06/06/2026
Eirinn’s UK Snack Plate edition: The Ploughman’s Lunch! 🇬🇧
The traditional combination of cheese and bread has been an easy, portable, inexpensive lunch for farmers in the UK dating back centuries. However, the “Ploughman’s Lunch” as we know it today was created by the Milk Marketing Board to promote the sale of cheese, after dairy sales fell following World War 2. In current times, the Ploughman’s Lunch is often found in pubs, as the salty cheese pairs beautifully with a cold, crisp beer.
While visiting London, we stopped into Neal’s Yard Dairy. An institution in Covent Garden since 1979, Neal’s Yard serves up the finest of UK and Irish cheese. For our version of the Ploughman’s Lunch, we picked Isle of Mull Cheddar, a firm Scottish cheese traditionally clothbound with lard. Punchy, earthy, and somewhat malty/boozy in flavour, it felt only fitting considering the traditional Ploughman’s is paired with a beer.
For our elevated take on a Ploughman’s, we paired the Isle of Mull Cheddar with deli ham, honey crisp apple, cornichons and pickled peppers, onion jam, and a large hunk of bread (as per tradition). Sink into a Ploughman’s Board on our patio and pair it with a lager from Wildeye Brewery 🍺
