Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie? The Story of a British Classic

A golden potato crust over a savory meat filling. Photo by The Fry Family Food Co. on Unsplash (Unsplash License)

A savory filling of minced meat under a crust of fluffy mashed potato is one of Britain's best-loved comfort foods. But should you call it shepherd's pie or cottage pie? The answer has more history behind it than you might expect.

A dish of thrift

Potato-topped pies grew out of everyday home cooking. They were an economical way to stretch cooked or minced meat into a filling family meal, with potatoes, by then a common and inexpensive food in Britain, providing the hearty crust.

The first “cottage pie”

The term “cottage pie” is the older of the two. It appears in the diary of the English clergyman James Woodforde, who on 29 August 1791 recorded eating a “Cottage-Pye.” Early cookbooks described similar dishes under other names: Maria Rundell's A New System of Domestic Cookery (1806) gave a recipe called “Sanders,” using minced beef or mutton, and Eliza Acton described a dish called “Saunders” in 1845.

Enter the shepherd

The name “shepherd's pie” is first recorded in the 19th century. For a long time, the two names were used interchangeably for pies made with either beef or lamb.

So what is the difference?

Today, most cooks follow a simple rule: shepherd's pie is made with lamb or mutton (shepherds look after sheep), while cottage pie is made with beef. It is a handy convention, but Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable notes there is no evidence that this was originally the case.

Potato pies around the world

Dish	Country	Notes
Cumberland pie	England	A cottage-style pie often finished with a breadcrumb and cheese topping.
Hachis Parmentier	France	Named after Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, who championed the potato in 18th-century France.
Pâté chinois	Canada (Quebec)	Layers of ground beef, corn and mashed potato.
Empadão	Portugal	A baked dish of meat and potato or pastry.
Escondidinho	Brazil	“Little hidden one”: meat hidden under mashed cassava or potato.

Make it your way

Whichever name you prefer, the keys to a great pie are a well-browned, flavorful filling and a fluffy, golden potato topping. Try our Classic British Shepherd's Pie and explore how browning builds flavor in our sautéing, roasting and braising guide.

Quick summary: “cottage pie” was recorded in 1791 and “shepherd's pie” in the 19th century. Today shepherd's pie usually means lamb and cottage pie means beef, though the names were once interchangeable.

Sources and further reading

• Shepherd's pie – Wikipedia
• James Woodforde – Wikipedia

Explore more in Food Stories and British.