THE BEST RECIPES HAVE A STORY
We’ve flipped Rosa Parks’ pancakes and braved Johnny Cash's chilli. Today we step into the kitchen with the Starman himself, David Bowie.
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Recipe Vault Rating: 9.6/10
Serves: 4–6
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Difficulty: Peasy
Pans Required: 1 Legacy Pan
Welcome back to Heirloom Recipes, the series that rummages through the kitchen drawers of history’s most iconic figures and walks away with arms full of recipes and glitter.
We've stirred Al Capone's spaghetti, flipped Rosa Parks’ pancakes, and grilled Ernest Hemingway’s burger. Today we're donning our finest sequin apron and celebrating the quietly comforting dish loved by music’s ultimate chameleon, David Bowie.
David Bowie was known for many things. Ziggy Stardust. Aladdin Sane. The Thin White Duke. But perhaps most surprising was his love of something humble, hearty, and human. A good shepherd’s pie.
Passed down through the family, this pie became a tradition in the Bowie home. Prepared by both David and his wife Iman, it connected his Brixton beginnings with whichever corner of the world he found himself in.
His love for shepherd’s pie was no secret.
In 2013, a Tokyo café themed after his album The Next Day served a version of the dish, quietly honouring the recipe that kept the Starman grounded.
Now it's your turn.
Make Bowie’s Shepherd’s Pie. Gather your people, cook slowly, eat well, and toast the man who reminded us to celebrate our originality.
Mr Bowie giving it a bit of “this” in 1983.
Mr Bowie finding it difficult to judge distances with an eye patch.
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
3 bay leaves
2 T olive oil
400 g minced lamb
1 T dried thyme
½ c red wine or stock
4 T Worcestershire sauce
3 T mustard
4 T tomato sauce
400 g tinned tomatoes
1–2 t salt
Lots of black pepper
½ kg potatoes
¼ c cream
50 g butter
1 t salt
1 c frozen peas
½ c fresh parsley, roughly chopped
100 g grated tasty cheese
100 g grated mozzarella
Chopped fresh parsley
In your Legacy pan, over medium heat, sauté the onion, carrot, celery and bay leaves in the olive oil until soft but not brown. Transfer to a bowl.
Add the minced lamb to the pan with an extra glug of olive oil if the meat is lean.
Break up the mince with the end of a wooden spoon and fry over medium heat until golden brown.
Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Taste. Do you want more salt or seasoning? Now’s the moment.
While the meat is cooking, peel and boil the spuds until soft.
Heat the oven to 180°C.
Mash the hot potatoes with the cream, butter and salt.
Remove the minced lamb mix from the stovetop. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the meat and gently spread to cover the top. Finish with a generous layer of grated cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.
Scatter freshly chopped parsley over the top and serve hot to the table with love.
And a toast to the irreplaceable, David Bowie.
Here’s a playlist to make Bowie’s Shepherd's Pie. Music he loved, songs that inspired him, and a mix of his best for pie assembly. Press play, cook slow, and welcome the Starman into your kitchen. Listen on Spotify.
