A hefty slab of farmhouse cheese, a thick carved slice of dry cure ham, a few pickles, perhaps tangy shallots or mustardy piccalilli, a handful of dressed lettuce leaves and some warm wedges of crusty bread, slathered with rich golden dairy butter, washed down with a quenching glass of something local, a hoppy ale or fruity cider… With the warm sun on your back, azure skies above, it’s got to be the perfect summer’s day lunch for me. Correction, my choice of Last Supper if I have anything to do with it.
Now there is rather a lot of myth and not a lot of history to the ploughman’s lunch (PL) or should I say the name rather than the dish. One would think it would have been used since time immemorial for what the farm labourers took to the fields to rejuvenate themselves halfway through the day. I am sure bread, cheese, probably not ham (as meat was a precious commodity) and beer did feature heavily in their simple diet but certainly few literary references refer to the PL label much beyond five decades ago ironically. Certainly there seems to be much historical evidence that the workers would take a pasty or similar to lunch on, certainly our neighbours to the west had their Bedfordshire clanger, a long pastry parcel, akin to the ubiquitous Cornish variety, filled with savoury meat and root vegetable filling at one end and pudding at the other, namely cooked apple or another fruit, the first take-away food me thinks.
Back to that name, the PL moniker for our great British pub staple seems to have been invented by the shrewd fellows of the Milk Marketing Board in 1960 as a clever ploy to sell more cheese. According to minutes from one of their meetings unearthed by the BBC programme Balderdash and Piffle, the programme aimed to research the origins of bizarre and interesting expressions coined in the English language. Their declaration that it only dates back less than 50 years is subject to some debate though, others say it was referred to perhaps in the Fifties or even earlier.
Now here we can have some patriotic East Anglian pride because the earliest written references as opposed to nostalgic memories unearthed to date come from Norfolk and Suffolk. The Brewer’s Society magazine, reference of all things of a licensed victuallers’ nature reported at a tasting in Norwich in 1956 that broadcaster and beer writer, Adrian Bell (father of Martin, the famous war correspondent and sleaze-fighting MP) made “a spirited plea for the ‘auld alliance’ of beer and cheese” and went on to say that he recollected his ploughman “eating lunch, with a connoisseur’s palate, in a Suffolk barn, and old days of rabbiting in the snow, when the party drank beer and ate bread and cheese.” Bell then called upon more pubs to provide bread and cheese and lunchtime, and said: There’s a pub quite close to where I live where … all you need say is, ‘Ploughboy’s Lunch, Harry, please.’ And in a matter of minutes a tray is handed across the counter to you on which is a good square hunk of bread, a lump of butter and a wedge of cheese, and pickled onions, along with your pint of beer. ‘Ploughboy’s Lunch’, that’s called – remember those words: they stand for something pretty good.” Said in Norwich about a Suffolk barn, no more reasoning required, let’s claim the Ploughman’s Lunch as our own East Anglian signature dish, I say!
Whilst we can quibble on which post war decade the Ploughman’s rather than Ploughboy’s Lunch name was first noted, the concept of the dish was clearly well established and even survived the severe rationing of the War years. With the emphasis on arable crops and our fertile land and good climate making the region the ideal terrain for grain horticulture, it is not surprising we love a good Ploughman’s. Of course, it celebrates what we do well, a ‘bread and something’ dish washed down with beer makes the best of our wheat and barley harvest twofold, and of course they are perfect bedfellows. The other key ingredients in my version have to be cheese, our famous ham and of course preserves.
CHEESE
The basis is any ploughman’s is always cheese of which we do have a long history of making, though Nelson and his nautical peers in days of yore would not recognise the epicurean pleasures of our modern regional cheeses. Their huge truckles of hard East Anglian cheese were chosen for their keeping qualities on ocean voyages, probably more use as ballast than nutrition such was its lowly gastronomic virtue, Suffolk cheese specifically much derided according to Admiralty records of the late Eighteenth century.
What an array of interesting boutique cheeses we can choose from now. Enterprising artisans, often dairy farmers looking to diversify, from all over the region, have created their own very different varieties. Without the geographical identity which encourages cheesemakers to rightly if boringly to follow their local heritage, such as Cheddar in the West Country or Stilton in the three East Midlands Shires, our East Anglian makers look outside the box, taking their raw milk and using inspired innovation to create purposeful but unique products. Seemingly there are no artisan produced Cambridgeshire cheeses made in ‘commercial’ quantities (Ed. I await readers letters to tell me otherwise!), Norfolk and Suffolk really do make up for it. In the north of the region, Mrs Temple and her family team near Wells make some fascinating cows milk varieties from their own herds - the classic soft-veined Binham Blue, Mozzarella style Melton (great in cooking for meltin’ – get it ?), Gouda style Warhams and creamy Wighton. Her estimable county peers, Jane Murray and her sheep herd at Poppylot Farm, Feltwell make distinctive ewes milk cheeses (the Brie-like Norfolk White Lady and the harder Wissington) while Ellie Betts at Ferndale, Little Barningham produces cows milk types, the well known Norfolk Dapple, a hard clothbound cheese, also available smoked and the Norfolk Tawny, washed in strong ale to give its tell-tale brown hued rind.
Suffolk can now also proudly boast three cheesemakers. Perhaps most well known is the mellow creamy Gouda style Suffolk Gold and its sister cheese, the tangy indulgent Suffolk Blue, courtesy of the sweet rich Guernsey milk from the Salisbury’s herd at Coddenham near Ipswich. Equally good and very different again are the Reeves’ east Suffolk Buxlow cheeses from Friston, the Paigle, somewhat akin to a crumbly Wensleydale and the fresh delicate Wonmil set curd cheese. Newcomers are the Rodwell Farm’s Cheshire style Hawkston and hard Cheddar-ish Shipcord from near Needham Market. Add in some delightful goats cheeses from Essex such as Rozbert soft and hard varieties from Pebmarsh near Halstead and Butterfly Lodge at Abberton near Colchester, you will have the cheese element well covered for your East Anglian ploughman’s.
HAM
One great local product and a definite participant in any self-respecting regional ploughman’s (Ed. again! – yes, I know it wasn’t part of it historically) is our wonderful ham, which we can proudly and honestly say we do best in East Anglia.
Slow matured free range pigs really do give the best raw ingredients for salting and curing, just look at Jimmy Butler’s herd at Blythburgh. Once jointed, the likes of K W Clarke butchers in nearby Bramfield, charcutiers in the best Gallic sense, use these fine beasties to make their own hams, sold direct from the on-site farm shop. We are so spoilt for choice with excellent ham makers all over the region. Just near me in our little part of East Suffolk I immediately think of the famous Emmett’s in Peasenhall, Neave’s over at Debenham, the Whitehead’s Lane Farm at Brundish, Five Winds Butchery at Melton, the tempting list goes on. Further afield, we are just as spoilt - in Norfolk Edge & Son in East Harling and Broadland Hams in Norwich spring to mind, down in Essex, there’s the admirable Priors Hall at Dunmow and Wicks Manor in Tolleshunt Major.
BREAD
Of course you need great bread for a proper PL. I most definitely favour the brown variety, not because it’s healthier, especially as I slather it with lashings of proper unsalted butter, but the savoury nuttier taste brings the beer and cheese together. Granary bread is always the benchmark but I do like the multi-seeded breads. (Note to doctor about the latter – apparently I am all the better for the Omega 6 Essential Fatty Acids, let my worringly thick medical records show my professional over-indulgence a.k.a gluttony is not all bad who am I trying to kid?).
Of course, the Doc is always telling me a healthy lifestyle needs regular exercise. Kneading home-made bread is about as energetic as it gets most days, but boy is it worth it, and great for getting kids involved. There is something magical about how the yeast works its stuff, super for young inquiring minds and gets them interested in food from an early age.
One fascinating place to take the family for a foodie day out is Letheringsett Watermill near Holt in North Norfolk. The nationwide winner of UKTV Food’s Local Food Hero 2007 competition, Mike Thurlow’s impassioned restoration of this impressive tourist attraction is rather special not just educationally but also gastronomically. Guided tours show the whole flour-producing process and seeing grain drop in and the grinding stones rumble away using natural water power alone is quite a humbling experience, as this basic of life itself emerges out of the spout the other end. Who needs electricity and mechanisation, hundreds of years of heritage and experience surely can’t be wrong and the gentler pace of life has to be worth preserving. Sure it is slower and more expensive to produce, but the results from the oven speak for themselves. All Mike’s excellent stone-ground flours are well worth baking with, but try the spelt varety in particular (W: letheringsettwatermill.co.uk T: 01263 713153).
We love making our own, but sometimes time is against you. Of course most towns have a High Street baker and certainly it is better than the branded supermarket excuses for bread. But I do favour a well made, slow risen loaf, using good ingredients. Stuart Oetzmann of Dereham based Metfield Bakery uses the best organic ingredients and lots of hard graft to make his hand finished loaves. No preservatives mean they are best eaten on the day of purchase to enjoy them at their finest. And his Gloucester Old Spot pork pies are pretty darn good too. Most independent delis and food halls in the region carry his goodies.
PRESERVES
The estimable folk of the British Food Trust on the regional cooking pages of their much recommended website (W: greatbritishkitchen.co.uk) talk of the preserve making skills of the region. Whilst we may be more famous for our jams (Elsenham and Wilkin & Son of Tiptree are internationally well known), pickling has extended these skills and we are lucky enough to have a plethora of local producers of sweet-sour condiments to go with our ploughman’s.
In Norfolk look out for Channell’s Norfolk Preserves from Great Yarmouth with their proper pickled shallots and that old pub classic, pickled eggs while the very funky Essence people from Dereham in Norfolk make excellent Bloody Mary relish, apple chutney and Norfolk sweet pickle. Essex is spoilt for choice, we do love Clacton-on-Sea based Vineyard Fine Foods’ products – keep an eye out for their Drayman’s Chutney and the classic Red Onion Marmalade in particular. But the county is further endowed, other names to spot are Miss Stoneham’s preserves from Maldon, Abbey Farm from Coggeshall and Frinton on Sea’s Coastal Foods.
Suffolk is equally blessed. One of the best producers is Butterworth & Son who, under their Suffolk Maid and Old Colonial brands, have created some benchmark stalwarts in the way of relishes and chutneys. Not often seen so much now perhaps as fashions have changed, they make a thing out of spikey crunchy piccalilli, that tumeric spiced mustard yellow mélange of raw vegetables and gherkins which I happen to be a great fan of. Not just the mainstream variety, they also turn up the heat with a chilli piccalilli variety for the more adventurous. You’ll also find their delicious Royal Norfolk Regimental chutney and not to be outdone, the tomato based Suffolk Regiment’s Malabar Chutney. If mustard is more your thing especially with ham, then their beer boosted Blonde Bombshell Chutney uses the local eponymous ale from Bury’s Old Cannon Brewery. Of course if you can’t make your mind up, pick up the Ploughman’s mini selection pack, and enjoy a multitude of tastes, just made for the task.
Classic preserves from Stonham Hedgerow always go down well, their rich Broadside Chutney is a natural charmer and also don’t miss out on their tangy green tomato classic – interesting how a home-made recipe originally created to use ‘inedible’ under-ripe tomatoes is now so desirable... Other retro favourites include Stokes’ relishes, especially the French bean and the Sweetcorn varieties as well as their Suffolk Pickle, made at Rendlesham near Woodbridge by Essfoods, one of whose other brands is the funky Suffolk Mud, the distinctly pinky Beetroot Relish is certainly eye-catching as well as delicious. Even local chefs are getting in on the act, making preserves as a sideline. Bob Foyers and Karen besides running the charming Bistro at the Deli in Saxmundham (look out for their unmissable purple frontage in the centre of the High Street) have developed their own label products including The Deli chutney, deep, spicy, dark, moreishly enjoyable, perfect with some of their ripe cheeses. And last but definitely not least, one preserve company who have made a real name for themselves with their fresher approach are the unmistakable Jules and Sharpie, whose ‘hot preservaments’, namely chilli –fired fruit jellies really hit the spot.
For a modern zingy edge to your ploughman’s lunch, you’ve got to have some of the apple and sage jelly and their hot pear chutney on the plate. And for the final flourish, the pre-requisite of any proper ploughman’s is a handful of crisps on the side. We love Fairfield’s Farm Crisps from Wormingford near Colchester. The Strathearn’s, Robert and Laura take local Colne Valley potatoes and roots, cook them in sunflower oil and impart them with interesting natural East Anglian flavours from other artisan producers – we’re talking sea salt and Aspall’s cyder, Suffolk Farmhouse cheese and chive, Wicks Manor smoky bacon or parsnip crisps with Essex honey. Make room on your plate for some of their finest.
Of course you’ll need something to wash your ploughman’s down with, no excuses here, it has to be local, as well made as the ingredients, and something to savour. We have a plethora of excellent breweries and cider-presses in the region from the lesser know boutique microbreweries to the region’s largest and well known. We say look out for your favourites, get tasting and find something to suit your taste. For a ploughman’s for me, it has to be a rich, dark, malty ale, for which Adnams Broadside fits the bill, or a classic black beer such as St.Peter’s Cream Stout or Old Style Porter. But if you are enjoying some of the younger sharper cheeses, such as Buxlow Wonmil or Paigle, the Hawkston, Mrs Temple’s Wighton, the Norfolk White Lady or Rozbert’s soft goat, then you might try something with a zing and a freshness to match. I’d pop open a bottle of Aspall’s very dry 1er Cru cyder or even Adnams citrussy Explorer, both slip down a treat and won’t dominate the cheese.
Whatever is in your Ploughman’s Lunch or on the side, here’s to an East Anglian classic, cheers!
