Traditional Cornish Pasty

About This Recipe

The Cornish pasty is a hand-held meal with centuries of history — a sturdy shortcrust shell crimped along one edge, enclosing a filling of diced beef skirt, potato, swede, and onion seasoned simply with salt and pepper. Baked until golden, the pastry steams the filling inside, creating its own rich gravy. It is portable perfection, born from the tin mines of Cornwall.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 gstrong bread flour
• 125 gunsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 125 glard, cold, cubed
• 1 tspsalt
• 120 mlcold water
• 350 gbeef skirt, diced into 1 cm pieces
• 200 gpotato, peeled, diced small
• 150 gswede (rutabaga), peeled, diced small
• 1 mediumonion, finely chopped
• 1 largeegg, beaten, for glaze

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pastry

   Rub butter and lard into flour and salt until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add cold water gradually, mixing until the dough just comes together. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Prepare the filling

   Combine diced beef, potato, swede, and onion in a bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper. Toss to mix evenly.

3. 3

   Shape the pasties

   Divide pastry into 4 equal pieces. Roll each into a circle about 20 cm across. Place a quarter of the filling along one half. Brush edges with beaten egg, fold over, and crimp the edge tightly by pinching and folding.

4. 4

   Bake

   Place pasties on a lined baking tray. Brush with beaten egg. Bake at 200 °C (400 °F) for 15 minutes, then reduce to 160 °C (325 °F) for a further 35 minutes until deep golden. Rest for 10 minutes before eating.

Variations

• •

  Make a cheese and onion version for vegetarians using strong Cheddar.

• •

  Use lamb instead of beef for a Cornish-meets-Welsh variation.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Cool completely, then refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat at 180 °C for 15 minutes. Freeze baked or unbaked for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions