Cornish Pasty

Name: Cornish Pasty
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Yield: 4 large pasties
Cuisine: English
Ingredients: 500 g strong white bread flour, plus extra for rolling; 1 tsp fine salt; 120 g lard, cold, cubed; 25 g unsalted butter, cold, cubed; 175 ml cold water; 400 g beef skirt, trimmed and cut into small pieces; 400 g floury potatoes, peeled; 200 g swede, peeled; 150 g onion; salt and plenty of ground black pepper; 1 egg, beaten, to glaze

Beef skirt, potato, swede and onion, baked raw inside a crimped pastry case: the traditional way.

By Author name, role and credentials: owner to supply

Published 23 September 2026

AI assistance: the introduction, ingredient list, method, tips and FAQ on this page were drafted with an AI writing tool, working from long-established traditional methods. Named editor who reviewed it: owner to supply How we work

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 55 min
Total: 2 hr 45 min
Makes: 4 large pasties
Difficulty: Medium
Course: Main
Cuisine: English

Jump to recipe

A golden, crimped Cornish pasty on a plate — Photo: David Johnson [1] via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped

The pasty was the working lunch of Cornwall's tin miners and farm labourers: a complete meal in a sturdy pastry case that could be carried underground and eaten by hand. The traditional filling is simple and goes into the pastry raw: beef (usually skirt), potato, swede and onion, seasoned with salt and pepper. It steams in its own juices as it bakes.

Since 2011, "Cornish pasty" has been a protected name (PGI). A pasty sold under that name must be made in Cornwall to the traditional recipe, D-shaped and crimped along one side. At home you can make it exactly the same way. In Cornwall, swede is often called "turnip", which is why many family recipes list turnip.

Ingredients

4 servings

Pastry

500 g strong white bread flour, plus extra for rolling
1 tsp fine salt
120 g lard, cold, cubed
25 g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
175 ml cold water

Filling

400 g beef skirt, trimmed and cut into small pieces
400 g floury potatoes, peeled
200 g swede, peeled
150 g onion
salt and plenty of ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten, to glaze

Equipment

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Method

Pastry

1
Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the lard and butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs, then add the water and bring it together into a firm dough. Knead briefly until smooth, wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. The strong flour gives the pastry the strength to hold the filling.
Photo: Shixart1985 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped

Filling and shaping

1
Slice the potato and swede thinly (about 3 mm) into small, irregular pieces. Chop the onion. Keep everything raw.
Photo: pin add via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped
2
Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / gas 6 / 400°F. Divide the pastry into four and roll each piece out on a floured surface to a round about 22 cm across (a side plate is a good guide).
Photo: NorskPower via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0, cropped
3
Layer the filling across the middle of each round: potato and swede first, then onion, then the beef, seasoning each layer generously with salt and pepper.
Photo: Rory Finneren via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped
4
Brush the edge with beaten egg, fold the pastry over into a half-moon and press the edges together. Crimp by folding the edge over itself in small twists all the way along. Cut a small steam hole in the top.
Photo: Nasier Alcofribas via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
5
Brush all over with egg and bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 170°C / 150°C fan / gas 3 / 325°F and bake for a further 35–40 minutes until deep golden. Rest for 10 minutes before eating: the filling is very hot.
Photo: Nasier Alcofribas via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped

Tips

Why raw filling? The beef, potato and onion release their juices as they cook and make their own gravy inside the case. Pre-cooked filling makes a drier pasty.

Make ahead: assemble and freeze the unbaked pasties, then bake from frozen, adding about 15 minutes.

If it goes wrong

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Pastry split during baking	Rolled too thin, or overfilled	Keep the pastry about 4 mm thick and leave a 2 cm border
Vegetables still hard	Cut too thick	Slice potato and swede thinly: they cook only in the steam inside the case
Soggy base	Oven too cool at the start	Start hot, then turn down, and bake on a preheated tray

Frequently asked questions

What makes a pasty a "Cornish pasty"?

Since 2011 the name has had protected (PGI) status: a Cornish pasty must be made in Cornwall, be D-shaped and crimped on one side, and be filled with uncooked beef, swede, potato and onion.