I've only just noticed this thread, so apologies if this has been said before.

Here in Liverpool, the staple diet of the labouring poor was scouse, aka Irish stew or Lancashire hotpot. However, when times were particularly bad, the woman of the house would often find that she couldn't afford the price of meat - a very necessary ingredient. When that happened she'd serve up what was known as blind scouse, because you'd lose your eyes looking for the meat.