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.Â
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 TripÂ
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.
Kate says
This pastry is not enough for 6 8 inch rounds and therefore you cannot crimp edges nicely. As the pastry cooks it falls apart and doesn’t hold the pats of butter inside it leaked all over baking tin.
Quantity of filling is way off. I used all the meat but the Swede potato and onion there is loads left. Enough to make soup and I filled each to 3/4 inch as photos.
They are baking now im really upset as not cheap to make and they are literally falling apart. I chilled pastry 4 hours.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kate, there is enough pastry unless you over-stuff the pastries which is sounds like you did. Note that the instructions mention leftover filling.
Bertram Parks says
This is a Tasty pastie, and is perhaps made somewhere in Cornwall… But this is not the traditional “Cornish Pastie” Having spent many years in Cornwall… Traditionally these pasties call for minced beef, which is a course ground beef, diced potatoes cubes, carrot cubed, both much smaller than yours, no other vegetable, and little good gravy… They are traditionally quite peppery… There are many kinds of pasties in Corwall, but only one is a true cornish pastie
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That is completely inaccurate, Bertram. Here is the one and only official, PGI-designated recipe for traditional Cornish Pasties: http://www.cornishpastyassociation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/pfn-cornish-pasty-pgi-pdf.pdf
Nick says
It’s sacrilege to say you should put carrots in a Cornish pasty!!
You’d get the Cornish very upset by even suggesting it.
Anonymous says
Sorry but you are wrong , I live in Cornwall and you do not add mince beef or carrots
James says
As a Cornishman, born and bred, you are talking rubbish. You NEVER put carrots in a pasty, unless you work for Ginsters, and in that case, you’re opinion is immedietely invalidated.
Some people use mince because it’s a cheaper option but chuck steak is the preferred meat.
The filling should be chuck steak, potato, swede, onion, salt and WHITE pepper. A knob of butter and sprinkle of flour is all you need to make the gravy as you will get plenty of juices from the meat and veggies.
Mark Baldacchino says
Recipe looks good but if you add 1 tsp of clotted cream to each pasty it will take it up a level
Erica says
First time making pasties and my family and I loved this!! Excellent recipe, and this is the first time I’ve made a flaky crust (will be saving this short crust recipe as my go-to!). Great instructions – I even rendered my own lard for this!! Thank you so much!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Erica, thank you so much! And that’s so awesome that you took the added steps to render your own lard; congratulations and I’m glad you efforts paid off!
Anonymous says
Made these this afternoon. Perfect pastry! Thanks so much for sharing. I think I would mix up the meat and veg next time. Also, never mind what that person says about American women. Some of the nicest people I’ve met.
Kathi says
My family usually make a Welsh Pasty or meat pie as we are of Irish desent. The only thing we have never used in ours was the rutabagas. Also, we usually make this in a 9 X 13 glass dish and when we are finished putting this together it weighs about 10 pounds, has a top and bottom crust and of course needs to bake 3 hours. I am looking forward to making this pasty and I will definately use the rutabaga. I like the idea of making it in pies as there is only me now and I can freeze the rest to eat later. Thanks so much for posting.
Laura P James says
Did you freeze the extras raw or after they were baked and cooled?
Dan says
Followed recipe to make the dough as instructed but needed a full cup more water to make something that resembled anything that looked like dough. Have not cooked yet though.
Any ideas on why this would be?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Dan, I don’t see how that’s possible. 1 2/3 cups water to 3 1/2 cups flour is way to high of a liquid-to-flour ratio for pastry crust, not to mention the additional 10 ounces of fat. Something was definitely off with your measurements.
Dan says
You were, of course, correct! My butter and lard was off (doubtful that others will make this mistake but just in case, a tablespoon of butter/lard does not equal an ounce). Remade the dough with the correct measurements (using a scale as I should have in the first place) and it worked.
I’ve made pasties many times in the past using store bought dough. This recipe is great. Thank you for it! This was the first time I’ve made the dough from scratch. I’ll need to practice a bit at it as the dough was not as flaky but that is likely due to my own inexperience (I know the instructions say this could be the result of overmixing). I guess I’ll just have to keep making delicious pasties until I master the pastry!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad, Dan. And with your persistence and determination you’ll have the best pastry crust mastered in no time! Happy baking! :)
jill says
I used leftover rare prime rib for the meat in this recipe. It was amazing!
The thing I was not sure about was the measurements of butter & lard. Can you please convert 5oz. to tablespoons or cups. I need to get a scale!
This is a great recipe! I have some of the pastry dough leftover. Any suggestions on how to use it?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Jill, thanks so much! 5 ounces of butter or lard is about 10 tablespoons. Leftover dough: Depending on how much you have left I like to use it to make quiches or tarts. If you want to make another British recipe try our Treacle Tart and just use your leftover pastry dough in place of making the one called for in the recipe. It’s a delicious and very traditional British dessert.
Jill says
Thank you! Great idea! I have a recipe for a Bakewell Tart that I’ve made before, I might use the leftover pastry dough for that!
Jamie E says
My wife and I made these tonight. The crust was by far one of the best I’ve had. I tweaked the filling a little but this is definitely a keeper!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Jamie, thank you so much!
Dorien Clifford says
Thank you At last an American woman with something interestsing to say’ and do
Julie says
Fantastic recipe! Best ever! When I make them again I will make into 8 not 6 as they are HUGE
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Julie, thank you! They are huge, traditionally meant to be a full meal.
Angie Becker says
Hello. I’m thinking if giving these a shot for Thanksgiving. I would like to try a smaller size as it won’t be the main course. Would you recommend the same cooking time/temp for a 5 or 6 inch crust?
Thank you in advance.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Angie, cooking time will be roughly the same, maybe a little less. Happy Thanksgiving!
Jaye says
recipe needs a tweak….when you use the multiplier, the metric measurements don’t change. 3.5 cups becomes 7 cups but 140 grams of lard do not move up to 240g.
Otherwise, swell recipe! I’m in Michigan, just pulling the last of last season’s venison out of the freezer to make room for the new meat, and pasties is how I use it up. A couple dozen pasties never go to waste.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Jaye, thanks for the feedback! The software issue is unfortunately out of my control and hopefully it’s a bug that the developers will fix soon.
Angie Becker says
Hello. I’m thinking if giving these a shot for Thanksgiving. I would like to try a smaller size as it won’t be the main course. Would you recommend the same cooking time/temp for a 5 or 6 inch crust?
Thank you in advance.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Angie, the cooking time should be roughly the same, yes, maybe slightly less. Happy Thanksgiving!
Shelley says
Delicious! Former Michigander here now displaced to Texas where there are no pasties. I used 1.5 pounds of skirt steak and ended up making 2 batches of dough. Had enough filling to make 12 good sized pasties. Thanks for recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Shelley, thank you!
Terry says
Also a Michigander who can no longer get pasties delivered through the mail. First time trying to make them myself. Turned out great! Thanks for the recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad, Terry, thank you!