I tidlige [[Kogebog|kogebøger]] blev retten fremstillet af rester fra stegt kød af enhver slags, og tærten blev foret med kartoffelmos, ligesom der var kartoffelmos oven på.<ref name="Beeton1861">''Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management'' by Isabella Beeton, 1861.</ref><ref name="Heritage1894">''Cassell's New Universal Cookery Book'' by Lizzie Heritage published by Cassell and Company, 1894</ref>
Navnet "shepherd's pie" optræder ikke før 1877,<ref name="Webster" /> og er siden blevblevet [[synonym]]t med "cottage pie", uanset om hovedingrediensen er okse- eller lammekød.<ref name="OED" /><ref name="COD" /><ref name="AytoGlutton">{{Cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=vAQOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA81&dq=cottage+pie |title=The Glutton's Glossary: A Dictionary of Food and Drink Terms |accessdate=20. januar 2009 |work= |publisher=Routledge |year=1990 }}</ref><ref name="Beeton1861" /><ref name="Heritage1894" /><ref>''The Constance Spry Cookery Book'' by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume, J M Dent & Sons, 1956</ref><ref>''Chambers Dictionary'', Ninth Edition, published by Chambers Harrap Publishing Ltd, 2003</ref> [[Folkeetymologi]] har gjort, at "shepherd's pie" bliver brugt, når kødet er fra [[lam]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/shepherds-pie-with-cheese-crusted-leeks,713,RC.html |title=Delia Smith: Shepherds Pie with Crusted Leeks|accessdate=24. januar 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/shepherdspie_2077 |title=BBC Food Recipes: Shepherd's Pie|accessdate=1. oktober 2011}}</ref> da [[fårehyrde]]r har får og<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fellwalk.co.uk/londonfood3.htm |title=Shepherds' Pie and Cottage Pie |accessdate=24. januar 2009}}</ref> og ikke kvæg.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/283678#1514818|accessdate=11. februar 2009|title=Comments on ''what kind of lamb for Shepherd's Pie''}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://lowfatcooking.about.com/b/2007/09/25/low-fat-shepherds-pie.htm#gB3|accessdate=11. februar 2009|title=Comments on ''Low Fat Shepherd's Pie'' recipe}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/classiccottagepie_90765 |title=BBC Food Recipes: Classic cottage pie|accessdate=1. oktober 2011}}</ref>
