The Cornish pasty is an absolute classic. If you’re ever in Cornwall you won’t be far from one, you’ll probably smell it before you see it. Originally from humble origins the pasty is now a celebrated meat and vegetable filled pastry. For those who don’t know the pasty was the food of Cornish miners. The way it is folded over (with a thick edge of pastry on one side) meant that the miners didn’t have to put their hands in their mouths when eating. It’s a clever bit of pastry this and it got even cleverer when you had a savoury and sweet end separated by a wall of pastry. Meat and vegetables in one end and fruit or jam in the other. If I had one of these for my lunch I’d consider it pretty luxurious.

Before the pasty police come out in force and criticise my ingredients or method, I think it’s important to point out that I am not Cornish. However, my better half is half Cornish and his Grandmother a full on Kernow woman and she has passed on some of her pasty knowledge.

Making pasties is quite personal; only you know what proportions of vegetables and meat you like, how full you want your pasty to be and how big. Because of this I can provide a guide but you can change proportions at will. To make four large pasties I used: one large and one medium potato, half a swede, three small onions and 500g of skirt steak. For the pastry I used 400g of plain flour, 200g butter and enough cold water to make a dough. read more