Top Secret Family Recipe to Make the BEST Cornish Pasties EVER | How to Make a Proper Cornish Pasty 

Thank you for the Clip! I was born in Mt Hawke. Living in central London. Whilst watching and having my lunch i stopped in my tracks when you mentioned Aunty Ros. I also had an Aunty Ros, that lived at the same address! I could not believe what I was hearing, as you can imagine. That evening I told my step farther about it who is now 94 years old (Fred) and it turns out that Aunty Ros is family and that he knows you. Even stranger than that, your family knew my mother and used to go out together sometimes (Joan). Regrettably she is no longer with us. This is a bit of a public confession but I had to post it! I can only hope that you are still getting these messages. Thank you!

When I lived in London I would sometimes drive all night with my wife to Megavissey in Cornwall for the weekend. This was in the 70s when you could knock on the door of a house that had a bed and breakfast sign in the window. Prices were reasonable and no pre-booking was necessary. We used to go to Kelly’s for a pasty. They were hot and delicious. We would sit on the harbour wall to eat them. Then because I had been driving all night I would fall asleep on the wall for about an hour while my wife made sure I didn’t roll off the wall. Happy days. 😊

Thank you! I am from US, Michigan, and my family originally came from Cornwall to mine. My grandma taught me how to make a pasty (including lard-no longer common in the US). Peas?! Lol! I think the difference between butter/ shortening vs lard w butter and cut of swedes and potatoes matters. This is SO similar to my grandmother’s recipe! Recently I saw a video about makIng pasties so watched a bunch: yours is closest to I remember ( I am 60 years old, and my grandpa did carry a pasty wrapped in a towel in his coveralls to the mines Ishpeming. Especially key is adding the sprinkling of flour in the filling. No other videos or recipes I have seen show that. Golly, your description of proper crimping is exactly how my grandma did, and, oh my God, I grew up where each of us had our initial in the crust! We did it as kids to leave out what we didn’t like (swede, onion, and sometimes carrot- a variant, not classic filling. I hated onion as a very young child, so, no onion in the one marked “L”, please! ), but my grandmother said for health bc no one could finish a pasty in one sitting. Children, in our case. No other cookbook or video I have seen said that was a “thing” in England, and not just a Michigan habit. I miss my grandmother terribly and making her recipes has been special. Thanks for your video! This is the best I have found.

Made this today half lard half agora suet + butter with diced beef,no skirt available.cooked for 40 mins they were fantastic.Thank You for your recipe.

YES YES…. I just made the best pasties I have ever baked using this recipe. I have never been able to get the pastry right… rough puff too greasy, short crust too crumbly. But this pastry and pasty recipe was perfect. Flaky but also firm. Perfectly seasoned too. Thank you for showing me how to recreate my Cornish childhood in the heart of Texas.

Made my first Cornish pasties today and they turned out awesome. I was definitely stepping outside my comfort zone. I now feel like I'm in some elite club!

I made these exactly as you said and they were delicious. The best Cornish pasty recipe and tutorial! The pastry was fab. I am sending the you tube to my sisters in USA. Thank you for doing this step by step lesson. Brilliant.

Love how clear your instructions are ! Thank you, I shall try it X

Outstanding video and explanation. Im in the US and developed a fondness for proper Cornish pasties. So Ive been making them myself. No catsup for me. But I admit I do enjoy some good Worcestershire sauce on the beef. And I adore your accent ❤. Joe in Cape May.

I love this video. And I have been trying to make an authentic pasty forever. I just learned from you how it’s done. Thank you!

Thanks tried many different recipes that never came close to my grans who took her secret recipe to the grave yours brings back childhood memories of my gran's home made giant Cornish Pasties to be eaten over several days

That was absolutely beautiful and easy to follow instructions

I made these today and they were incredible. Thank you so much for sharing this brilliant recipe.

Beautifully explained and demonstrated. Fabulous recipe too. 👏👏

I could listen to you all day. Really enjoyed watching, thank you from Cleveland, Ohio!

That's a proper pasty, It's a proper meal, I am urgently wanting some ingredients. It was great years ago when you found someone who sold a proper sized pasty, Fantastic...

Loved this thank you for your family story about the pasty and taking your time. I bought skirt yesterday so am going to use your aunty’s pastry recipe. Deserves more views and subscribers.

Fun and informative video, thank you so much!

Really enjoyed watching this video, and so loved the banter too.

You are so awesome. You explained each step in away that has given me more confidence. Im from Nevada in the U.S. and love to cook. Just came back from London and I tried a lot of different foods. Only thing is I wished i could try homemade, especially from someones gramma. Trying this recipe tomorrow. Thanks again.

I just found this and want to thank you. I'm from the US and was stationed at St. Mawgan from Jan 2005 to Aug 2009. I learned to make pasties from the ladies in the butcher shop in St. Columb because I love them so much...but I only made them once after we left. Now I want to make them again and was afraid I'd miss something. Thank you for the reminder and well done! By the way.....I like them bigger like that. And my son, who was born at Treliske, also thanks you. CHEERS!

Best crimping ever! They look amazing. I'm making pastys today in Canada 👂🏻🤗

Quality. I make them massive and recently tried the half and half filling. Game changer.

Well done - so many people forget that essential knob of butter............ and an old Cornish woman 50 years ago told me that the proper way to eat a pasty was with a raw tomato and a cup of sweet tea (with one more sugar than you usually take)............. and believe me it really complements the taste of the pasty!

thankyou, great content

Love these. ❤ My great-grandmother came from Cornwall. She always made these.

Think you're the best when showing how the crimping is done. Thank you for sharing

Thanks so much for posting this video. This recipe is great I have made it a few times now and spot on each time. The method of ‘chipping’ the veg with a peeler that you mentioned has become my way, you get an amazing flakey texture inside! That and the flour and butter to make gravy are pro tips Have to admit I do also like other random things in a pasty but I think it just stops being a ‘Cornish pasty’ when it deviates from the tradition. Thanks again for sharing, as someone from south west (not Cornwall) who lives further afield now it’s so good to be able to have proper pasty in the freezer!

Probably the best video I have seen. They look impressive, my Hubby makes delicious Cornish Pasties, from years of watching his Mum. He was born in Lostwithiel and we still live in Cornwall.

At last! Someone who knows how to make a proper Cornish pasty. I have never made them with bread flour, so I shall try that 2 moro. Ty for sharing.

Fun! Thank you!

Made the pies today with 'sirloin' as could not find skirt steak. Came out really well. Thank you for a great recipe. Look forward to seeing more recipes from you.

This looks really good! Thanks for sharing friend. Let's stay connected!

I am your 1000th like! It surprised me too. 🎉🎈🎉 I love this video! I love the pride and love going in to them. I grew up in 1970s Yorkshire and have eaten pasties all me life but I have never had a proper Cornish pasty. Fortunately I have had a good baking upbringing so this extremely accurate instructional video will be very useful when I get to making some of these wonderful pasties. Thank you very much for sharing it. Love and best wishes back to you all.

Great Cook, Best Wishes, Cheers from Brooklyn.

Very tasty! The pasties look nice too 😛

Enjoyed watching your video and we’ll be making some more pasties now you’ve made us hungry. We’re 6th generation or so Cornish decent mainly from Camborne but live in New Zealand. Nice video and the interaction between your daughter and yourself was fun, entertaining and delicious comforting Cornish Pasties to finish, thanks.

A perfect delightful tutorial Maria ,that pasty would feed my family of three for three days.

I MADE THESE TONIGHT & WOW 😍😍😍😍 So glad they made 4 & can’t wait to have them again tomorrow 😂😂 Delicious 😋

CONGRATULATIONS AT LAST SOMEONE MAKING A TRADITIONAL CORNISH PASTIE EVEN THE CORRECT CRIMPING WELL DONE FROM A kIWI PASTRYCOOK OF OVER 60 YEARS EXPERIENCE.

Hello from Canada. Recently I have been looking into my UK ancestry and hankering for a proper pasty. I did a lot of research and settled on your recipe as most traditional. I admit there was another Cornish cook that I also followed but you had what I thought was the key to the best pastry- the idea of using suet. I also appreciated your guide as to quantities of swede to potato to onion. And the fact that this recipe was from family..cheers to Aunty Roz, Grandma Barnes and Aunt Betty! For my pastry I followed your instructions but used half suet/half lard and then 1 to 1 amount of butter. Bread flour for added gluten. I used turnip (aka rutabaga, swede) a red onion, and Canadian yukon gold potatoes and went to the butcher for skirt steak. Found the right sized small plate to use..a dinner plate would have too huge for just me lol. Thanks for the tip to use the rolling pin to aid in filling the dough. I have to work on my crimping method but it wasnt too bad, thanks to your clear instructions. I made the pasties as part of a mercy run for my friend who is a long distance trucker. He'd just come back in from a long trip and was knackered and starving. It was a 45 minute drive to get to him so I took the pasties out of the oven, let them rest for a few minutes and then wrapped them in foil and by the time I got to him they were perfect eating temperature. I even did the traditional thing of putting his initials in dough on his pasty, before I brushed it with the egg wash. The result was ...from first bite.. simply incredible. I suspect it was because of the suet but the pastry was the best I've ever made ( and Im 67 so I've made my fair share) Robust and firm to contain the pasty but OMG flaky? Wow. An explosion of flavour from the first mouthful. The perfect mix of meat and veg. The turnip and onion add almost a hint of sweetness to the mix. Unexpected but delightful. The meat was wonderful, so tender and juicy, I couldn't believe it. and they were golden brown and beautiful to the eye And traditional in that I brought it to a tired hungry working man who was delighted. I have been instructed to not lose this recipe and we must make it more often lol. Oggy Oggy Oggy Oi Oi OI indeed. next up. a cream tea with scones..the clotted cream is finishing up in the oven. Cheers you lovelies! Thank you so much for this video!

Thank for this recipe and I’ve made them 5 times now so perfecting the crimping and the production line...just to let you know if did try half beef suet and it definitely adds a bit more flavour :)

Thank you for this video! My mother in law taught me how to make these just like you do it. I live in San Francisco CA but she is from Michigan. I was watching your video amongst many others because I have not made them in 10 years so I'm a bit nervous. I used to make them at least once or twice a year so I wouldn't forget the receipe but for some reason I just stopped making them. What I like about your instruction is your tricks of grating your butter and fats. I love that! I also love that you include so much of your family history. You are a pleasure to watch

Thank-you from stamford ❤❤

I'm from Yorkshire and my Pasties are the same size as yours. Lovely demonstration, the butter at the end with the flour to make the gravy is so important. Well done.

Verrry Tastyy ! - Oh Yeah and the Oggies looked good as well 😊

It took me 3 yr to find this post.😃 Thanks ladies. Brilliant 😉👍

Proper job my luvver!

My maternal grandparents ran a cookshop and restaurant close to Devonport naval dockyard from the early 1900s to the 1920s. This catered mainly for the Navy and dockyardies. They sold cooked meat, i.e., ham and round of beef and pasties. The pasties were well regarded and I still make them according to our family recipe. Unlike the typical Cornish pasty, chuck steak rather than skirt was used, nor did they contain swede turnip. The pasties were not sealed with the twisted edge to the half moon shape but the filling was placed down the middle of the party circle and crimped down the centre of the pasty. Unlike most recipes I have seen, the potatoes were not diced but flaked off the peeled potato. The meat cut really small was lightly floured and together with the chopped onion and potato, moistened with a splas of water. Salt and a generous amount of white pepper were added. The pastry was made with lard and possibly margarine and was short and robust. I have to admit that I now make a hybrid Devon/Cornish version, using Trex and butter for the pastry, adding turnip (flaked like the potato - I find that using this method makes slimmer pieces which cook more thoroughly and quickly). I also add chopped parsley and a little bit of crushed garlic to the filling to enhance the flavour. I also put a very small nugget of butter or a small teaspoon of clotted cream into the filling of each pasty; unlike the garlic and parsley this was traditional in Cornwall. As is apparent from the above, I am ancient and very deaf. I hate to be negative about a useful and serious video but I found Maria's diction and delivery hard to follow and the transcript is complete gobbledegook!

So apparently Cornish people don't have Cornish accents anymore unless they're old, said the maid with the Cornish accent who kept saying "paaasty". 😀 Great pasties. Can't wait to try making them.

Hi great vid 🙂 how long and what temp would you cook one from frozen (uncooked)

You can't beat homemade pasties xx

Excellent, that’s the closest I’ve ever seen to the pasties. I used to get when I was in 42 commando. Royal Marines in Bickley Devon shall certainly give it a go. Many thanks Rick

The best pasty in Cornwall by far for me is from Gear farm near Helston. The best pasty I've ever tasted!. Also try their homemade brownies. Simply the best!.

Thank you

Proper job, moi luvver... My (Cornish) Dad remembers chuckling growing up in post-war Cornwall, being sent into town to get a piece of skirt on Pasty day....

Omg they look amazing.. Tiddy Oggies

Excellent traditional recipe for a proper Cornish pasty. Although I must confess I do like filling variations occasionally 😂

Just made pasties today and used haggis instead of beef, brilliant but no doubt hersey to you!😃😃😃

Ansum! Proper job!

I've got my first ever home made pasty in the oven right now. I want to learn how to make my own pastry...From Plymouth

I am soooooo excited to try & make these! I've emigrated to Australia only a week ago & aleady missing my pasties :'(

I'm from Truro ....well, along the A39 about half way to Falmouth, but have lived in Ontario, Canada for nigh on 40 years now. I wouldn't exactly call myself a chef but I am a Cornishman, as well as a traditionalist concerning pasties. My Aunty May taught me how to make a pasty (she also taught my Mum too !!) many, many years ago ...... Your video is about as "spot on" as any I've seen about pasty making, probably moreso than most. Thank you Loved your reference to Blewett's ..... I clearly recall walking through Victoria Sq. or Boscowen St. eating them (as one does !!) ..... Also ..... I had to laugh at your mention of Ginster's ..... truly horrible things, only surpassed in horribleness by the "pies" sold in Canada and labelled as "Cornish Pasties". It's a test of my self control merely to keep my mouth shut and say nothing !! I get pasty cravings from time to time and I have made them myself, with varying levels of success ...... I keep telling myself I am getting better and better at it. Aunty might even be proud of me !! Terrific video ..... thanks again.

Just come across this I am 73 years old man because my wife is not Cornish I wanted to continue to have a pasty we had one every Saturday made by my grandma they were a similar size to yours so in her late years I asked her for her recipe which she wrote out for me and I still make today so my recipe is at least 100 years old the main difference was the pastry not rubbing in the lard and butter I don’t use butter margarine is used instead they were all made and I still make to large dinner plate size Grandmas trick and my wife’s trick is not to eat all the pasta when hot cut a third off put it to one side and have it for lunch cold the next day which I quite like. Hope you see this.

a Miner would be very pleased with a Pastie like that :D

Why not just mix the potatoes, turnips, onions, and salt and pepper altogether prior placing in the pastry - more efficient, and a more even distribution of potatoes, turnips, and onion?

Best pasties ever and I have tried so many recipes! Pastry to die for. I assume you used swede,which is a different vegetable from turnip not a different name for the same thing. David H

I'm going to have a go these pasties, made for men with care🙂🙂🙂

You can’t beat a well-made, traditional Cornish Pasty, or scones , strawberry jam and Cornish clotted cream for that matter. Your pastry is almost like a rough puff pastry, without the 3 folds and turns, but done with strong flour instead. Yes, I’d agree that a bit of beef suet would take it to another level.

Yep.....They look like proper pasties to me 👍 Although with that accent they sound more like Derby, or Burton on Trent pasties than Cornish 😆

hi, what type of meat can I use if just looking in supermarket? is stewing beef any good?

Reading the transcript is hilarious.

Nice looking Pasties, thanks for the video, I have been making my own Pasties out here in Indonesia but something on the flavour of mine wasn't right, I have been forgetting to put the dollop of butter in the mix but will do on my next batch along with a sprinkle of flour Cheers!!!!

😋😋😋😋😋yummy 👍😁😜

How did the butcher have enough skirt to sell to all the miners wives to make pasties. I can never understand that. Excellent video. Especially the pastry.

Picked up some great tips! Shame we didn't get to see the inside though.

Malcolm Barnecutt, Bodmin are my No 1 pasties

That's what my grandmother said was an English pasties a Cornish pasties had all the leftovers from the Sunday roast

"Dont mind me. I'm just going to elbow the pastry" xD

Gear Farm the very best pasties!!

I made a batch yesterday. Almost exactly the same recipe - even down to the strong flour! 'Ansom

Good video but tell your friend it would be much better in landscape! Next time try white pepper, that's what my Mum always used & it needs lots of it, far more than would imagine. Apart from that, great video, great presentation.

Why would you make less than eight at a time? and this is me talking, who bakes using a bench top toaster oven where I have to bake them 2 at a time 🤣Pasties are WONDERFUL, tho and I’ve never had any issues finishing them off(or having them finished off) Personally I think the pastry needs the lard. It makes the best pastry, of ANY kind. Glad to see you using strong flour, and yes, onions, skirt beef, swede(turnip….but yellow, not white), potatoes and LOTS of pepper and salt. Now I was taught to slice the beef against the grain to make it tender into fine strips and I like the texture. Agreed with the mince comment too tho! I get so annoyed when a pasty is advertised as a “real”Cornish pasty and then finding it’s made with mince??!! I was also taught to finely slice the onions, Swedes and potato to allow them to cook thru. Not a fan of diced veg tho but as long as its onion, swede and potato and it goes in raw, it’s all good. The filling HAS to go in raw, and meld together in the baking. I always used to toss the meat, veg and a dusting of flour, salt and lots of pepper, together in a bowl before filling. And that’s a traditional dinner plate sized pasty….’tis proper ‘ansome 😁

Salted or unsalted butter???

Do you pre cook the potatoes before?

Proper job! But if 'e going to be tradititional wheres the "pudding" often usually apple [?] at the "initial" end!

Barnicotts pasty for me

That absolutely looks amazing the only thing I would’ve added to that would be a little bit of finely chopped fresh parsley. In all fairness I think your mom was right about the size of the pasty because the pasty was meant to represent an entire meal it was at dinner contained within the pastry.

Xmas soon

Yes please make a big bat hand send some stateside to ❤

What about a cheese and onion pasty ?

Ansome me luvver

Please please please turn your camera to landscape orientation. Please.

So much is posted online about rutabaga and cornish parties. Rutabaga would rot even when frozen, it has a bad stink...

I think dinner plates used to be smaller back in the day!

i love a women wearing an apron who knows whats she's doin in the kitchen.. very attractive

Are people from Devon allowed to watch this?

Why not shoot in landscape?

Did they cook inside ….

What was the secret ingredient?