Shepherd's Pie

Tender lamb mince simmered with vegetables and rosemary in a rich gravy, topped with creamy mash and baked golden. The lamb is what makes it a shepherd's pie rather than a cottage pie — and it's just as comforting.

Shepherd’s pie and cottage pie are close cousins — the difference is simply the meat, with lamb making the shepherd’s version (a shepherd looks after sheep, after all). The lamb and rosemary give it a deeper, more aromatic flavour, and like its beef cousin it’s brilliant made ahead and frozen for a busy night.

Ingredients

• 500g lamb mince
• 1 onion — finely chopped
• 2 carrots — finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic — crushed
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 sprig rosemary — finely chopped
• 400ml lamb or beef stock
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1kg potatoes — peeled and chopped
• 50g butter
• 75ml milk

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C). Brown the lamb mince in a large pan, then spoon off most of the fat.
2. Add the onion and carrots and cook for 8 minutes, then stir in the garlic, tomato purée, flour and rosemary and cook for 1 minute.
3. Pour in the stock and Worcestershire sauce, season, and simmer for 20 minutes until rich and thick. The mince should be cooked all the way through.
4. Boil the potatoes until tender, drain well and mash with the butter and milk. Season.
5. Spoon the lamb into a dish, top with mash, rough up with a fork and bake for 25–30 minutes until golden.

Serve it with

• Buttered peas
• Steamed cabbage or greens
• Roasted carrots
• Mint sauce on the side

Why this works

Lamb is fattier than beef, so skimming off the excess after browning keeps the pie rich rather than greasy. The rosemary cuts through that richness and gives shepherd's pie its distinctive, savoury aroma.

Common swaps

• Use beef mince for a cottage pie instead.
• Stir in a handful of frozen peas or some chopped mushrooms.
• Mix grated cheese into the mash for a crisp, cheesy top.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Leaving the pie greasy — skim the fat after browning the lamb.
• A thin, watery filling; give it time to reduce.
• Under-seasoning the mash, which should be well salted.

Storage, freezing & reheating

Storage: Keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezing: Freezes well for up to 3 months, cooked or uncooked.

Reheating: Reheat in the oven until piping hot throughout.

Allergen notes: contains milk, gluten, celery. Always check individual product labels.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated from typical ingredient values — not a substitute for precise dietary calculation.