Dartmoor pub in a pickle as it renames a plate of bread and cheese a ‘ploughperson’s lunch’
A DARTMOOR pub has cooked up a storm with a cold dish – renaming its ploughman’s lunch a ploughperson’s lunch.
The Tors Inn no longer lists a Ploughman’s platter on its menu. It has been replaced by a £12.50 Ploughperson’s – made up of Devon blue, Quickes mature cheddar, CocaCola ham, salad, pickled onions, Jail Ale chutney and sourdough bread.
The menu swap at the venue in the moorland village of Belstone has provoked mixed reaction online.
The pub said it was “just a bit of fun” but admitted it is a “nod to the amazing ladies who work the land.”
One Twitter user said: “I am either going to order Ploughman’s or I’m walking! I won’t play any more.”
Another said: “I’d have asked for the manager. Then I’d have said to the manager: can I have a ploughman’s. Then I would have said, could you please repeat my order just to make sure you understood me. If the manager replied ‘you’d like a ploughperson’s’, I’d have said, ‘no, let’s start again.’” Another commented that it was “politically correct rubbish.”
But Dicky Harrison, the innkeeper at the pub,was unrepentant.
He said: “It seems our ‘Ploughperson’ menu choice caused quite a Twitter storm. We put it on the menu
two years ago and really it was just a bit of fun and something to catch the eye.
“We are a Dartmoor free house and as such we can have a bit of a fun with what we offer and more importantly we sell local products. It was just meant to be tongue in cheek and didn’t expect such a reaction.
“However we do also live in an active farming community and we renamed the plate in a nod to the amazing ladies who work the land here. In reality, women plough too. We’re not trying to make a statement, just having a bit of fun. It is a traditional meal with a different name. We boil the ham in Coca-Cola and then roast with molasses and English mustard and serve with some of the best cheese from Devon. We make great food and serve a good pint in a proper pub.”