What Is the difference between shepherd’s pie and cottage pie?
It’s no wonder these two, very similar, dishes are often confused. Both consist of a meat base covered in a potato top crust. The only real difference between the two in the meat. "Shepherd's pie" is made from lamb (hence "shepherd"), while "cottage pie" is made with beef. Cottage pie is actually older than shepherd's pie. It is a dish that originated around the time that potatoes were introduced in the UK (in the late 1700s). Potatoes were affordable ingredients that were often used by the peasants, who lived in cottages. So, "cottage pie" was an easy to make, affordable dish invented to fill peasant tummies.
Is Shepherd's Pie Irish or Scottish?
In the States, we tend to think about shepherd's pie (or, rather, cottage pie) around St. Patrick's Day. So, if you ask nearly anyone what country shepherd's pie comes from, you're bound to get the answer, "Ireland." However, cottage pie probably originated in Scotland, in the North of the UK. Meat pies were common in this region and were topped with pastry crust before the 1700s when potatoes were introduced as a crop. Once the potato crust came into play, cottage pie as we know it today came into being. As cottage pie became popular throughout Britain and potatoes became a staple crop in Ireland, the dish began to be more associated with Ireland, and similar pies with a pastry crust began to re-emerge in Scottish cuisine.
How To Make Cottage Pie
At its most basic, cottage pie is a meat pie (or casserole) that is topped with mashed potatoes rather than a pie crust. After this, it can vary greatly from region to region (or kitchen to kitchen). Sometimes you will see other vegetables like celery, mushrooms, or peas studded through the meat filling. Other times it is only onions and maybe smattering of carrots. Some add a wide array of herbs, others season it more simply.
Variations on Cottage Pie
What's really fun, is the variations on cottage pie that you see in British cuisine, and that have made their way to the States with the immigrants. A version of cottage pie, called St. Stephen's day pie, is made with leftover Christmas turkey and ham to celebrate St. Stephen's feast day on December 26. Pate Chinois is a French-Canadian version where you will find corn as the vegetable of choice in the meat filling. You'll find another variation of cottage pie in the coastal regions of Britain. Since seafood is abundant, their cottage pie becomes a fish pie. And, if you top the potato crust of your traditional cottage pie with breadcrumbs and cheese, it becomes a Cumberland pie.
Annie’s Special Cottage Pie
All of the different versions of cottage pie are so tasty, but our absolute favorite is the version we make ourselves. Since 2007, Annie’s Cottage Pie has been one of our most popular specials and the #1 requested dish from our loyal customers. Unfortunately, due to the time and preparation involved in baking cottage pies, we are only able to offer these special pies on select dates throughout the year. To find out when they will available, please check out Facebook page for updates, or join our mailing list below and we will keep you up-to-date on all of our specials and special events throughout the year.
