Quest for the original ploughman's lunch

When did the first pub sell a ploughman's lunch?

The BBC is appealing to publicans with long memories - or a few old menus hiding at the back of a kitchen draw - to help trace the age of the now-familiar cheese-and-pickle favourite.

'Ploughman's lunch' is one of 50 appeal words and phrases thrown out to the public by Wordhunt, a major series for BBC 2 about the origins of words, being made in conjunction with the Oxford English Dictionary.

The first reference the OED has is from 1970, although ploughmen may well have lunched on bread and cheese for centuries. One theory is that the term itself was coined by the Milk Marketing Board in the 1950s and was marketed to pubs across the country.

Evidence could be in the form of an old menu, a letter or a diary. What is important is that the evidence can be dated.

Another appeal word is 'codswallop'. Legend has it that this is the drinker's derogatory name for the lemonade sold in bottles invented by Hiram Codd, wallop being an old word for beer. Can anyone prove this theory or is it a load of old codswallop?

If you can help, email chosbbq@gurchoyvpna.pbz​ or write to us at Pub Food, The Publican, Ludgate House, 245 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 9UY, and we'll pass your evidence on to the BBC.