I like a ploughmans at lunchtime and its always a pleasure serving it as its such great value and a hearty meal. Perfect for a summers day................especially with a glass of our real ale from Stewart Brewing in Edinburgh.(At present we are doing his IPA but soon we will go on to another one such as Timothy Taylor.)
When I am teachng the boys in the kitchen how to do a ploughmans I always say you have got to imagine years ago when farm labourers worked really hard outside on the land.They were hungry men with big hands with handling sacks of corn and turning sheep etc and they didn't want anything twee to eat for lunch so a ploughmans is a substantial salad..............accompanied by an assortment of breads.I was brought up on a dairy farm 3 miles outside of Berwick and I know first hand how hard it is especially when your a poor tenant farmer like my parents were. It was a very very hard life and I'v got total admiration for them both. It gave me a real grounding when I eventually found my niche in life. Working 16 hours a day is normal for a chef just as it would be for a farmer.Hopefully this wonderful industry will get its true recognition from the honours list one day.
Anyways back to the Ploughmans: Here at Sallyport it always has slices of beautiful slow baked ham on the plate and 3 British cheeses. We serve a artisan cheddar say Keens or the Isle of Mull or Lancaster poacher.Then a beautiful blue cheese like Cashel blue or Dunsyre Blue or A classic Coulson Bassett. Then a a cornish Brie would be perfect.We serve a chuncky peice of apple ,home-made chutney,firm grapes and celery and of course your cos lettuce and cherry tomatoes and cucumber.
We do this as one of our many platters to share and its a delight to the eye.
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