ploughman’s lunch

ploughman’s lunch, British cold meal, typically served in pubs, consisting of bread, cheese, and assorted accompaniments. It supposedly resembles what a ploughman might have eaten on a midday break in the fields. Although the phrase first appeared in print in the early 19th century, the meal in its modern context was likely created in the 1950s, and its popularity grew in the ’60s, when the Milk Marketing Board featured it in advertising campaigns to boost national cheese sales. At its most basic, the lunch consists of a hunk of cheese, such as cheddar or Stilton, crusty bread, butter, and a pickle or relish, often Branston pickle, a jarred pickled-vegetable relish. Popular additions include chutney, fruit, pickled onions, sliced ham, pork pie, a boiled egg, and pâté. This picnic-style rustic pub lunch is commonly served with beer or cider.