The national dish of Cornwall, England, this authentic Cornish Pasty recipe features savory flaky pastry pockets filled with beef and vegetables. It’s English comfort food at its very best!
One of the most famous of all British dishes, Cornish pasties enjoy a long and rich heritage. This authentic Cornish pasty recipe showcases English comfort food at its very best!
I love Great Britain. I lived in Cambridgeshire, England for 6 wonderful years and my husband spent 2 years in Liverpool and north Wales. We’re both Anglophiles through and through and try to go back every year for a visit with our kids. We love every area of Great Britain and it’s hard to pinpoint a favorite area. But Cornwall, England holds a particularly special place in our hearts.
A Brief Family History
We love Cornwall not only because of its striking natural beauty, rustic charm and rich culture, but also because it’s home to my husband’s namesake ancestors, the Killigrew family (later changed to Killebrew when his great+ grandfather immigrated to the U.S.). The Killigrews were landed gentry and one of the most prominent families in Cornwall. They founded the port town of Falmouth, built and lived in Arwenack Manor, and were the royally appointed de facto captains of Pendennis Castle. We always look forward to a return visit to these family sites including St. Budock church where the Killigrew family held front row seats, are buried beneath the floor in front of the altar, and where a well-known painted wall edifice stands depicting Todd’s great+ grandparents kneeling in prayer towards each other.
I can’t claim as close (or as impressive) of an association to Cornwall as Todd, unfortunately. But I do have a great+ grandmother from Scotland (wife to an admiral who regularly sailed down to Cornwall on business) who died and is buried in Cornwall. And it’s like I always say, if you’re going to die (as most people tend to do), there’s no better place to do it than in Cornwall.
With our close connection with and love for Cornwall, we also feel a close kinship with its traditional foods, the most famous of which is the Cornish pasty, considered the national dish of Cornwall.
What are Cornish Pasties?
A Cornish pasty is a turnover-shaped baked shortcrust pastry filled with beef and vegetables. The edges are sealed by crimping them in characteristic Cornish fashion.
In 2011, Cornish pasties were given both a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status, which means that in order for these pasties to be made commercially and bear the name “Cornish pasty”, they have to meet very specific requirements. These requirements are as follows:
- They have to be made in Cornwall.
- They can only contain beef, potato, Swede (rutabaga), onion, salt and pepper. No other meat, no other vegetables, no other seasonings allowed.
- The ingredients must be raw when the pasties are assembled and then slowly baked to produce the traditional Cornish pasty flavor and texture.
- The edges of the pasties must be sealed by crimping them in traditional Cornish fashion.
No culinary license allowed here and any deviations from these parameters will land you in stocks at the market square for public shaming. Well, that may be a stretch. But you will incur a fine.
The Origin of the Cornish Pasty
The Cornish pasty has a unique and interesting history that goes back centuries. Cornwall had the biggest tin mining and one of the biggest copper mining industries in the world and the pasties were originally developed for Cornish miners. These men worked deep underground and needed a lunch that would meet the demands of their work environment. The thick shortcrust dough and dense filling would stay warm for several hours until lunchtime or could be easily reheated over the flame of an oil lamp.
The pasties were sealed with a thick crimp to hold in the contents and to provide something the miner’s could hold onto while eating the pasty. In this way their dirtied fingers, which could often contain traces of arsenic, wouldn’t contaminate the rest of the pasty. The crimped edge was sometimes extended out to form a little dough handle they could hold onto and then discard when they were done eating.
The filling was a hearty one that provided needed sustenance and the pasty was compact enough that it could easily be carried in a small lunchbox down the mine and eaten without utensils. Some historians also believe that the miner’s initials would sometimes be engraved in the dough at one end of the pasty so that if the miner didn’t finish it in one sitting they could easily identify it as their own.
Thoughtful wives would even take their ingenuity a step further and make pasties that were divided in two sections: One half would contain the savory filling and the other half a sweet filling for dessert. In this way the ingenious Cornish pasty was a complete meal for Cornwall’s hard-working miners.
A Few Pics of Cornwall’s Historic Mines From Our Most Recent Trip
Tips for Making Cornish Pasties
- Depending on how thin you roll out your shortcrust pastry you risk having the “hard” ingredients (the potatoes and rutabagas) pierce through the dough. If you prefer a thinner crust and you want to avoid that you can place the softer ingredients on the top and bottom with the harder ingredients sandwiched in the middle: Place the onions on the bottom followed by the potatoes and rutabagas and then the meat on top.
- Use firm, waxy potatoes so they hold their shape. Starchy potatoes will disintegrate during baking and turn mushy.
- Use a lean cut of beef. Traditional Cornish pasties use skirt steak from the underside belly of the cow because it’s lean and free of gristle.
- Add a couple of pats of butter on top of the filling ingredients followed by a light sprinkling of flour. This will both form the gravy as well as absorb the liquids from the vegetables as their cooking to avoid a soggy pastry crust.
Can Cornish Pasties Be Frozen?
Yes. The shortcrust pastry holds up well to freezing and thawing and the filling has little liquid which means the pasties won’t get soggy. You can freeze them either baked or unbaked, whichever you prefer. Wrap each pasty individually in plastic wrap and then store the wrapped pasties in a heavy-duty freezer bag.
If you’re freezing them unbaked it’s best to cook them while frozen – don’t thaw them first. Baking time will take roughly 15-20 minutes longer.
If you’re freezing them already fully baked and cooled then you can simply reheat them in the oven (for a crispier crust) or in the microwave and you have a quick, ready-to-go meal.
How to Make Cornish Pasties
First make your shortcrust pastry.
Place the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times until combined. Add the cold butter and lard and pulse a few more times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add the water a little at a time, pulsing between additions, until the mixture begins to come together. DO NOT over-mix the dough or the pastry crust will be tough and won’t be flaky.
Form the dough into a ball, flatten into a 1-inch thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before using (this is crucial). (Can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for up to 3 months.)
Roll the pastry dough into a log and cut it into 6 equal pieces.
Wrap and keep the other 5 pieces chilled in the fridge while you’re working on one at a time. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to a 8 inch circle that’s about 1/8 inch thick. You can use an 8-inch plate as your guide and cut the dough around it to form your circle.
Layer the filling (each ingredient to be divided out between 6 pasties, there may be some excess remaining): Put layer of potatoes down the center of the pastry circle, leaving about 3/4 inch space on the top and bottom edges of the pastry dough. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Next add a layer of rutabagas and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Add a layer of beef followed by the onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Lay a couple of pats of butter on top of the beef and sprinkle a little flour over the filling.
Wet the tips of your fingers and lightly moisten the edges of the pastry dough.
For the remaining steps work gently so that the filling doesn’t puncture through the dough. If this happens, patch up the hole with some of the scrap pieces of pastry dough. Bring the sides up and seal the pasty down the middle.
Turn the pasty onto its side and crimp/braid the edges in traditional Cornish fashion. This is the challenging part of making traditional Cornish pasties and takes some practice. There are some YouTube videos you can look up that show how to do this.
Assemble the remaining pasties and lay them on a lined baking sheet.
Use a sharp knife to cut a slit in the center of each pasty.
Lightly brush each pasty with the beaten egg mixture.
Bake the Cornish pasties on the middle rack for 40-50 minutes until golden in color. Remove from the oven and let them sit for about 10 minutes (they will be very hot inside) before eating.
They can be reheated in the oven (recommended for a crispier crust) or microwave.
Enjoy!
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For more authentic and delicious British recipes, be sure to try our:
- Fish and Chips
- Yorkshire Pudding
- Mushy Peas
- Bangers and Mash
- Crumpets
- Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Mincemeat Pie
- Beef and Guinness Stew
- Spotted Dick
- Yorkshire Parkin
- Toad in the Hole
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Eccles Cakes
- Pickled Onions
- Scottish Shortbread
- Homemade Golden Syrup
- Treacle Tart
Authentic Cornish Pasties
Ingredients
For the Shortcrust Pastry:
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 ounces unsalted butter , very cold, diced
- 5 ounces lard , very cold (can substitute butter but lard makes the flakiest crust)
- How to Render Lard (click link to learn how to make it yourself. It's super easy and much cheaper than store-bought!)
- 2/3 cup ice cold water
For the Cornish Pasties:
- 1 pound beef skirt steak or sirloin , cut into small cubes
- 1 pound firm, waxy potato (e.g. Yukon Gold) , peeled and diced in 1/4 inch cubes, or slice them according to personal preference (**starchy potatoes will disintegrate and turn mushy so be sure to use a firm, waxy potato that will hold its shape)
- 8 ounces rutabaga , peeled and diced in 1/4 inch cubes, or slice them according to personal preference
- 7 ounces yellow onion , chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- unsalted butter (for cutting in slices to lay inside the pasties)
- all-purpose flour (for sprinkling inside the pasties)
- 1 large egg , lightly beaten
Instructions
- To Make the Shortcrust Pastry: Place the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times until combined. Add the cold butter and lard and pulse a few more times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water a little at a time, pulsing between additions, until the mixture begins to come together. DO NOT over-mix the dough or the pastry crust will be tough and won't be flaky. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before using (this is crucial). (Can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for up to 3 months.)
- To Make the Cornish Pasties: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Cut it into 6 equal pieces (rolling the dough into a log and then cutting makes this easier). Wrap and keep the other 5 pieces chilled in the fridge while you're working on one at a time. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to a 8 inch circle that's about 1/8 inch thick. You can use an 8-inch plate as your guide and cut the dough around it to form your circle.
- Layer the filling (see note at end): Put layer of potatoes down the center of the pastry circle, leaving about 3/4 inch space on the top and bottom edges of the pastry dough. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Next add a layer of rutabagas, onions and finally the beef, adding a light sprinkling of salt and pepper between each layer. Lay a couple pats of butter on top of the beef and sprinkle a little flour over the filling.
- Wet the tips of your fingers and lightly moisten the edges of the pastry dough. For this next part work gently so that the filling doesn't puncture through the dough. If this happens, patch up the hole with some of the scrap pieces of pastry dough. Bring the sides up and seal the pasty down the middle. Turn the pasty onto its side and crimp the edges in traditional Cornish fashion (see blog post pictures as a visual).
- Assemble the remaining pasties and lay them on a lined baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to cut a slit in the center of each pasty. Lightly brush each pasty with the beaten egg mixture.
- Bake the Cornish pasties on the middle rack for 40-50 minutes until golden in color. Remove from the oven and let them sit for about 10 minutes (they will be very hot inside) before eating. They can be reheated in the oven (recommended for a crispier crust) or microwave. NOTE: Depending on how full you stuff the pasties you may have leftover filling. No worries, just fry it up together or add it to soup and enjoy it as a separate meal.
Chris says
The filling ingredient quantities listed result in about a third left over; you just can’t fit that into six 8” pasties.
Mixing the filling rather than layering it saves a lot of tome and, in my opinion, results in a superior product.
Adding fresh herbs might not be traditional but is an improvement.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Chris, mixing the filling is a simpler approach for sure and I agree, adding herbs improves the flavor. My objective here is to present the “authentic” and “officially approved” way of making traditional Cornish pasties and anyone is more than free to deviate from that if they wish.
Chris says
I was afraid I might be put in stocks and shamed on the market square if I deviated…
My approach has always been to follow the recipe the first time; after that anything goes. Today I am going to roll a thinner, larger crust and add green onion, garlic, carrots, herbs, bacon, and replace the flour dusting and butter pats with a very thick gravy. The traditional recipe, like most traditional English cooking, was a bit bland for cosmopolitan tastes.
Still excellent, though!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I won’t argue that, Chris, my preference is to add flavor embellishments as well :)
Becky says
In the US what type of potato is a “waxy” one? A Russet? or what. Thanks for your help I really want to make these after having the real thing in the UK last Fall.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Becky, Yukon golds are among the most common waxy potatoes in the U.S..
Robert says
Oh My Goodness, this was so good! My wife said she wouldn’t mind having this for dinner every night for the rest of her life lol. I also made a bacon and onion gravy to go with it that was a big hit. Love your recipes, and thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s fantastic, Robert, I’m so glad you both enjoyed it! And that bacon and onion gravy sounds awesome. Thanks so much for the feedback and for your kind words.
Pat Boley says
I am from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It’s probably the only place in the U.S. where pasties are regularly eaten and available in restaurants, etc. I made these pasties yesterday and while it is quite a bit of work, and they were rather ugly, they are far superior. This leads me to believe that most of the pasties where I’m from are not homemade. I used half beef and half venison in mine. There is too much stuffing for the recipe,I believe, because mine were stuffed as full as possible and there were still leftover potatoes and onions that I could not fit in. The smell filled the house while they were cooking and cooling off. People from the UP eat their pasties with ketchup or mustard but those condiments were totally unnecessary with these. The crust was divine!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank so much, Pat, I’m thrilled that you enjoyed these and really appreciate your feedback!
Robert J Haavisto says
In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan almost every town has a pasty shop. I grew up on pasties in Ironwood Michigan. They are still one of my favorite foods and my wife and I usually make 30 or 40 at a time and freeze them.
Wonderful.
Lesley L. M. says
I ate this as a child on special weekends. Grandpa would drive us to his hometown where he was born, grew up and worked on the silver mines of Real Del Monte,Hidalgo Mexico. I knew them in spanish as pastes. I loved visiting the cementary and the mines, but mostly the stories my grandpa told about this beautiful place. He was a descendant of Cornish immigrants who brought these delicious pasty and of course soccer to Mexico. Attempting to make this today and share them and the stories with my kids. Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
What an incredible family history, Lesley, thanks for sharing! I knew that Cornish immigrants went all over the world for mining but had no idea there was a concentrated population of them in Mexico, how fascinating! I hope you and your family enjoyed these pasties.
Philip says
Good to hear from you too, Kimberley. You’ve obviously done a lot of research on Todd’s ancestors. Yes, the name definitely sounds more Irish, but the Celtic nations are all connected. A female pirate, eh? Piracy and smuggling have quite a lot of history in that part of the country. Interesting stuff!
The school year is just about to finish here and my wife may actually get some time to do some baking. I’m completely useless in the kitchen. She’s good and enjoys cooking and baking, but time is always the enemy. Your photos of those pasties are mouthwatering. The ingredients shouldn’t be difficult to get hold of here.
Best wishes!
Philip says
Very nice write up, Kimberley. Since I left the UK in 2003 I miss very little, but sometimes there will be little reminders of the things that I do miss. Your article was one such example. Cornwall, the Lake District, the Cotswolds, and a few other areas of natural beauty are places I miss. The Cornish coastline is spectacular. And I loved authentic Cornish pasties – many sold in the UK aren’t authentic. I remember there used to be a good pastie shop in Tintagel – can’t remember the name, it’s been many years since I was there.
Your husband’s family history was also interesting. Many Cornish surnames begin with Pen, Tre or Pol. First time I’ve heard of a Killi.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Philip, and it’s nice to hear from you!
Yes, the Killigrew name is something of a mystery for that very reason – its roots appear on surface to be Irish or Scottish in nature. But the first time the name was recorded was in Cornwall in the early 13th century with Todd’s great+ grandfather, Ralphe de Killigrew and historians place the name origins in Cornwall. There is speculation that Ralphe was an illegitimate son of Richard Earl of Cornwall (son of King John) since Earl Richard was known to have MANY illegitimate children in Cornwall and also because the Killigrew coat of arms with the double-headed eagle is very similar to Earl Richard’s double-eagle coat of arms.
Branches of the Killigrew family later also played a prominent role in 17th century London politics and affairs (a great uncle was the groom of the bedchamber to King Charles I and II and also the court playwright, a great grandfather was an MP and court official, a great aunt was a poet, etc. I also forgot to mention that Todd’s great+ aunt, Lady Mary Killigrew, was the first British female pirate, haha! Initially sentenced to execution but pardoned just in time by Queen Elizabeth. That was in Cornwall.) Historians also believe that some of the Killigrew line may have later immigrated to Ireland prior to the 19th century. Anyway, it’s some pretty fascinating family history. There’s a historic fiction novel by Winston Graham (also the author of “Poldark”) called “Grove of Eagles” (which some believe is the meaning of the name Killigrew) that is about Todd’s ancestors. It’s in my mile-high stack of books to read :)
Hope you and your family are well. You should give these Cornish pasties a go and enjoy the walk down Cornish memory lane :)
Josephine B says
Hi Kimberly, just been reading your fascinating family history. Hubby and I have just returned from a 4 week drive right around Ireland and just before we left home (Australia) I found out I had cousins in Corrofin, Co. Clare. To my surprise when we got to Ennis, I actually met up with not ONE, but FIVE cousins I didn’t know existed prior. I’ve been doing my family history of all 4 sides for a while and while finding it fascinating it’s also frustrating at times as I’ve gone back to the mid 1600’s so far.
After leaving Ireland we then drove for 4 weeks across the entire south coast of UK as we’ve travelled UK extensively prior, but not the south coast. I fell in love with Cornwall while there and w couldn’t get enough Cornish pasties into us, every time it was mealtime – it was Cornish pasty time. Sadly, the Cornish pasties back home here are NOTHING like the REAL thing in Cornwall.
Also, sadly we left England only 4 days before our precious and dedicated Queen Elizabeth II passed away. She was such a beautiful, gracious and respected lady who will be sadly missed, but I’m sure her son King Charles III with do his duty as his mother did.
I can’t wait to try out your recipe of Cornish pasties hoping I can do justice to them so that we feel like we’re still in Cornwall. Thank you for sharing.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Hi Josephine, thank you for sharing about your experiences. What a wonderful surprise to have met so many relatives! I’m also happy that you fell in love with Cornwall. I hope you enjoy these pasties and the fond memories they’ll bring. Happy cooking! :)
bob jarnell says
Gotta try them L00K Great, so does the Cornish Coast, Gotta try that too
the exiled
Englishman
Mollie McAuliffe says
A friend of mine said her grandmother used kidney suet, rather than lard. Would that be a proper and historic substitute in the pastry?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Mollie, yes, you can use either cow kidney fat or pig kidney fat (they’re both also referred to as leaf fat) but pig kidney fat will produce the flakiest results (my preference).
Sandra says
This is really flavorful! Everyone at my house loved it!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Sandra, thanks so much!
William S. Kling says
Can’t wait to try this-possibly this weekend when I stay with and cook for my elderly-but-still-adventurous Dad. I’ll follow the recipe religiously the first time, then ponder playing with it (my favorite part of cooking-I have VERY few recipes that stay the same!). I agree with other comments re. history and family info-any relation to Harmon Killebrew? Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi William, absolutely experiment away! I usually don’t follow the rigid guidelines for Cornish pasties – I like to add herbs (heaven forbid!) and other flavors ;) Yes, Harmon is my husband’s grandfather :)
Kathi says
My family has made a “Meat Pie” since the 1800’s. We use a top and bottom pie crust in a 9 X 13 glass dish. We cut a bottom round steak into 1″ cubes; 1 onion diced; and 2-3 russet potatoes diced. We put the steak, onion and potatoes into a bowl and season with salt and pepper and worchestershire sauce. Then make the pie crust. Pour in the meat mixture and dot with butter. Top with the top crust and bake at 350 degrees for about 3 hours. Today, however, I pop this into my microwave for 30 minutes until the internal temperature is 135. Then into a 350 over for 30 minutes to finish browning the crust. That was there are no still uncooked or crunchy/raw potatoes. This is a family favorite but we have never used rutabaga’s in it. The only bad thing about this dish is that you need to leave it out on the counter over night. If you pop it into the refridgerator after dinner, the next day, thanks to a chemical reactions, it will become as sour as a lemon or worse and you can just throw out the left overs. Thanks for sharing and reminding me that I should made this for the family again soon.
Tara says
This recipe looks delicious! It is nearly identical to the pasty recipe I learned to make and grew up eating. I live in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Cornish miners immigrated here in the 1800s to work in the mines of the Keweenaw Peninsula and some of their foods and traditions have become our traditions as well 🙂
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks for sharing that, Tara. It’s really neat that this Cornish tradition was brought over here and has become part of Michigan’s heritage too.
Sharon Hoehner says
I married into the family from Michigan Upper Peninsula miners that worked in the mines and yes those were the. Ingredients and crust, Thru the years his grandmother would put the potatoes, rutabagas onions and meat in a very coarse grinder then add salt pepper mix it up and place it on the crust then butter on top etc. I learned from her, but did not like loosing the juices from the meat when grinding, so I revised that by freezing the meat then grinding it and mixing it with the other ingredients, this would eliminate the meat from being bloody. When packing the mixture on the crust it also elimated the potatoes, meat, etc from coming thru the crust. But remember if you try this you need an OLD grinder with the coarse blade. The new grinders and the ones that come with the newer mixers do not have the COARSE old flashing blade. The Amish use the old grinders all the time. Good lunch if you try this. Also the smaller children prefer this mixture instead of the cut up pieces.
Dina K says
I have been anticipating this recipe for some time and it appears to be well worth the wait! Off to the grocer and looking forward to baking them in the morning. Thank you for sharing your passion and taking time to educate your loyal readers on the history of this delicious meal 🙏🏻