Traditional Cornish Pasty Recipe made from scratch with a homemade shortcrust pastry, and filled with the classic diced beef, potato, swede and onion. They are lightly seasoned with salt and black pepper, and baked to perfection until the pastry is golden, and the meat and veggies are tender. The nation's favourite pasties, so easy to make at home with simple ingredients.
I could eat pasties only for the rest of my life and not have a care in the world about waistline, or other nonsense like that. Any filling, any time of the day! Surely, there is so much choice out there when it comes to pasties, but these ones are the best!
I have always been intrigued by the Cornish pasties, purely because the veggies and meat go in raw, and I couldn't wrap my mind around how they could be fully cooked inside a pastry. Beef is one of those meats that take ages to tenderise and cook, so I couldn't believe it will be nice and tender at the end of the baking.
But I was so wrong! Not only the beef and veggies are tender, but they also melt in your mouth! The secret is to cut them in small enough pieces, and bake the pasties at a low temperature for about 1 hour. In this way, the pastry cooks perfectly with no soggy bottom, and the filling is amazingly done.
I was also worried that baking the pastry for so long will result in a burnt pastry, but again, I was so wrong. The shortcrust pastry is wonderfully golden and delicious, and baked to perfection. It holds the filling so well and tastes heavenly!
I usually go for puff pastry if I make pasties or pies of any kind, like my turkey hand pies, potato, cheese and onion pasty or steak pie, but to keep it authentic, I made my own shortcrust pastry for this recipe, and I was so pleased with the results!
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Note!
Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
Ingredients overview - the pastry
- butter - adds richness to the dough and a lovely buttery taste
- lard & vegetable shortening - make the dough tender and more flaky, it also makes the dough easier to handle and hold its shape. Do not worry, the pastry will not have any strong smell, in fact, you will not even taste the lard!
- flour - I used regular flour for this recipe
- water - it's the binding agent, make sure you use cold water to keep the dough cold
Step-by-step photos and instructions - the pastry
- in a large bowl, sift the flour, add the butter, vegetable shortening and lard cut into cubes, and use your fingertips to rub the fat with the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs
- add the water, and bring everything together into a dough
- cover with clingfilm, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
- divide the dough into 7 or 8 smaller balls, and use a rolling pin to roll to roll into large discs
Ingredients overview - the filling
- beef skirt steak -it's a flavourful, cheap cut what is perfect for these pasties, but you can also use chuck steak or braising beef
- potatoes - use any kind you have around
- swede - also known as turnip, rutabaga or neep, depending on where you live
- onion - I used a regular onion
- salt and black pepper - season well, as the filling does not reply on any other seasoning
- egg - for brushing the pasties, it is not added to the filling
Step-by-step photos and instructions - the pasties
- preheat the oven at 160 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit)
- divide and spoon the filling onto each dough disc, top the filling with a small cube of butter, then brush the edges with water, and fold the dough over
- crimp the pasties by pinching the fold between your thumb and fore finger - traditionally the edges were used as a handle by the miners, they could hold them with dirty hands and discard the edges afterwards
- brush the pasties with beaten egg, then transfer to a large baking tray lined with non-stick paper
- bake for about one hour, or until the pastry is golden and the filling is cooked through
Expert tips
Make sure the beef and vegetables are cut evenly so they can cook at the same time. We want small cubes, otherwise larger ones will not have enough time to cook well.
Be generous with the amount of ground black pepper you use, since the pasties don't use any other seasoning, the pepper will make such a difference!
Crimp the pasties tightly, so the juices don't leak during baking. Using beaten egg to brush the pasties also helps keep the edges sealed well.
You can also make them ahead and freeze either baked or unbaked. Store leftover pasties in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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Traditional Cornish Pasty Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g plain flour (4 cups)
- 60 g lard (2 oz)
- 60 g vegetable shortening (2 oz)
- 30 g butter (1 oz)
- 175 ml cold water (6 fl oz)
- 1 egg for brushing the pasties
For the filling
- 200 g beef skirt steak (7 oz)
- 200 g potatoes (7 oz)
- 100 g swede ( 3 oz, also known as turnip, neep or rutabaga)
- 1 onion
- 7 small cubes of butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
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Instructions
- To make the shortcrust pastry, sift the flour into a large bowl.
- Add the butter, vegetable shortening and lard cut into cubes, and use your fingertips to rub the fat with the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the water, and bring everything together into a dough.
- Cover with clingfilm, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 7 smaller balls, and use a rolling pin to roll to roll into large discs (20 cm / 8 inches)
- Preheat the oven at 160 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Cut the beef and vegetables into small cubes, and mix everything together, then season with salt and pepper.
- Divide and spoon the filling onto each dough disc, top the filling with a small cube of butter, then brush the edges with water, and fold the dough over.
- Crimp the pasties by pinching the fold between your thumb and fore finger.
- Brush the pasties with beaten egg, then transfer to a large baking tray lined with non-stick paper.
- Bake for about one hour on the middle rack of the oven, or until the pastry is golden and the filling is cooked through.
Video
Notes
- Make sure the beef and vegetables are cut evenly so they can cook at the same time. We want small cubes, otherwise larger ones will not have enough time to cook well.
- Be generous with the amount of ground black pepper you use, since the pasties don't use any other seasoning, the pepper will make such a difference!
- Crimp the pasties tightly, so the juices don't leak during baking. Using beaten egg to brush the pasties also helps keep the edges sealed well.
- You can also make them ahead and freeze either baked or unbaked. Store leftover pasties in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
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