Cornish Pasty &Vegetable Pasty

The first stage: Make a quantity of shortcrust pastry with 225g plain flour, 115g fat (mixture of white fat and margarine) pinch of salt, 4 x 15ml spoons cold water.

1. Put the fat, flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Cut the fat into small pieces.

2. Rub the fat into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.

3. Add approximately 4 x 15ml spoons of cold water.

4. Stir with a round ended knife until the mixture sticks together. Add more cold water if necessary, but don’t make the mixture too sticky.

5. Press the mixture together with one hand. At this stage if you have time, it is a good idea to let the pastry ‘rest’ before you roll it out. Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge.

Ingredients for Cornish Pasty: 1 x 225g quantity of shortcrust pastry, 225g cubes steak, 2 or 3 potatoes, 1 onion, piece of swede, salt and pepper.

1. Peel the swede. You can use turnip instead, but traditionally the Cornish use swede.

2. Cut the swede onto slices and then small cubes.

3. Peel an onion. Make a bridge with your hand and cut the onion in half. Put the flat sides down on the board.

4. Hold the onion firmly with your hand like a claw. Slice across without cutting through the root.

5. Turn the onion round and still holding it like a claw, slice in the other direction.

6. Wash and peel the potatoes.

7. Cut into slices, then strips and cubes.

8. The prepared vegetables should look like this.

9. Put the vegetables in a bowl with the cubed steak and season well with salt and pepper. Mix well.

10. Take the pastry from the fridge. Flour the table and rolling pin.

11. Roll out the pastry using a backwards and forwards movement. Don’t roll over the edge of the pastry.

12. Turn the pastry round (not over) frequently so that it doesn’t stick to the table. Use the rolling pin to support the pastry when you do this.

13. When the pastry is rolled into a large square, cut out 4 circles. You can use a pan lid for this, approximately 20cm in diameter.

14. Add 2 or 3 x 15ml spoons of the filling, keeping it to one side of the pasty.

15. Brush around the edge with water.

16. Fold over the pasty and press the edges gently together.

17. Crimp the edge to make a good seal.

18. Brush the top with beaten egg.

19. Bake in a pre-heated oven, gas mark 6/200°C for about 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown, then reduce the temperature to gas mark 4/180°C for a further 15 minutes to make sure the meat is cooked through.

20. The completed pasties.

How does it look?

Vegetable variationsVegetables Cheese Flavourings

OnionGarlicMushroomsCarrotsParsnipsPeasPotatoSweetcornLeeksPepperAppleTomatoSwede TurnipRice

CheddarCheshireSomerset blueBrieFetaWenslydaleMozzarellaParmesanStiltonSoft cheese

Soya sauceCuminCorianderParsleyBasilOreganoThymeSageMixed herbsMintPestoBranston pickleSaltGround black pepperCurry pasteMustardTomato pureeCheese sauce

To make Leek and Cheddar cheese pasties:

1. Cut the root end and dark green leaves from a leek.

2. Slice the leek and separate into rings. Grate 150g Cheddar cheese.

3. Add some of the cheese and leek to a circle of pastry. You can add other flavourings too – here I’ve used some pesto. Brush the edge with water.

4. An alternative flavour is mustard. It goes particularly well with cheese.

5. Fold over the pasty and gently press the edges together.

6. Crimp the edges to make a good seal.

7. Brush the tops with beaten egg.

8. Bake in a pre-heated oven on gas mark 6/200°C for about 30 minutes until golden brown.

What pasty variations can you develop?