Cornish pasties responsible for around 20% of annual UK food and drink turnover, as nearly every bakery and cafe sells them, especially in Cornwall. If you eat meat, then look for organic free-range brands or make your own. In this post you’ll find recipes to make your own plant-based versions (there is not enough land for everyone to eat free-range meat at present rates of consumption). Vegan Pasties with Mushrooms & Red Wine (The Veg Space) are perfect for picnics. Keep Cornish pasties away from pets, due to toxic ingredients (veggie mince, mushrooms, onion, garlic, fresh dough).
Also called ‘oggy’ pasties (hence the name of the fast food chain), this comes from the chant ‘oi, oi, oi’ that the wives of tin miners would say, when freshly baked for their husbands. Cornish pasties are crimped at the edge, and filled with beef, potato, swede, onion, salt and pepper. The pastry is thick enough to not fall apart, when held in the hand.
Like everything, tradition often hides the real truth. Although likely some authentic artisan pasties from Cornwall are made with free-range meat and natural ingredients, most sold in shops and supermarkets are a mix of factory-farmed meat and palm-oil laden pastry, along with other dodgy ingredients. The leading brand Ginsters contains ‘British beef’ (no more information given on welfare), palm oil, egg (likely not free-range) and a few herbs and spices. One nutrition expert also notes that eating just one of these is almost half of your daily saturated fat allowance.
It’s not just Ginsters. ‘Posh’ stores like Marks & Spencer have their own versions, and you pay a lot more for them. Yet a quick look at the ingredients show that they are basically the same ingredients, so why they are charging so much more is anyone’s guess.
A bit like ‘champagne’ in France, you can only legally call a Cornish pasty its real name, if it contains meat. So there have been lots of fisticuffs in recent years, when plant-based producers who use vegan mince tried to call their wares the same, and now have to call them something else. This reminds of the story in the US when a mayo company took a ‘vegan mayo’ company to court, saying it could not be called mayo if it had no eggs. The case generated so much free publicity for the vegan company that it launched more products with the increase turnover, and the mayo company now makes its own ‘egg-free mayo!’
Try this Cornish Vegan Pasty (A Vegan Visit).
Most Cornish pasties are made with a shortcrust pastry crust, as it tends to be more firm and holds the filling better than flaky puff pastry. However, nearly all ready-made pastry in the UK contains palm oil (its unsustainable use is harming the habitats of orangutans and other endangered creatures – there is no such thing as sustainable palm oil). So it’s time to learn how to make your own pastry!
It’s a lot simpler than you would know, but you obviously need a hard surface and rolling pin, and be sure to keep fresh dough away from pets, as it can expand in the stomach. The good news is that Naturli (sold in all stores) is a good ‘vegan block butter’ that makes the process a lot simpler (and cheaper) than using coconut oil.
For 2-ingredient vegan pastry mix mix 250g of flour with 1.5 teaspoons of salt, add 125g of chilled cubed vegan butter and rub into flour. Pour over 2 teaspoons of cold water then make a dough, adding a little water to right consistency. Knead into a ball, then chill for 20 minutes.
You don’t need clingfilm to prevent the dough drying out. Use parchment paper, vegan wax food wraps or even a tea towel. Some shops even sell reusable ‘clingfilm’ made from food-grade silicone. This dough will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer. When ready to use, just defrost overnight in the fridge, then knead again and roll out to make your vegan pie crust. Other good recipes for vegan Cornish pasties are:
- Curried Vegan Pasty can rival store-bought versions.
- You can also find a nice recipe at Mouthwatering Vegan.
- Vegan Cornish Pasty (J Cooking Odyssey) by a junior doctor, who uses an airfryer (pumpkin, sweet potato, mushrooms and root veggies).
where to buy vegan Cornish pasties
An extensive search found that nearly all the vegan Cornish pasties online either are made with palm oil or don’t list the ingredients. So it’s a case of make your own or – there is one! And it’s sold in Morrisons and Booths, in the freezer section. Just be sure to recycle any plastic packaging with household waste or at supermarket bag recycling bins.
Naughty Vegan Pasties have a thick crust and lots of yummy fillings, they are not health food but in the interest of research, they have been tasted and they are really that good! The No-Beef Pasties are made with vegan meat and vegetables in hand-crimped pastry, and there are also some rather devilishly good cheezy pasties with potato and onions. Both are made with sunflower and coconut oil, rather than palm oil.
