What Is a Ploughman's Lunch & Why Is It TikTok's Latest Obsession?
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TikTok is the birthplace of many viral food trends, but in the latest case, it’s actually a revival of an old trend. This is called the Ploughman’s lunch, and it’s extremely popular right now.
The Ploughman’s lunch is a British cold meal that is often served in pubs, according to Brittannica. You’ll traditionally see an assortment of bread, cheese, a pickled vegetable, maybe some meat, fruit, and boiled eggs, and relishes and sauces. This is often served with beer or cider in the pub, but you can also make it at home or pack it for your work lunch. In fact, people are eating their own version of a Ploughman’s lunch at work, due to its easy customization, wide variety of flavors, and ability to fill you up in a short amount of time.
People are now obsessed with this not-at-all-new meal due to a popular foodie TikToker Courtney Cook (@courtneylcook), who went viral for her two-ingredient lunch recipe.
“My fabulous Ploughman’s lunch today,” Cook (@courtneylcook) says in one her videos showcasing her work lunch. In this one, Cook is eating a boiled egg, apple, a boiled beet, English cheddar, white Stilton with apricots, some hot pickles, some crusty bread, and raisin butter. She also uses some Branston Piccallili for her lunch, along with other dressing and relishes.
One person commented, “I feel like you’re never going to stop having ploughmans lunch for lunch! 😂” Cook responded, “My toxic trait is thinking I could find a better lunch than this 💀”
Another responded, “I saw your ploughman’s and had to have it for dinner yesterday and lunch today 😂 big up the ploughman’s!!!! 👌”
Want to make your own Ploughman’s lunch? Simply pack bread or crackers, your favorite cheeses, and a pickled vegetable. To upgrade your meal, shop some of these popular pickled vegetables on Amazon.
Branston Original Pickle
Start with a more-than-100-year-old British tradition. Branston Original Pickle contains diced vegetables with sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors, which is used as a condiment on sandwiches. One happy reviewer wrote about it, “Its Branston so its absolutely fantastic. An expensive treat for sandwiches etc. There’s nothing like it.”
“Branston Pickle is an English staple,” someone else wrote. “This with cheddar cheese, artisan bread, and pickled onions constitute the best ploughmans sandwich you have ever tasted. Branston pickle is to English condiments as French’s Mustard is to American cuisine.”
Branston Piccalilli
Another type of Branston pickle that is so good on this type of lunch? The Branston Piccalilli, which is a mustard pickle. People put it on sandwiches and ploughmans lunch, with one reviewer calling it “a British staple.” Someone else praised, “Delicious and delightful! Turns any cheese sandwich into ambrosia!”
Collins Gourmet Snow White Cocktail Onion
This Chicago brand has also been around for more than a century and is famous for their pickled onions. These snow white cocktail onions make a great cocktail garnish or a perfect addition to your meat, cheese, and bread plate.
One person described the onions like this, “So tender they literally melt in your mouth.”
Before you go, check out these Ina Garten-Approved holiday gift ideas: