May 25, 2026 · 18 min · 10 segments
On this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, investigates the origins of two of his favorite savory pies: Cottage Pie and Sheperd's Pie. Their histories are intertwined. Simon discusses…
Simon MajumdarHost
Our old pal Merriam-Webster says of the word pie, quote, "A meat dish baked with biscuit or pastry crust." End quote.
While the Oxford Learner's Dictionary says that the word, quote, "Probably comes from the same word as pie, used in the naming of birds.
The various combinations of ingredients being compared to objects randomly collected by a magpie." End quote.
This means that the contents of the pie will be the equivalent of the bits and pieces garnered by a magpie to form the pie.
Apparently these birds were called pies and were mentioned as such in 13th century English writings.
Its first use relating to a pie from a culinary point of view is likely to be in 1390 from a book that was written for King Richard II of England by his master cooks called The Forme of Cury.
The book contains recipes for custards or pies, where one such pie includes ingredients like lock, lamprons, and eels.
So what is a cottage pie? According to the Oxford Learner's Dictionary, it is, quote, "A dish of beef cut into very small pieces and covered with a layer of mashed potato." End quote.
According to John Ayto's The Diners Dictionary, cottage pie was first mentioned when, quote, "On 29th August 1791, we find that enthusiastic recorder of all his meals, the Reverend James Woodford, noting in his diary, 'Dinner today, cottage pie and roast beef.'" End quote.
[laughs] The Reverend James Woodford was probably one of the earliest food bloggers.
Don't get me wrong, his diary, which spanned over 40 years from 1758 to 1802, discussed everything from the French Revolution, the American Revolution against Britain, and of course, food.
Born in 1740 and died in 1803, he lived as a parish priest, and clearly a diarist.
In addition to his mentions of the aforementioned cottage pie, he also wrote of his meals involving mutton, roast chicken, apple pie, black currant tarts, pea soup, roasted swan and mutton steaks, beefsteak pudding, beefsteak pie, roast duck, and more.
Anyway, while Reverend Woodford's entry may have been the first time we became aware of the term cottage pie appearing in writing, the dish itself obviously goes back further than that.
With respect to shepherd's pie, the Oxford Learner's Dictionary says that it is, quote, "A dish of lamb, meat from a young sheep-"Cut into very small pieces and covered with a layer of mashed potatoes, end quote.
According to John Ayto, the term shepherd's pie does not appear until the 1870s, almost 100 years after we see cottage pie in print.
Our old pal Merriam-Webster says of the word pie, quote, "A meat dish baked with biscuit or pastry crust." End quote.
While the Oxford Learner's Dictionary says that the word, quote, "Probably comes from the same word as pie, used in the naming of birds.
The various combinations of ingredients being compared to objects randomly collected by a magpie." End quote.
This means that the contents of the pie will be the equivalent of the bits and pieces garnered by a magpie to form the pie.
Apparently these birds were called pies and were mentioned as such in 13th century English writings.
Its first use relating to a pie from a culinary point of view is likely to be in 1390 from a book that was written for King Richard II of England by his master cooks called The Forme of Cury.
The book contains recipes for custards or pies, where one such pie includes ingredients like lock, lamprons, and eels.
So what is a cottage pie? According to the Oxford Learner's Dictionary, it is, quote, "A dish of beef cut into very small pieces and covered with a layer of mashed potato." End quote.
According to John Ayto's The Diners Dictionary, cottage pie was first mentioned when, quote, "On 29th August 1791, we find that enthusiastic recorder of all his meals, the Reverend James Woodford, noting in his diary, 'Dinner today, cottage pie and roast beef.'" End quote.
[laughs] The Reverend James Woodford was probably one of the earliest food bloggers.
Don't get me wrong, his diary, which spanned over 40 years from 1758 to 1802, discussed everything from the French Revolution, the American Revolution against Britain, and of course, food.
Born in 1740 and died in 1803, he lived as a parish priest, and clearly a diarist.
In addition to his mentions of the aforementioned cottage pie, he also wrote of his meals involving mutton, roast chicken, apple pie, black currant tarts, pea soup, roasted swan and mutton steaks, beefsteak pudding, beefsteak pie, roast duck, and more.
Anyway, while Reverend Woodford's entry may have been the first time we became aware of the term cottage pie appearing in writing, the dish itself obviously goes back further than that.
With respect to shepherd's pie, the Oxford Learner's Dictionary says that it is, quote, "A dish of lamb, meat from a young sheep-"Cut into very small pieces and covered with a layer of mashed potatoes, end quote.
According to John Ayto, the term shepherd's pie does not appear until the 1870s, almost 100 years after we see cottage pie in print.
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