Andy Murray has revealed the childhood treat which laid the foundations for Wimbledon glory his gran’s shepherd’s pie.
The tennis ace, who starts his bid for a second SW19 triumph on Tuesday, said he and brother, Jamie, look forward to Shirley Erskine serving up some treats when they return to Dunblane.
Andy said: “It’s what I always ask her to cook when I’m coming home.
“She used to make it for me and Jamie when we went to her house in Dunblane for tea after school.
“It’s a sort of posh mince and tatties. She uses lamb mince with onions through it and then she puts sliced potatoes across the top.
“And adds her own special sauces to make it taste good. Then she sticks it in the oven to crisp the potatoes.
“When I was small I used to tell my gran she was ‘the greatest cooker ever’.
Andy’s elder brother and Britain’s number one tennis doubles player, Jamie, is also a fan of gran’s cooking, but favours the sweet over the savoury often using it to feed his tennis team-mates.
He said: “My gran’s shortbread is legendary. She’s been baking it for as long as I can remember.
“When it’s in the oven, it has the best smell ever. She actually doesn’t use a timer, she just knows when to take it out by her sense of smell.
“She always used to bring it to our tennis competitions and it has become a big part of our Davis Cup team preparations in recent years.
“Everyone loves it. It’s full of butter and sugar but it tastes ridiculous.
“She gives the recipe to anyone who asks but nobody can make it taste like hers. Andy and I reckon she leaves an ingredient out but she swears she doesn’t.”