The perfect Cornish Pasty

Last summer, when I went to Lostwithiel, I started a poll to see who makes the best Cornish Pasty.  The winner is Crantocks, which was rather lucky as I could buy one in the Brampton Pie shop (to take the above photo) in Nantwich of all places!  I was sad really about that - as I wanted an excuse to go back to Cornwall.

I was surprised how many Cornish people said that their mother's/partner's pasty was the best!  Wendy Francis, has kindly let me have her recipe (which came from her mum and her grandmother.... 

The secret to a good pasty is in the pastry – make your pastry the day before and store in the fridge overnight, or better still, make it well in advance and freeze it!!

You need to make 1lb short crust pastry:

Wendy uses: 

• 1lb good quality plain flour,
• 4oz good quality margarine,
• 4oz good quality vegetable fat (Trex - not lard)
• pinch salt and water to mix.

The other important thing is to use Beef Skirting (nothing else is as good!!) about 1lb - all Cornish butchers know this and always have a bit of skirt ready!!! Cut it into small pieces.  

You will also need:

• About 6 decent size peeled potatoes, chopped into very small pieces – I flake mine as I make each pasty.
• A large piece of turnip – again chopped into small pieces.
• A large onion – again chopped into small pieces.

These ingredients will make about 8 small to medium pasties.

You should never pre-cook any of the ingredients – they all go into the pasty raw!

Preheat oven to 220c.

Roll out pastry to size of a large tea plate. 

Place nice bed of flaked potato on pastry round, then some turnip, onion, then meat, more potato and good lashing of salt and pepper.

THEN ……. This is the clever bit ….. you pull up two sides of  your pastry round and squash together firmly. (It sometimes helps, when you are learning, to brush the edge of the pastry round with a little milk to stick the sides together.)  You then crimp your pasty by folding over a triangular shape on the right hand side and continue folding triangular shapes over each other all along the top of the pasty – practice makes perfect, it helps if you are Cornish!

If you have watched Wendy, you will see how easy it is.

You place all your pasties, when finished, on a greased pasty tray and brush with milk. Bake in the top of the oven until golden (which takes about 40 – 45 mins depending really on your oven), then turn the oven right down to 150c for another 30 mins.  Then, and this is the next secret ….. turn your oven off, and let the pasties stay in the oven for at least another hour to steam them.  They will go soft and tender and just right to eat in your hands, as a proper pasty should be!! 

I would have included more pictures, but I didn't want to offend Cornish people with pictures of my bad crimping etc. Apparently Cornishmen used to look for a wife with a good pasty thumb!  At least I didn't do my crimping the Devon way ;-)....  

If you don't live in Cornwall you can't call it a Cornish Pasty!  If you fancy a holiday in Cornwall, Stew and Wendy have a holday caravan you can rent, see herehttp://www.directholidayhomes.co.uk/sprop_ref_471.html for details.