Christmas dinner, he said, consisted of prawn noodles, biscuits and a "really tasty" freeze-dried shepherd's pie.

BBC: Scott centenary trek: Henry Evans reaches South Pole

Products withdrawn include pasta dishes with meat sauce, shepherd's pie and moussaka.

BBC: Findus Beef Lasagne

But yes, some people who have been fair-weather friends, no doubt at those Krug and shepherd's pie parties, will steal away into the night.

BBC: Breakfast with Frost

After a candlelit picnic dinner full of salads, shepherd's pie and a chicken and vegetable medley, the main event of the night, the Moonwalk, begins.

BBC: Moonwalk in Sydney's Royal National Park

The company said as a precautionary measure in the UK and Ireland it would clear its Traditional Spaghetti Bolognese 340g, Shepherd's Pie 400g and Beef Lasagne 400g from the supermarkets.

BBC: Horsemeat scandal: Birds Eye withdraws UK ready meals

Meanwhile, Findus France has temporarily withdrawn three ready-prepared dishes -- lasagna bolognese, shepherd's pie and moussaka -- because of the discovery of horsemeat in purported 100% beef products, the firm said.

CNN: Meat industry under scrutiny as horsemeat scandal spreads

Quebecois chef Martin Picard, who was born just outside of Montreal, has earned a reputation for bad-boy interpretations of classic Canadian dishes such as poutine (which he tops with foie gras) and a shepherd's pie made with venison.

WSJ: Martin Picard's Sun-Dried Tomato and Onion Tart | Slow Food Fast