Cornish Pasties

                                                                                  

It takes more hot water to make cold water hot than it takes to make hot water cold.                                                                         

Despite having been born in Felling and having grown up in the area, I consider myself to be a Geordie. And like a lot of Geordies - it must be in the genes - I have travelled all over the place as part of my job. During my travels I have stayed in digs from Plymouth on the south coast of England, up to Aberdeen on the northeast coast of Scotland and a hundred towns between. Some of those towns only for a few nights, some for months and some for years.

I once spent three month working on a job in Plymouth and what do I remember? Well, apart from Plymouth Albion and The Hoe, the things that I remember most were the Cornish Pasty shops - In Plymouth the Cornish Pasty shops were as numerous as fish and chip shops were back home. I was working outdoors and after a hard mornings graft, I along with the rest of the squad, would often pop around to the nearest pasty shop and buy a hot Cornish pasty for lunch. They were large, filling and tasted delicious.

Fred Watson.

8 oz plain flour

½ level teaspoon of salt

2 oz of hard margarine

2 oz of lard

2 tablespoons of cold water

8 oz skirt of beef

2 potatoes

2 small onions

A piece of swede

Salt and pepper

A little milk

A small piece of butter

A sprinkle of flour

Mix flour and salt in a bowl, Cut fats into small pieces

Put them into the bowl and rub between the fingers

Until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs

Add water and stir until the mixture begins to bind

Then use your hands, knead lightly and quickly until dough is formed.

Leave to rest in a cool place

Cut meat into strips and then slice finely

Cut vegetables in smaller pieces, then slice finely and mix them together

split the pastry into two, roll out into 2 rounds, 9 inches in diameter

Place mixed vegetables on one half of each pastry round and season with salt and pepper.

Place meat on top of vegetables, add small piece of butter to each and sprinkle with a little flour

Damp edges of the pastry with milk and fold over to form pasty. Seal edges.

Crimp the sealed edges, brush the pastry with milk and cut two slits in the top.

Bake in a hot oven 425° F, 220° C, Gas mark 7 until pastry starts to brown, Approximately 20 minutes

Reduce heat to 375° F, 190° C, Gas mark 5 and bake for a further 30 minutes