Minced lamb braised with onions, carrots and peas in rich gravy, topped with buttery mash fluffed with a fork to scorch in the oven. London pub Sunday-supper standard.

Shepherd's pie (lamb) and cottage pie (beef) both emerged in the late 18th century in northern Britain as a way to repackage Sunday-roast leftovers; cottage pie is the older of the two (1791 in print), shepherd's pie (1854) gained its lamb-specific name when sheep farming dominated certain regions. London adopted both as pub-grub mainstays in the Victorian era; today the lamb version is on most traditional British pub menus across the city. The crisp, fork-scored mash top is the defining textural feature; without it, it's just stew with potato on top.

6 editor picks for Shepherd's pie in London, ranked by editorial score. All London signature dishes · Shepherd's pie across every city.