Shepherd’s Pie vs Cottage Pie: What We Bake and What We Call It

Lately, many of you have left comments on our Facebook posts. They go something like this: shepherd’s pie is made with lamb, cottage pie is made with beef, and chicken is neither.

You’re right. This post explains what that means for our pies, because we are called The Shepherd’s Pie and we bake chicken, beef, lamb and plant-based pies. We are not trying to confuse anyone, so here is the whole picture.

Shepherd’s pie vs cottage pie: the traditional rule

• Shepherd’s pie is minced lamb and vegetables under a layer of mashed potato. The name comes from shepherds, who look after sheep.
• Cottage pie is the same dish made with minced beef. The name goes back to the late 1700s, when potatoes became an everyday food in country cottages.

For a long time, people used both names for the same dish, whatever the meat. Today most cooks follow the simple rule: lamb is shepherd’s pie, beef is cottage pie.

So what about chicken?

Chicken has no traditional name. With no lamb, it isn’t a shepherd’s pie, and with no beef, it isn’t a cottage pie. The same goes for a plant-based pie. The honest name for ours is a chicken pie with mashed potato on top, and we think that is a good thing to be.

What each of our pies is

• Lamb is a shepherd’s pie. Ours is the Lamb Special.
• Beef is a cottage pie. Ours are Beef Classic, Beef Black Pepper and Beef Rendang.
• Chicken is neither. Ours are Chicken Classic, Chicken Black Pepper and Chicken Teriyaki.
• Plant-based is neither. Ours is the VIP, for vegans and vegetarians.

Every one is Halal-certified, and every one comes baked warm or frozen.

Why are we called The Shepherd’s Pie?

Because shepherd’s pie is the dish that started it for us. Teddy tasted one at a Christmas party when he was 17 and loved it. In 2006 he wanted one delivered and nobody did that, so we began. In November 2007 we opened a hawker stall in Simpang Bedok with four flavours: Chicken Classic, Chicken Black Pepper, Beef Classic and Beef Black Pepper. Lamb Special came later. You can read the rest on our story page.

Over the years, “shepherd’s pie” became the name we use for the whole family: a hearty baked pie with mashed potato on top. We are not trying to rewrite the dictionary. We know that, strictly speaking, only the lamb one earns the name.

How we keep it clear

We don’t want anyone to order a beef pie thinking it’s lamb. The name of each pie says what is in it, and each pie’s page lists its ingredients. If you want the traditional ones, choose the Lamb Special for shepherd’s pie, or any of the Beef pies for cottage pie.

Which camp are you in: lamb, beef, chicken or plant-based? Tell us in the comments on Facebook. We are happy to keep talking about pie.

Theshepherdspie.com Pte Ltd, Halal-certified bakers of family-size pies in Singapore.