The Cornish Pasty
There is something of a pasty craze in the UK at the moment, and we have a nagging fear that innocent diners up and down the land may mistakenly think that some terrible savoury travesty they have seen in a motorway services bears any resemblance to the towering majesty of the traditional Cornish article. So here are the top five important things to know about a true Cornish pasty.
A pasty should be Cornish
We have heard that other nationalities and regions have their own version of the Cornish pasty, but we don’t think much of that. The Cornish pasty was awarded EU PGI status in 2011, so that only pasties made in Cornwall and following the traditional recipe can legally be sold as ‘Cornish pasties’.
“A genuine Cornish pasty has a distinctive ‘D’ shape and is crimped on one side. The filling for the pasty is made up of uncooked minced or roughly cut chunks of beef (not less than 12.5%), swede, potato and onion with a light seasoning. The pastry casing is golden in colour, savoury, glazed with milk or egg and robust enough to retain its shape throughout the cooking and cooling process without splitting or cracking. The whole pasty is slow-baked to ensure that flavours from the raw ingredients are maximised. No artificial flavourings or additives must be used. And, perhaps most importantly, it must be made in Cornwall.” source: http://www.cornishpastyassociation.co.uk
A pasty should be tasty
We are talking delectable, buttery pastry with an understated hand crimped crust, revealing a silky-smooth filling of slow cooked skirt of beef in claret with samphire and parsley. Succulent slivers of swede should be ingeniously paired with a rich gratin of turnip and sage, and all these flavours united by simmering for at least eight hours. Yum!
A pasty should be nutritious
One look at the list of ingredients and the fact that there is no artificial nonsense in ’em should clarify that the pasty is a healthy balanced meal in the hand. Pastry should perhaps be taken in moderation as part of a calorie controlled diet, but a quality pasty has a good amount of filling and just enough pastry to hold it all together, so you shouldn’t go far wrong.
A pasty should be cheap
The practicalities and economies of scale associated with pasty manufacture, along with the fact that, like fruit, they come in their own edible packaging, should dictate that this is a cheap meal not an expensive one. If someone wants you to pay a ridiculous amount for one then alarm bells should sound – the Cornish tin miners who in the mid 1800’s took a pasty underground as their lunch would not be impressed!
A pasty should be eaten in Cornwall
As one who has been bamboozled, by a combination of exhaustion, hunger and homesickness, into paying over four pounds for a pasty at Birmingham New Street train station, I can tell you that it is not easy, or some might say possible, to replicate all of the above qualities outside of the county. So for safety’s sake, wend your way down to Cornwall, and partake of a pasty in its natural habitat!
The pasty voted the best in Cornwall by The Cornishman newspaper’s mildly unscientific poll was that of Philps of Hayle.
For cottages in the Hayle area, click here…
The Chough Bakery in Padstow is another award-winning and highly regarded maker of traditional pasties, and nestles in the centre of this beautiful and interesting fishing village. For cottages near Padstow, click here…
But you haven’t lived until you’ve visited the pasty shop at Hatt, on the road between Callington and Saltash (it even has brown tourist road signs so you can’t miss it). Hatt isn’t a major holiday destination, but this whole area is well placed for the forgotten corner of Cornwall, the Rame Peninsula, and you can pick up your pasties from the farm shop as you head out for the day! For cottages in the Rame area, click here…
Another good pasty is the one served at the Eden Project kitchen, hosts each year to the World Pasty Championships. It’s the perfect refuel in the middle of a day of wandering the exhibits and biodomes. Really, the best time to have a pasty is whenever you’re enjoying a day on the road, on the river, out at sea – anywhere you need the food of Cornishmen in a handy and portable form.
If you’re thinking of visiting Cornwall anytime soon there are plenty of great cottages available through Cornish Traditional Cottages. Click here to see the latest special offers!