A comforting and simple cottage pie recipe. Once you try Mum’s Traditional Cottage Pie you won’t have it any other way!
A good traditional cottage pie (not to be confused with a traditional shepherd’s pie) was, is and always will be one of my favourite dinners. Ugh, just the smell of it sends me back to being a young piglet, staring into the oven waiting to devour it.
Traditional Cottage Pie
Still to this day, the ingredients for cottage pie make it in my weekly shopping basket. It’s just one of those easy rotation dinners that you know is going to leave everyone hobbling away from the table because they’re so full. Which is usually my aim with anything I make, but cottage pie is the perfect dish to do that.
First things first, before we get into anything, let’s address the elephant in the room:
What is the difference between shepherds pie and cottage pie?
Traditional in Britain, a Cottage Pie referred to a beef layer topped with slices of potato (recreating the tiles of a cottage) and a shepherds pie referred to a lamb layer with mash on top. In recent times the difference has become slightly blurred, where cottage and shepherds just simply distinguish whether the meat is beef or lamb, regardless of the type of potato on top. Now through personal experience, those in the US don’t use the term ‘cottage pie’ and refer to it as a shepherds pie.
And now you’re more confused than before right? Essentially Shepherd’s Pie = lamb and Cottage pie = Beef.
Cottage Pie Layers
- Beef layer – the heart and soul of a cottage pie is a rich and flavoursome ground beef layer.
- Potato layer – mashed potato plonked straight on top of the beef.
- Cheese layer – rule number 1 of cottage pie club – there must be cheese. Because cheesy mash > plain mash.
Tips for making the best Cottage Pie recipe in the world
Yes, you’re reading this right, this truly is the best cottage pie in the world. Accurately measured of course, not just me blowing my own trumpet
‘So what makes your mum’s cottage pie so damn special ey!?’
Very valid question by this point Alongside the secret weapon of the gravy granules, here are a couple more tips that were passed down from Mum:
- Depth of flavour – Alongside the gravy granules, a good helping of Worcestershire sauce and red wine gives this cottage pie a delicious depth of flavour, enhancing those gorgeous beefy flavours.
- Time – ‘Is it ready yet?’ ‘how much longer?’ ‘I’m hungry!’. Yep, you’re gonna hear a lot of that, but boy it’ll be worth it. Remember, there’s no such thing as a quick cottage pie! Allowing the beef to simmer will help marry the flavours together and tenderise the beef.
How do I stop the mash from sinking into the beef?
Firstly ensure your potatoes dry out a little before you mash them. Let some of that moisture escape, otherwise it’ll sink into the beef whilst cooking. The other tip is to let the beef layer cool before you top it with mash. Because no steam can escape when it’s baking (as it’s hidden under the mash) whatever the thickness of the beef before the oven will be the same on the other end. So, to avoid a watery base and in turn a sloppy mess, let the mince thicken before you top it with mash.
How do you thicken cottage pie?
Here’s the secret weapon to this recipe – Gravy Granules. Not only will gravy granules help along with the thickening, but they’re going to turn the mince layer into a beautifully rich gravy as well. Win-win! If you can’t get your hands on some quality beef gravy granules (I use Bisto), you can stir flour into the beef before you add the stock. This will help thicken the sauce, you just lose out on that extra layer of flavour.
Serving Cottage Pie
What do you serve with cottage pie?
A lot of the time I’ll serve it as it is. But more often than not, if I’m doing a side dish it’ll be one or a couple of these:
Can I freeze cottage pie?
Absolutely! You can either freeze it before or after baking. I’ve added more on this in the recipe card.
If you’re looking for another pie recipe be sure to check out my Homemade Shepherd’s Pie (or Spiced Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie, Chicken and Mushroom Pie and Chicken & Bacon Pie!
Also be sure to check out my Cottage Pie Baked Potatoes!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this cottage pie shall we?!
How to make a Traditional Cottage Pie (Full Recipe & Video)
Mum's Traditional Cottage Pie
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Large Deep Pan & Wooden Spoon (for filling)
- Large Pot, Colander & Potato Masher (for mash)
- Large Baking Dish
- Large Tray (to place dish on)
- Jug (for stock)
- Cheese Grater
Ingredients
Beef Layer:
- 1 large White Onion, finely diced
- 2 medium Carrots, finely diced
- 150g / 5oz Mushrooms, finely diced (I use chestnut mushrooms)
- 2 cloves Garlic, finely diced
- 1kg / 2.2lb Minced/Ground Beef (10-12% fat works great)
- 120ml / 1/2 cup Dry Red Wine (see notes)
- 600ml / 2 1/2 cups Beef Stock
- 4 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 heaped tbsp Gravy Granules (see notes)
- 1 tbsp Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in US)
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 tsp Dried Rosemary
- 1 Bay Leaf
- Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
- Olive Oil, as needed
Mashed Potato Layer:
- 2kg / 4.4lbs Baking Potatoes, peeled and diced into chunks
- 3-4 heaped tbsp Butter
- 1/4-1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 250g / 2 1/2 cups Cheddar Cheese, grated
- 120ml / 1/2 cup Cream or Whole Milk
- generous helpings of Salt & Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add a drizzle of oil to a large deep pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, mushrooms and garlic and sweat it all down until it softens and lightly colours. Add the beef and fry until fully browned, breaking it up with your wooden spoon as you go.
- Pour in the wine and simmer for a few minutes to allow the beef to soak in the flavour. Stir in the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, gravy granules, tomato puree, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and a good pinch of salt & pepper. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat to low and cook for 40-45 mins, or until the sauce reduces to a very thick gravy.
- Once the liquid has reduced, check for seasoning, then pour the beef into a large baking dish. Leave to cool for at least 15 minutes, preferably until it forms a thin skin over the top (prevents mash sinking in).
- Meanwhile, add the potatoes to a large pot of heavily salted cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are knife tender (10-15 mins). Drain and give them a shake, then leave them in the colander for 5 minutes to allow moisture to escape (watery potatoes = sloppy pie).
- Add the potatoes back to the pot and mash with the butter, milk/cream and half of the cheese, then season to taste with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Don't hold back on the salt & pepper! I typically use at least 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Preheat the oven to 200C/390F.
- Dollop by dollop, gently place the mash on top of the beef, then sprinkle over the rest of the cheese. Place in the oven for 25-30 mins, or until golden and crispy on top. Leave to rest for 5-10 mins to retain shape, then tuck in and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
For another classic pie recipe check out my Fish Pie!
For more similar recipes check out these beauties too:
Comfort Food Dinner Ideas
This is more of a Cumberland pie than a traditional Cottage pie, because of the cheese and shouldn’t have any tomato anywhere near it, as when this dish was invented England didn’t have tomatoes, but if you like it then fair play.
This was fabulous. We were supposed to be leaving for a 3 week European trip in 3 days and of course that’s not happening. So wouldn’t you know I would be craving things I will miss, firstly fish and chips (we lived in the UK many years ago and nothing here in the US quite compares) and also food like this. I’ve never really had a great recipe for this and the one my very NOT British mom made was literally seasoned ground beef, layered with a bag of frozen mixed veg and then (at least) real mashed potatoes on top. HAHAHA.
Your recipe was PERFECT! I hadn’t found it until after I bought my typical ingredients, so I was sadly missing mushrooms but just increased the carrots for volume. Otherwise followed everything just about to the letter except the following:
1. Gravy granules are a not a thing here, we have gravy mix but yuck, so after a long simmer when I still felt it had a bit too much liquid, I mixed a few Tablespoons of corn starch with cold water and just stirred it into the simmering mince and viola, the perfect consistency!
2. With grocery shopping here in the US being hit or miss and possibly currently dangerous LOL, I had 1 lb of lamb mince and 1 of beef. LOVED the mix!
My husband could NOT STOP saying how good this was. For context, if I must say so, I am a very good cook and he has lots of favorite dishes that I make but he continued throughout dinner to thank the internet gods for you and your blog, and of course praising your mum for her culinary skills. Oh yeah and for me finding this recipe and making it for him HAHAHHA.
Wow, what an awesome comment! Thanks Jill! Love the tip of mixing in cornstarch and the mix of beef and lamb sounds divine. Glad to hear it’s husband approved too Thanks so much for popping back and leaving your feedback, really appreciate it! Chris.
You are very welcome. He moaned through the leftovers the next day too. BTW I did leave out the nutmeg from the mash but to be honest its one if only 3 flavors that I am currently aware of that I do not like (and i am a VERY adventurous eater)
1. Nutmeg
2. Black licorice/ anise/fennel (all the same)
3. And wintergreen (not sure what the UK equivalent is but ick)
Bring on the snails, oysters and frogs but i pass on nutmeg. Go figure. 🙂
I also used this cornstarch method. I let it simmer for 45 mins, and it was still a touch watery so added 1 heaped spoon of cornstarch in enough cold water where I could stir it. Poured over top and simmered another 5 mins. Perfect!
While I can find Bisto in World Market, that’s the only place here in the middle of nowhere (SD) I can find it – and that’s a drive for me. (My husband is British, or I would not know that Bisto exists).
That being said, I have resisted 10 yrs in trying to making Shepherds/Cottage Pie for my husband. He found your recipe and begged me to try. I did end up using my food processor for the veg (trying to sneak them past the kiddos) and used celery, onion, mushrooms, garlic, and carrots. Russet potatoes on top, and used ground beef (I may try 1/2 sausage next time). And a mix of cheddar and Parmesan on the top. Baked in a 9×13 pan.
EVERYONE loved it. And for our family of 4 with big appetites, it was enough for 2 days.
So great to hear it went down well with the family, Jaime! Thanks so much for popping back and sharing your feedback! C.
We’re following the #socialdistancing mantra and have been home bound for a few days now with our kids. We’re trying to be creative and have fun with our meals/ movie nights, which has turned into the highlight of our day. We’ve been watching Lord of the Rings and just started The Hobbit trilogy and I wanted something worthy of the Shire. This recipe is outstanding. Hands down the best cottage pie I have ever tasted. I made a few modification- I didn’t have tomato paste or worcestershire, so subbed in pizza sauce and a soy sauce, sugar, hot sauce combo, but it turned out beautifully. I put a layer of cheddar cheese in between the mash and mince and it was perfection. I also baked them in individual Apilco Lion’s Head soup bowls so everyone had their own yummy portion. Thank you for the awesome tips and amazing recipe. This one will be on rotation at our house!!! Cheers!
So glad this went down well, the cheese layer between the mash and mince is genius! I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks for popping back and leaving a review 🙂 Chris.
I made this tonight. It was fabulous! My husband had THREE servings and said this recipe is a keeper. The perfect meal for a cold night.
That’s awesome to hear! So glad it went down well 🙂
Hi Chris. Just wanted to say a huge thanks for this recipe. Definitely the best cottage pie recipe out there. I pre-made this, froze it and took it to Cornwall for our family Boxing Day meal (as my Mum was cooking on Christmas Day so I thought I’d let her put her feet up on Boxing Day!). It went down an absolute storm – not a morsel left on anyone’s plate! Love your recipes and I always tell friends and family about your blog! All the best mate 😀
Hey Adrian! That’s awesome to hear the cottage pie went down well! That’s also very kind about speaking well of my blog, thanks so much for following along 🙂 Chris.
P.s. Cottage pie on Boxing Day in Cornwall sounds like one hell of a combo!!
Hi Chris. Made this for our new year party, we all love it!!
I´ve changed two ingredients: no gravy granules – in my mind you don´t need that for a good sauce – but used a bit of patato starch. Also I did it without vine, instead I´ve used half a bottle of malty black beer as an good tasting alternative.
Best regards for the new year and – please – excuse my bad english… I´ve learned it 45years ago..
That’s so awesome to hear you loved it! Glad it went down well 🙂 Thanks for popping back and sharing your feedback! P.s your English is great 🙂
I find the Cosco gravy works well for thickening in Cottage Pie. Also Oxo low salt granules for beef stock.
Yup, Oxo is great! Thanks for the Cosco recommendation, Sylvia 🙂
My family decided to have a “British night” for one of our family dinners. This was a hit! The pan was licked clean by the end of the night. What would be typical British sides to serve with this?
So glad it went down well, Janna! Any sort of simple veg is the usual, in my household it’s always been green beans 🙂
Hey Chris! Can you subsitute beef with lamb to have Shepherd’s pie instead, and the rest remains the same?
Hey Tina! Yep, that would totally work 🙂
By the way, I have made this cottage pie twice already and it’s definitely the best! Really authentic and traditional. Thank you so much!
Ah that’s so awesome to hear! It’s always my go-to comfort food. Never fails! 🙂
Hi! This looks delicious and I’m wanting to make it, but can’t for the life of me find gravy granules here in the US. If you didn’t have them, would you use cornstarch or flour to thicken? Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try this.
Hi Sherry! I would sub with 2 tbsp flour and mix it in after the mince is cooked, just before you add the liquids. Fry it off for a few mins to get rid of any floury taste and ensure you stir the liquids in slowly to avoid lumps 🙂