How to Make a Good Cornish Pasty
12th July 2025
There is, of course, no such thing as a bad Cornish pasty.
When it comes to traditional British food, there is always regional pride to contend with. Many recipes are intrinsically connected to the area from which they have sprung: Pontefract cakes, Chelsea buns, Lancashire hotpot, Welsh rarebit. They represent heritage and tradition — edible history. You must tread carefully to avoid offending regional heritage or just making silly mistakes. I certainly feel on safer ground making pronouncements from my Salford home on Eccles cakes than I do on Ecclefechan tart.
But when it comes to the Cornish pasty, the people of Cornwall have taken ownership a step further. In 2011, the Cornish pasty was granted Protected Geographical Indication by the European Union, which dictates where — and how — a true classic Cornish pasty can be made. This is the same protection enjoyed by products like champagne, Parma ham and Comté cheese.
Sometimes the old ways are best.