Before Keith Richards Rolled Onto The Stage With The Stones This Comfort Food Calmed His Nerves

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Even casual rock and roll fans know that Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is serious about his music. What the general public may not know is that Richards is serious about something else: the classic Irish pub food that is shepherd's pie. Those who've worked with the Rolling Stones on tour have some pretty wild tales of the rocker demanding that a fresh shepherd's pie be present backstage before he's willing to perform. 

Shepherd's pie is a layered dish popular in both the U.K. and Ireland. The Irish version uses ground lamb, but the British variety calls for ground beef. The meat is mixed meat with herbs like parsley and thyme as well as vegetables such as peas and carrots. Then, this base is laid on the pan and topped with mashed potatoes, which are typically chock-full of butter and sometimes cheese. The end result is a warm, hearty comfort food that's retained popularity for centuries.

So, why shepherd's pie? In a BBC interview, Richards said, "You get to a show and you haven't eaten, and you don't want to eat like, something really solid, and a shepherd's pie is like baby food. It's mush, you know," Richards said. "But at the same time, it tastes great." Richards has some specific preferences that separate good shepherd's pie from the best. In-between the layer of meat and potatoes, Richards requests a layer of chopped onions. This gives the dish just a bit more zip and depth of flavor.

In terms of celebrity musician backstage food rituals, Keith Richards's shepherd's pie habit is the stuff of legend. During a 1989 tour, Richards requested that a replica of the British pub classic be present backstage at every location. One night, Richards found out someone else had taken a few spoonfuls of the pie before he got the first bite. He refused to go onstage until he had a fresh pie. However, Richards did not bother eating the fresh pie, merely cutting into the crust with a knife before starting the concert. 

This is par for the course for Richards. He does not always actually eat his beloved shepherd's pie, but likes it to be there just in case he needs some extra fuel during a performance. As he demonstrated, he also likes to be the first one to blemish the pie's crust. In his autobiography "Life," Richards wrote, "Don't bust my crust, baby." Those who break this cardinal rule often find themselves the subject of Richards's ire. On another occasion, the drummer of the band Stereophonics helped himself to some pre-show shepherd's pie only to be accosted by Mick Jagger himself.

Just knowing the shepherd's pie is backstage if he should want it is enough to calm Richard's nerves, but his love of the dish goes back to his pre-rockstar days. "Gus, my grandad, made a great one," Richards told the BBC. Before he digs in, Richards tops his beloved shepherd's pie with his favorite condiment, HP sauce, a British brown sauce often paired with steak.