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The rule in Britain is simple: shepherd’s pie is made with lamb, cottage pie with beef. Both date from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when potatoes became the everyday food of the countryside and thrifty cooks used them to stretch the leftovers of the Sunday roast.

The lamb version belongs to sheep country, and few places were built on sheep like the Cotswolds. The honey-stone villages and the great “wool churches” of Chipping Campden and Northleach were paid for by the medieval wool trade, and the hills are still dotted with flocks. A shepherd’s pie in a Cotswold pub, by a fire, on a wet autumn evening, is about as English as an evening gets.

Where to eat it

Book a weekend in the Cotswolds; our list of things to do in the Cotswolds and our stay at the Lygon Arms in Broadway will get you started. Add a few days in the capital with our guide to London.

Start with fresh lamb

Using fresh ground lamb rather than leftovers gives a richer pie. Brown it hard for flavor, and let the filling cool slightly before topping, so the potato sits on top rather than sinking.

Ingredients

Serves 6.

For the filling

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 lb (900 g) ground lamb
• 1 onion, 2 carrots and 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup (240 ml) red wine
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) lamb or beef stock
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 sprigs rosemary and 3 sprigs thyme
• 1 cup (150 g) frozen peas
• Salt and black pepper

For the topping

• 3 lb (1.4 kg) floury potatoes such as Russets, peeled and cut into chunks
• 6 tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk, warmed
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup (50 g) grated sharp Cheddar (optional)

Method

1. Brown the lamb. Heat the oil in a large pan and brown the lamb well in two batches. Spoon off excess fat.
2. Build the filling. Add the vegetables and garlic and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and tomato paste, then the wine, stock, Worcestershire and herbs. Simmer for 40 minutes until thick. Stir in the peas, season and remove the herb stems.
3. Make the mash. Boil the potatoes until tender, drain well and mash with the butter, milk and egg yolk. Season generously.
4. Assemble. Heat the oven to 400°F. Spoon the filling into a baking dish, top with the mash and rough up the surface with a fork. Scatter with Cheddar if using.
5. Bake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is golden and the filling bubbles at the edges. Rest for 10 minutes.

How to serve it

With buttered greens or more peas, and a dash of Worcestershire at the table.

What to pour

A pint of English ale or a soft, savory red such as a Côtes du Rhône or Rioja.

Make a menu of it

For a British-themed evening, follow the pie with sticky toffee pudding, coming tomorrow. For a French alternative, try our cassoulet, and find every recipe At the Table.

Photo: Oxfordian Kissuth, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0