British · Lunch & handhelds

Ploughman’s lunch

Name: Ploughman’s lunch
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4 lunch boards
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 8 ounces mature farmhouse Cheddar; 6 ounces Stilton or another British territorial cheese; 1 small crusty farmhouse loaf; 6 tablespoons salted butter, softened; 1/2 cup Branston-style pickle or piccalilli; 12 small pickled onions; 1 crisp tart apple, cored and cut into wedges; 4 celery stalks, cut into short lengths; 8 ounces thickly sliced good cooked ham

A properly balanced British pub board of room-temperature mature cheeses, crusty bread and butter, sharp pickle, pickled onions, apple, celery, and good ham.

About 1 hr 5 minTotal

About 20 minActive

$$$Cost

EasyDifficulty

Makes 4 lunch boards

Equipment

Any roomy food-safe board or platter works; keep wet pickle away from the bread.
Best practical serving board
Epicurean Kitchen Series Cutting Board, Natural · 001-151101
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Any roomy food-safe board or platter works; keep wet pickle away from the bread.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched the recipe's separated table service to a current 14.5-by-11.25-inch food-safe surface, then verified the exact 001-151101 model, dimensions, dual-sided and dishwasher-safe construction, manufacturer identity, and exact Amazon ASIN. Kwilt has not served a ploughman's lunch on this board.
Epicurean Kitchen Series Cutting Board, Natural · 001-151101: The 14.5-by-11.25-inch surface leaves useful separation between cheese, bread, fruit, ham, and pickle while remaining light enough to carry to the table and safe for cutting portions directly on the board. Trade-off: Paper composite is practical rather than traditionally wooden, and the darkening knife marks that come with use are more visible than on a thick end-grain board.
Another workable path: Use any clean food-safe board or large platter with enough room to keep wet pickle away from bread; wood, composite, or ceramic are all suitable when sound and clean.
Sources
Epicurean Kitchen Series specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 4 lunch boards

8 ounces mature farmhouse Cheddar
6 ounces Stilton or another British territorial cheese
1 small crusty farmhouse loaf
6 tablespoons salted butter, softened
1/2 cup Branston-style pickle or piccalilli
12 small pickled onions
1 crisp tart apple, cored and cut into wedges
4 celery stalks, cut into short lengths
8 ounces thickly sliced good cooked ham

Instructions

Take cheeses from the refrigerator 45 minutes before serving, keeping ham chilled until the final assembly. Cut Cheddar into generous wedges and Stilton into portions without crumbling it into debris.
Cut bread into substantial but manageable slices just before serving. Put softened butter, pickle, and drained pickled onions in separate small dishes.
Divide cheese, bread, apple, celery, and ham across four , keeping wet pickle away from bread and leaving enough space to cut and combine bites.
Serve immediately, inviting alternating bites rather than prebuilding dry sandwiches: bread and butter with cheese, pickle against cheese, apple with Stilton, and ham with pickled onion.

Great BritainBritish pub, bakery, and household cooking

From the table

About this recipe

The modern ploughman’s lunch was popularized in postwar British pubs and cheese promotion, although bread, cheese, onions, and ale have much older roots.

The modern ploughman’s lunch was popularized in postwar British pubs and cheese promotion, though bread, cheese, onions, and ale have much older roots. There is no single mandated platter; quality, room-temperature cheese, and contrast matter more than ornamental salad. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Use a generous but disciplined pub-board form with two contrasting British cheeses and ham, omitting decorative lettuce and redundant creamy salads.

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