Oh, Oh, Oh…Its Shepherd’s Pie Mix and I am in love and absolutely obsessed!
I absolutely love eating Shepherd’s Pie. It is one of my all-time favourite foods and a dish that I could eat every day if I had my way!
Shepherd’s Pie was one of the first dishes I taught myself to make when my then boyfriend (now my hubby) first moved in with me many, many moons ago. I came to the realization that crackers and cheese was not substantial “dinner” for my dear man. The Hubster used to do a lot of cooking back then, but Jayzus he used to make a massive mess! Let me say I DID know how to cook as my mum had taught me everything I just CHOSE not to cook. When I was single, I couldn’t be bothered with cooking. Yes…sad but true!
I recall making Shepherd’s Pie and seeing the look of yumminess spread all over my husband’s face. He absolutely loved it, and I can pinpoint that that was the pivotal moment in my life and when cooking no longer felt tedious. It was my new “hobby” and something that I grew more and more passionate about in my life.
I am a feeder! I love nothing more than preparing food for my family and friends and watching their faces. The way their eyes open wide , you can see how much they are enjoying their meal and loving all the flavours and fresh ingredients. I get such a kick outta that.
On the supermarket shelves you will find pre-packaged Shepherd’s Pie mixes and I have tried them…and I didn’t like them. There was always this “papery” taste. A blandness. I love food with POW flavours! I honestly believe that food/dishes taste better when made from scratch
Nerd time… It is thought that the Shepherd’s Pie originated in Ireland and the northern parts of England in the early 1800’s . It was believed to made by peasant wives as a way to “repackage” leftovers from their Sunday roasts. The housewives were struggling to find an imaginative way to recycle leftovers. The struggle was real back then as it is today!
Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pies are very similar and basically the only difference is that Shepherd’s Pie is made using lamb mince (or chunks of lamb meat) and Cottage Pie was primarily used with beef mince/chunks of beef pieces. Both pies are cooked with vegetables, gravy and baked under a thick layer of mashed potatoes. Both equally as delicious.
I am really excited about presenting this mix as it’s my favourite. I know I say that all my seasonings and blends are my favourites, but I really do love our Shepherd’s Pie Mix.
With Melbourne’s weather getting a bit colder, now is the perfect time for Shepherd’s Pie to be made! Our Shepherd’s Pie Mix consists of a touch of sugar, a smidge of cayenne pepper, Zoitsa Homely Produce’s beef stock, a wee bit of onion powder, a dash of salt and pepper along with some cornflour.
I added the corn flour for many reasons. By incorporating into this mix it would make life easier for all by only scooping out as many tablespoons/grams as you want and taking the guess work out of much cornflour to use. I opted for cornflour as it is a gluten free alternative as well as cornflour is great for thickening up gravies/sauces. I believe that once cornflour is cooked it releases an earthy and sweet flavour to your dish. Just don’t try eating cornflour raw (VOM VOM).
The beauty with our Shepherd’s Pie Mix is that it can be used in Cottage Pies, home-made meat pies just to name a few. Let your imagination and creativity go wild with this mix!
Our Shepherd’s Pie Mix is really simple to use. It comes in 3 sizes. 50 grams which equals 1 serving, 100 grams for 2 serves and 150 grams for 3 serves.
ith do leòr!/Enjoy your meal!/ Bon Appetit
