Review of The Armor of Light & Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

The Armor of Light by Ken Follett is a great book about England and its history in the eighteenth century.  Is there a dish more English than Shepherd’s Pie?  This is quintessential pub food, and the recipe here uses the same ingredients that make this dish a classic.  I hope you read and eat with Joy!

The Armor of Light  is the fourth book in the fabulous Kingsbridge series, begun by the remarkably talented Ken Follett in 1989.  This is truly historical fiction at its finest.  

The novel is set in the fictional British town of Kingsbridge in the turbulent times of the late 1700’s.  It follows a varied group of characters who are trying to make sense of their lives as they navigate difficult, and sometimes deadly times.

Sal is the poorest of the poor, a widowed factory worker toiling in the local cloth mill, trying to raise her son after her husband is killed in a tragic accident brought about by the inept and careless actions of the local earl’s son.  This sets up the basic premise of the story:  rich versus poor, power versus the powerless, and good versus evil.  The actions and storyline are based on actual events in England as well as in Europe at this time, as the common man fights for basic freedoms that we, today, take for granted:  freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom to assemble.  These seem basic to us now, but just a few hundred years ago, these rights were only for the upper classes.

In the novel, Sal scrambles to provide a meager existence, food and a cold hut for herself and her son.  After her young husband’s death, she is able to find work in a new factory in Kingsbridge.  A kindly cloth merchant, Amos, has set up a small shop with fabulous machines that will revolutionize how cloth is made.  Women will no longer work in their cottages spinning wool into yarn; instead, that process will be done on machines in the factory that will then weave that yarn into the finest of cloth.  This is both a wonderful yet concerning thing, as fewer workers will be needed in the manufacturing process.

As more and more machines and inventions begin to replace workers, tensions build between employees and owners.  Sal becomes a leader in trying to champion the rights of those who toil for long days and low wages, and her boss Amos, as well as several other owners, understand that having good relations with his employees will be a blessing for all.  However, he is in the minority.  Most of the other mill owners, as well as the aristocracy in general, are brutally cold-hearted when it comes to the troubles of the lower classes, the poor, the working class.  They feel threatened when terms like “workers’ rights” are mentioned, and they do everything in their power to keep the down-trodden in their place.  It is hard to believe, but those in power actually believe that they are the descendants of God, and they have a right to lord over those who are less advantaged.  

This is a long novel, but well worth the read.  There are many characters, and we follow their lives through falling in love, and falling out of love.  As well, there are incidents of lust, adultery, murder, vicious revenge, heartache, heartbreak, birth, and death.  Follett is an unbelievable author.  His works are meticulously researched, and he gives us a true sense of what it was like to live during these turbulent times.  By the novel’s end, we are satisfied with the outcomes of the characters’ lives as they live with the decisions they have made, and they make the best of their time on Earth.  Follett leaves us pining for more.  I hated to see the end of this novel.  If that happens to you, go back and read the rest of the Kingsbridge books.  They do not have to be read in order, and you will find yourself immersed in each one, living through one time period after another, and loving it.  

I give this book Five Stars, my highest rating.  Please let me know what you think of it!

Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Shepherd’s Pie is an easy go-to dish that can be whipped up quickly using shortcuts like a can of creamed corn and a package of instant potato. However, taking the time to make the authentic British version will be well worth the effort. There is absolutely no comparison, and you will be rewarded with a delicious dish that well might have been served at a pub or a family dinner during the time of The Armor of Light.

An Aside: Shepherd can be a dffcult word to spell, but note that the original dish called for lamb, so think of a “sheep herder” and you will always remember that is it spelled as “herd” and not “hard”. 

Ingredients

Directions

1. Place potatoes in large saucepan and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and place pot over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 10 minutes. Turn o the heat and drain.
2. Return potatoes to the hot pan and set over the same burner. Add milk and 2 tablespoons butter; allow butter to melt from the residual heat. Mash potatoes with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in Cheddar cheese, sour cream, egg yolk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside while you prepare the filling.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
4. Heat olive oil and remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrot and cook, stirring constantly, until onion begins to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
5. Add lamb and beef and cook, crumbling with a spoon and stirring often until browned, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle meat mixture with flour, remaining salt and pepper, rosemary, and thyme. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
6. Add beef stock, tomato paste, and Worcestershire; cook, scraping any flavorful bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring mixture to a simmer. Cook until thickened and vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in peas. Transfer mixture to the prepared casserole dish and top with the prepared mashed potatoes.
7. Bake in the preheated oven until golden and bubbly around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Note: Consider serving with a rich brown gravy; make your own or purchase a bottled or packaged version.

Tips: Substitute a package of frozen veggies; purchase pre-made mashed potatoes from the deli case.

Did you like the book? The food? I’d love to know! Please leave a comment.

Thank you.

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