Leave our Cornish pasties alone!

Oh I wish I hadn’t opened this thread Maw I am salivating over the thought of a hot Cornish Pasty (a real one not one of those flat things from Greggs) ?

I agree with you.....Leave them alone !

I'm with you 100%, Maw. Historically, pasties had a thick crust as the Cornish tin miners took them down the mine for their dinner so the pastry had to be robust. They held the crimped edge with their dirty hands and ate the rest of the pasty.

Anything made with filo pastry wouldn't be a pasty and certainly not a Cornish one!

How can you consider using pasta to make a pie? It's an entirely different thing. A proper pasty from Cornwall is made with good fresh ingredients and isn't bad for you. Mass produced pasties from supermarkets or Greggs are unhealthy and don't taste nice.

They'll be going after Forfar Bridies next, Maw. In my pre-veggie days, and working in Dundee, a wee visit to Forfar for that sustaining product made for a happy weekend!
On holiday in Cornwall when the DSs were small, we liked to end the day in a pub garden with a pint and a pastie. Then I joined Weightwatchers.

One of Paw’s and my favourites at St Andrews at the Union was the famous Scottish delicacy - Curried Bridie, beans and chips.
And I was thinner then than ever before or since

What’s a Forfar Bridie Anno? I’ve never heard of them. My late grandma (Bridget) was called Bridie by her friends

Dear God whatever next! I love a good pastie, and how wrong can it be to have meat and vegetables cooked in their own juices and wrapped in a decent pastry shell? We bought hot ones on holiday and took them on our walk along the coast path. Good food, tasty and very sustaining, eaten in the fresh sea air surrounded by fabulous scenery! When are these people going to get off our backs?

Everything in moderation, I say. Leave Cornish pasties alone, they are fantastic. Maybe just don't eat several every
day. Use your common sense. But don't deprive us of something so delicious.

I had forgotten about Forfar bridies- they were (are) delicious also. Being a Scot and working in Dundee for years I am well aware of them. Everything in moderation.

The idea of making Cornish pasties with less calories comes from Cornish Hospital Trust, no doubt because they are seeing many over weight patients, or perhaps they have more than their share of obesity related illnesses.......BUT I don't believe the problem is Cornish pasties at all. I bet no miners who regularly took them for fodder down the mines were over weight. It's general lifestyle that causes health problems and cutting calories in lovely Cornish pasties will have no effect whatsoever. Cornwall has a high incidence of deprived neighbourhoods and it would be better for health and wellbeing if more financial help, support and employment were available to the population rather than offering stupid dietary advice.

Leave Cornish pasties alone. Filo pastry is fine left where it belongs on a nice spanakopita (spinach pie). Nothing wrong with a nice bit of shortcrust. In fact I would imagine compared with a Big Mac, a kebab, a curry or any other fast food a Cornish pasty comes out fairly well on calorie count and food value.

Silly woman! They won't hold together anyway.

Just don't serve pasties in hospital if you think they're unhealthy.
Mind you, I can see a lot of 'second-homers' who have taken over St Ives, St Mawes etc could latch on to this idea

I want an Ivor Dewdney pasty for lunch now.

It’s the first thing we buy when on holiday in Cornwall, but I wouldn’t buy them anywhere else.Filo pastry? Are they quite, quite mad?

You are probably right about St.Ives et al Jalima - it's become rather London on Sea with prices to match and where "clean eating" alive and kicking amongst the pasty shops!

gillybob I have forgotten the ingredients in a Forfar bridie but it cannot be so different from a Cornish pasty. Tasty and fulfilling.

One pasty isn't going to kill you but wiping the filo crumbs off your jumper while you cross the road may distract you from that bus coming around the bend

I just found this recipe (thank you Charleygirl)

They sound delicious.... gonna definitely try them.

Traditional Scottish Recipes
- Forfar Bridies

These are said to have been made by a travelling food seller, Maggie Bridie of Glamis (in the days when the county of Angus was called Forfarshire). They were mentioned by J M Barrie (author of Peter Pan) who was born in Kirriemuir in that county. The original recipe used suet but since that is not always to everyone's taste, you can use butter or margarine.

Ingredients (for six bridies):
1½ lbs (700g) boneless, lean rump steak. Lean minced beef can also be used.
2 oz (2 rounded tablespoons) suet or butter or margarine
1 (or 2) onion, chopped finely
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
Quarter cup rich beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1½ lbs flaky pastry (home made or from a pastry mix packet)

Method:
Remove any fat or gristle from the meat and beat with a meat bat or rolling pin. Cut into half-inch (1cm) pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add the salt/pepper, mustard, chopped onion, suet (or butter/margarine) and stock and mix well.
Prepare the pastry and divide the pastry and meat mixture into six equal portions. Roll each pastry portion into a circle about six inches in diameter and about quarter of an inch thick and place a portion of the mixture in the centre. Leave an edge of pastry showing all round. Brush the outer edge of half the pastry circle with water and fold over. Crimp the edges together well. The crimped edges should be at the top of each bridie. Make a small slit in the top (to let out any steam). Brush a 12 inch square (or equivalent area) baking tray with oil and place the bridies in this, ensuring that they are not touching. Place in a pre-heated oven at 450F/230C/gas mark 8 for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 350F/180C/gas mark 4 and cook for another 45/55 minutes. They should be golden brown and if they are getting too dark, cover with greaseproof paper (vegetable parchment).

Should be tasty gillybob as the ingredients are good quality.

Nanny State again.

If Domestic Science was re-introduced into schools, and youngsters were taught the nutritional values of food groups etc., maybe, we could avoid having all these nonsensical ideas thrown at as.

SAVE THE CORNISH PASTY?????????

In the Daily Mail, food writer Sarah Rainie made the Cornish pasties with both shortcrust and filo pastry. To begin with, she had difficulty sticking the filo together and it wouldn't crimp. She also made holes in it went trying. Eventually she managed a decent filo pasty. When they were both cooked she gave the results. The shortcrust pasty was lovely, well cooked all through. The filo one, on the other hand, cooked on the top, but the bottom remained uncooked and pasty due to the wet nature of the filling. She said the underside was virtually inedible.
What's wrong with a traditional Cornish pasty anyway. It's not as if you are going to eat one or two for every meal.

Pasty pastry is not short crust, puff, filo or even pasta!

It's pasty pastry. Slightly flaky, made with mostly lard.

and the beef should be chopped, not minced or pre-cooked.
Plus potatoes, swede and onions + seasoning

No carrots!

Thanks gillybob

Leave the pasties alone! Nothing wrong in a good pasty as long as you are not eating them all day every day. Would it be better to have a salad and then eat cream teas each afternoon? Where do ‘they’ stop?