Not just a shepherds pie

When I was a boy, the tradition in our house was always to have a Sunday roast. What that lead to was the remains being used on Monday in various forms.

One of the favourites for my little brother and me was shepherds pie, the remains of the meat minced, peppered, and spiced before being topped with the mashed potato also left over from Sunday lunch.

Popped in the oven, the crust peaked and taking on a crispy crunchy deliciousness, it was a treat equal to or surpassing the dish of the day before. If we were double blessed there may be a square of yesterdays Yorkshire to go with it and always a dab of mustard on the side.

So I recreated this today with the remains of the New Years day roast minced, infused with the left over gravy and spiced with a little cumin, paprika and in the mash some mustard powder.

It steamed deliciousness, it tasted of childhood and Monday evenings, it took me back to my mums apron and the warmth of our kitchen and fanned all the nostalgia that a 64 year old holds for his mums kitchen and long lost childhood. The boys enjoyed it too which reinforces the continuity of traditions passed down through the years. Hopefully they too will pass the homespun recipes down to their kids in time.

A fitting end to the Christmas season, back to the vegetarian regime after tomorrow.