Shepherd’s Pie. In a can. We can all go home now. Job done. Sorted. End of story

As I perused the shelves of my favourite British goods shop, my eye happened upon this enticing item. Shepherd’s pie. IN A CAN. Had to try it for lunch today.

I was pleased to see that when you open the can, the mash part of the pie is, indeed, separated from the meaty part. It sits atop the mixture in the saucepan in a very pleasing way.

The only problem — you have to stir it as it heats, thus mixing the whole thing together. The mash disappears and thickens the rest of the pie. It’s technically more a stew now, I suppose.

Taste test: it had a very tasty meaty texture to it, but was a bit gloopy. Maybe larger chunks of meat may have helped a little? I sprinkled in a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and some hot sauce, and that improved the whole lunchtime experience.

So even though it’s marketed as Shepherd’s pie in a can, there’s no way it looks like the photo on the tin. I’m glad I tried it, but it doesn’t stand out as a “must have” item in my British foods cupboard.

I give it a Brits in Toronto 1/5 stars.