple of decent slices of ham, boiled on the bone.
5. Additionals - a couple of pickles, a tomato, some garnishing leaves; like rocket, spinach and water cress.
Now, all the above is very good...but what beer are we going to have with it? Apologies if I did not read it above, but this is the sixth and essential element and unless you're going to have a proper English ale, then you might as well go home! |  |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 18:26 - Oct 6 with 2292 views | TheBlob |
It's all a bit pretentious innit.I've never quite got over Soup In A Basket. | |
| |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 18:46 - Oct 6 with 2268 views | terryb |
| Ploughman's lunch dos and donts on 18:19 - Oct 6 by PlanetHonneywood |
I think there is often a tendency to over-complicate that which doesn't need to be. The simpler its kept, the more focus on the authenticity of the produce, then you're on to a winner.
For me, a stand up Ploughman's needs six things. I have only skimmed read much of the above, and didn't see the sixth essential. Anyway, here's my take:
1. Cheese - minimum two, maximum three cheeses. The first is an obligatory proper Cheddar, preferably cave aged. After that, a Stilton works, but as I like my pickles/chutneys etc., then I'd add either a Double Gloucester or a Wensleydale, but not as someone mentioned above, one of those fruity cheeses! Big no-no for me.
2. Bread - I would prefer not to see a baguette over two thick doorstep slices of rustic bread. There's a place in Lyme Regis that does a fantastic sourdough. (Butter, optional but not for me).
3. Chutneys - Very susceptible to these, and would happily subscribe to a melange of tomato chutney, Branston's pickle, onion marmalade and unashamedly, some chunky piccalilli as well.
4. Meat - No deli/mass-produced stuff! It has to be a couple of decent slices of ham, boiled on the bone.
5. Additionals - a couple of pickles, a tomato, some garnishing leaves; like rocket, spinach and water cress.
Now, all the above is very good...but what beer are we going to have with it? Apologies if I did not read it above, but this is the sixth and essential element and unless you're going to have a proper English ale, then you might as well go home! |
Please can I forgo number five & have two pints to drink with my Ploughmans?
I had a great Ploughmans in Southwold earlier this year & was reminded how good they could be! |  | | |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
