Cottage or Shepherd’s Pie

Not that long ago (say, 50 to 75 years ago—not long at all in a country that lives around and among the remains of Neolithic tombs), most kitchens had a grinder so they could process leftover bits of meat or make their own sausages. And a meat pie was the standard Monday dinner, made with the minced-up remains of the Sunday roast. If you’d had lamb, it was Shepherd’s Pie. If you’d had beef, it was Cottage Pie. Happily, tastes have evolved, and nowadays we don’t love re-cooked meat, but thes