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.
Carla says
Thank you for posting this!
I gave your page link to the Hollow Family Group because they were asking about pasty recipes.
I was trying to remember how I used to make these when I was a youngin’ [some 30 years ago] and your recipe was right on target. So thank you for posting and helping me recreate those memories [I showed a friend how to make pasties the way the miner’s wives did, with meat and potatoes in one end and the desert in the other].
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much for sharing my link, Carla, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! :)
kathryn Da Silva says
Hi
We lived in St Buryan Cornwall for 5 years. Best time ever. We ate pasties all the time. I made these the other day for my now grown kids. They loved them, so delicious. They brought back some great memories.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them and the walk down memory lane – thank you, Kathryn!
Mark Banning says
Just made and eaten these. Halved the recipe as there is only two of us. No doubt helped by a brilliant butcher, but absolutely superb. Never made pasties before. Will do again, with this recipe. Thanks for sharing
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad they were a success, Mark, thank you for the feedback!
Barbara says
Hi just want to say that I am going to try making the pasties but do I have to use lard or can I just use butter
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Barbara, no you don’t have to use lard, you can use butter instead. The lard just gives the pastry the best flaky texture.
Christy says
Thank you for this recipe with pictures!
My husband is from Leicester with family in Cornwall. He’s been here 17 years and misses these so much. He’s been fighting cancer and wanting British comfort food- I’m not great at dough or crust recipes but going to give it a try! Wish me luck!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Christy, I hope he enjoys this delicious taste of home. Best wishes to you both!
Jesper D says
Is there a recommend alternative to rutabaga as i have not been able to find this in my local shops.
All of sudden i had a craving for a pasty and it has been years since i had one.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jesper, you can substitute turnips or even kohlrabi.
Anonymous says
Turnips is one substitute.
dorothy heldt says
Lived in England 1960s. As a Britisher brought up in India, we had domestic cooks, bearers, Amahs who took care of all our needs. Moved to England & at a total loss in the kitchen. First time using a gas stove w. pilot light – my hair caught fire. Burnt toast under the grill & neighbors complained about the smell. No more experimental cooking. I picked up Cornish pasties every week from Marks & just LOVED THEM. Now in Canada for 50 years I long for the smell & taste. So wish me luck. yr. recipe appears easy & I will let you know the results. Thanks Dorothy
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks for sharing, Dorothy, and I’m thrilled that you’re going to make these! Wishing you the best of success and please let us know how it goes!
Theresa Hartill says
What oven temperature do you cook them at please?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Theresa, it’s in Step 2 – preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).
Dirk says
Oven temp is specified in the text recipe section, but not in the picture version. Thank you for that- it was delicious, & I & my parents loved it! Instead of using minced butter pieces, the next time I would gradually put in shaved butter, especially if hand mixing, but that’s just my theory. At any rate, thanks so much! 😋
Michael says
I may only be a fine Canadian boy, but I’ve definitely enjoyed using this recipe! The traditional Cornish filling is most wonderful, but I have to admit I’ve experimented recently with a couple other options recently, too. Decidedly un-Cornish, I’m sure, but not hoping to earn any enemies here; I was merely making good use of leftover stews! Have now filled pasties with Hungarian goulash, and most recently Jamaican oxtail. The cheap cuts of meat in the stews certainly didn’t mind the extra bit of cooking time, the softened veggies make for a much more forgiving crimping process (which I’ll admit I struggle with!), and with a little flour to make sure it wouldn’t seep, the stew gravy brought tons of flavour and seasoning.
Many thanks for the inspirations! Hope I haven’t taken a beloved piece of culture too far from home for you
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you for that feedback, Michael! There was a bakery/deli I visited often where I lived in England that did just what you described – they made pasties with all sorts of delicious fillings (of course they knew better than to call them “Cornish” pasties!) and I absolutely loved them. Like you, I enjoy experimenting with different fillings as well. The Jamaican oxtail filling sounds fabulous!
Mike,tampa says
Whenever I go back to ukmy first stop is soot hills bakery on high st fareham,hants,thier local pasty is unbelievably tasty ,same secret recipe since I was knee high I’m 65 now,looking forward to my next trip.
Isobel Carroll says
As a Cornish/Devonian woman who can trace her family tree to the 1680s I agree that the best food is a pastry!! My only suggestion is that the hard veggies are not cubed but sliced/chipped in pieces about 1/2- 3/4 of an inch. As this makes them slightly thinner, so making the cooking more even.
Maggie Andersen says
Can these be made and frozen before baking? They are so wonderful it would be great to have some at the ready. Thanks.
Brian Warner says
Yes! we have frozen raw, and cooked them from frozen with great results! Probably not as delicious as cooking fresh of course, but delicious and convenient to have at the ready in your freezer!
Elizabeth Prideaux-collins says
thank you for your rather cutting remark about american women. i happen to be one.
i have spent a lot of time in cornwall since that is where my earliest ancestors lived. a gentleman from endland did the family tree in the late 1800’s. it is very interesting because both my mother’s family (tarring) and my father’s came from the same area of cornwall (prideaux). i have been lucky enough to dine at prideaux place in padsdow. in between elegant dining. i devoured many REAL pasties since i know cornwall is the only real home of the pasty.now you have another ammerican comment
Anonymous says
Thank You Kimberly
I have used your recipe around five times and have shared the pastys with friends that are Czech but are interested in English food, this has become a big favorite.
I have always made the pastry the hard way by hand in a mixing bowl, I’m going to try the food processor tonight to save the wrists.
Frank Sanford says
I grew up in west Cornwall (Falmouth/Penryn) and lived there for over 20 years. Your recipe looks spot on. But the pastry is usually slightly thicker and the crimp has to be on the side, not slightly raised. They were sold from the bakers in a paper bag to eat walking down the street. So the pastry needs some substance to take that handling. A couple of tips. Cover the pasties with a tea towel when you take them out of the oven and it keeps them moist as they cool. You are right they are very hot inside – the filling will blister your lip if you eat them straight away. But they keep warm really well if you wrap in foil. Great for a meal to take with you and eat several hours later. My father had a butcher’s business in Penryn and every Thursday one of his customers, Mrs Blackmore, a real old time Cornish lady, used to make us all pasties and bring them in the shop. They were fantastic. The peppery savoury juice ran down your chin as you bit in. I wish now I knew how she did that. I have never had a better pasty since then. I confirm THE correct beef cut is skirt – that’s what my Dad’s customers asked for when it was still proper Cornwall. Also minced beef was used commercially – my Dad supplied most of the bakers in Falmouth – I used to get a lift to school every morning in the delivery van. I get the urge to make pasties a couple of times per year and I will follow yours next time. A good pasty is a great meal.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Frank, I really enjoyed reading your comments. Thank you so much for sharing these nostalgic memories. You’re just the kind of person my husband and I would love sitting down with to chat about Cornwall :)
Kim says
Made these yesterday and they are absolutely amazing. I cheated and bought ready made pastry. Thoroughly enjoyed doing it and the chief of the house gave me a 10/10.Made 7 in total so have frozen 4 of them. Thank you kimberley 👍
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
So awesome, Kim, I’m thrilled they were a hit, thank you!