Cornish Pasties with tender peppery chunks of beef blended with melt-in-your-mouth greens, all wrapped up in buttery golden pastry. The Cornish Pasty is among the most well-known meals to come back out of the south of England, and I can fully perceive why the Cornish folks have a lot delight on this tasty hand-held meal.

The Cornish pasty goes again tons of of years, however they’re mostly recognized to have been a staple meals of the poorer lessons going again to the 18th century. Miners used to take the pasties into the tin mines, and so they’d be nutritious and filling sufficient to maintain the employees going all day.
The precise form of the pasty was thought to have come round for good cause too.
The crimped crust on the facet was used as a form of deal with. The degrees of arsenic within the tin mines meant that the miners arms can be grubby and sure lined on this extremely poisonous substance. So the miners would maintain onto the crust to eat their pastie, after which discard it (which is a disgrace! I LOVE the crust!!).
📋 Substances


Beef – Skirt steak, sirloin or ribeye are the perfect cuts for probably the most tender and juicy meat for a Cornish pasty filling. Don’t be tempted to make use of braising/chuck/stewing beef or the meat might be chewy and hard. (Observe: skirt steak could be a little bit on the robust facet, however small items which were minimize towards the grain will nonetheless be a lot tender sufficient.)
📺 Watch learn how to make it
***Full recipe with detailed steps within the recipe card on the finish of this put up***
- First, we make the shortcrust pastry. This can be a fundamental shortcrust pastry, so you’ll be able to change it with shop-bought should you favor (see notes within the recipe card for more information). Place flour, baking powder and salt right into a meals processor and provides a fast combine.
- Add in cubed butter and whizz till the combination turns into breadcrumbs.
- Add in egg yolks and blend, then, with the motor on, add in water a bit at a time till the dough comes collectively right into a ball.
- Wrap the pastry in clingfilm or wax paper (<– affiliate hyperlink) and refrigerate for an hour.
- Roll out the pastry and minimize circles into the dough utilizing a facet plate as a template.


- Combine cubed potato, swede (rutagaba), onion, steak, salt and pepper in a big bowl.
- Place a extremely good handful of the combination onto one facet of one of many pastry circles and dot a little bit butter on prime.
- Brush egg wash across the fringe of the pastry circle and fold the opposite facet of the pastry over the meat till the perimeters meet and you’ve got a semi-circle.
- Seal firmly and crimp along with your fingers (try my video under to see how to do that).
- Make a little bit gap within the prime of the pasty utilizing a pointy knife to let loose the steam. Repeat with the remaining pasties after which brush egg wash excessive of all of the pasties.


- Bake for 50 minutes till golden brown.
Professional Tip
These Cornish Pasties are full of a combination of well-seasoned steak, onions, potatoes and swede (or rutabaga/yellow turnip should you’re within the US). The meat and greens are positioned within the pastry uncooked, with a extremely good pinch of salt and pepper and some dots of butter, then sealed and cooked within the pastry. There’s no sauce inside a Cornish pasty, however the cooked filling finally ends up so tender and moist that it’s not wanted.
We’re utilizing a good high quality minimize of beef, so it solely wants mild cooking contained in the pasty. The juices which might be launched from the meat throughout cooking will flavour the greens and make the filling beautiful and juicy.


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🍽️ What to serve it with
- The easiest way to have a cornish pasty is with a big dollop of ketchup.
- Nevertheless, you may also serve it with Air Fryer Chips. And should you can’t dwell with out gravy, I’ve bought a do-it-yourself gravy recipe for you.
Regardless that I’m a gravy superfan, I believe it’s ketchup that’s a should for Cornish Pasty dipping. Effectively, that’s my opinion anyway.


🍲 Extra British classics
? Often Requested Questions
Sure, make and cook dinner the pasties, then cool, cowl and refrigerate them. Reheat within the oven, uncovered, at 190C/375F for half-hour, till piping sizzling all through.
Sure, make and cook dinner the pasties, then cool, cowl and freeze.
Defrost within the fridge in a single day. Reheat within the oven, uncovered, at 190C/375F for half-hour, till piping sizzling all through.
Pastry:
You possibly can change the do-it-yourself pastry with shop-bough shortcrust pastry.
Beef:
Skirt steak, sirloin or ribeye are the perfect cuts for probably the most tender and juicy meat for a Cornish pasty filling. Don’t be tempted so as to add braising/chuck/stewing beef or the meat might be chewy and hard. (Observe: skirt steak could be a little on the robust facet, however small items which were minimize towards the grain will nonetheless be a lot tender sufficient.)
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First, make your pastry. Place the flour, baking powder, and salt right into a meals processor and provides a fast combine.
450 g (3 2/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt
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Add within the butter and whizz till the combination turns into breadcrumbs.
125 g (1/2 cup + 1 tsp) unsalted butter
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Add within the egg yolks and blend, then, with the motor on, add within the water a bit at a time till the dough comes collectively right into a ball. You might not want all of the water.
2 egg yolks, 125 ml (1/2 cup + 1 tsp) chilly water
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Take the pastry out of the meals processor, wrap it in clingfilm or wax paper (<–affiliate hyperlink) and refrigerate for an hour.
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Preheat your oven to 180C/350F (fan). Take two giant baking trays and sprinkle them with some flour.
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Take your pastry out of the fridge and roll it out on a floured floor till you get a thickness you’ll be able to minimize, that will not tear simply. I discover that is about 3mm.
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Minimize circles into the dough utilizing a plate that’s about 20-21cm (approx 8″) in diameter as a template. I discover that I get 3 circles out of the primary lot. Then I re-roll and get 2 circles, after which I re-roll and get one last circle. You possibly can place the circles stacked onto a plate as long as you’ve got a sprinkling of flour between every layer.
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In a big bowl, combine your potato, swede/rutagaba, onion, steak, salt, and pepper.
450 g (1 lb) potato, 150 g (1/3 lb) swede/rutagaba, 150 g (1/3 lb) onion, 300 g (2/3 lb) skirt steak or sirloin steak, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp floor black pepper
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Take one in all your pastry circles and place it onto your work floor. Place a extremely good handful of the meat combine onto half of the circle, leaving a 2cm border across the edge. It’s going to appear to be a variety of combination, however it must be packed full.
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Dot 1 1/2 tsp butter (from the three tbsp butter) on prime of the meat and veg pile.
3 tbsp unsalted butter
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Take your crushed egg, and utilizing a pastry brush, paint a little bit of the egg wash across the fringe of the circle. It will assist the pastry stick collectively.
1 egg
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Now, fold the opposite facet of the pastry over the meat till the perimeters meet and you’ve got a semi-circle. Seal firmly and crimp along with your fingers (try my video above to see how)
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Place your pasty onto your baking tray and make a little bit gap within the prime utilizing a pointy knife to let loose the steam. Repeat with the remaining pasties.
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Brush the remaining egg wash excessive of the pasties and place within the oven for 50 minutes till golden brown.
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Take out of the oven and depart to chill for five minutes earlier than consuming.
Can I make them forward?
Sure, make and cook dinner the pasties, then cool, cowl and refrigerate them.
Reheat within the oven, uncovered, at 190C/375F for half-hour, till piping sizzling all through.
Can I freeze them?
Sure, make and cook dinner the pasties, then cool, cowl and freeze.
Defrost within the fridge in a single day. Reheat within the oven, uncovered, at 190C/375F for half-hour, till piping sizzling all through.
Can I exploit shop-bought pastry?
Sure, you’ll be able to change the do-it-yourself pastry with shop-bough shortcrust pastry.
The perfect minimize of beef for Cornish Pasties
Skirt steak, sirloin or ribeye are the perfect cuts for probably the most tender and juicy meat for a cornish pasty filling.
Observe: skirt steak could be a little on the robust facet, however small items which were minimize towards the grain will nonetheless be a lot tender sufficient.
Don’t be tempted so as to add braising/chuck/stewing beef or the meat might be chewy and hard.
.
Recipe Supply:
Tailored from a Bushy Bikers recipe
Dietary Data is per pasty.
Energy: 669kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 22g | Fats: 32g | Saturated Fats: 18g | Ldl cholesterol: 182mg | Sodium: 1026mg | Potassium: 821mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 815IU | Vitamin C: 16.7mg | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 7.4mg
Diet info is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
This put up was first printed in August 2014. Up to date in March 2025 for housekeeping.
A number of the hyperlinks on this put up could also be affiliate hyperlinks – which suggests should you purchase the product I get a small fee (at no further value to you). When you do purchase, then thanks! That’s what helps us to maintain Kitchen Sanctuary working. The dietary info supplied is approximate and may fluctuate relying on a number of components. For extra info please see our Phrases & Situations.