Pasty Politics

I’m not entirely sure why I’m delving into the world of the Cornish pasty. No good can come of this! I’ll probably receive hate mail. However, I’m going in…I’m going to do it…

Now we’ve been talking pasties all summer. At work, on the radio at work, driving to work, on the phone…there has been a lot of Pasty politics talk. He’s what we came up with this sumer.

We all feel that lots of pasty makers start well and produce a great pasty. The problems start when they take that popularity and expand…sometimes a little too quickly. Employing lots of additional staff and moving towards mass manufacture. At this stage there always seems to be a drop in quality.

We’ve also discussed in great length, the challenge presented by a molten hot pasty. It’s almost impossibly to leave a pasty to cool down ‘naturally’. You’ll snap a piece of crust off, nibble a hole to allow the steam to pour out…a riskier tactic is to bite a section off and hold it in your open mouth to cool…but it is almost impossible to leave it alone, once purchased.

Firstly, big shout to St Agnes Bakery. Their sausage rolls are so good that I never get round to the pasties. If the pasties are as good….oh wow. Secondly, Lavenders Deli in Penzance town, outstanding Scotch Eggs. They do a marmalade and red onion Scotch Egg that is to die for. Again, I never get round to buying a pasty. Both quality establishments however.

We’ll start with Rowes and Warrens. Both have been around for quite some time. They’re both popular bakers and have businesses dotted across the whole of Cornwall. We felt that Rowes fillings come out on top and Warrens produce the better pastry. Both are consistent but we felt both were nothing to write home about. They represent good value but don’t stand up against some of the smaller producers.

Another business that seems to be growing quite quickly, is the Cornish Oven Bakery. They offer both short crust and flaky pastry options. General consensus is that they are quality! Good size, great flavour, consistent…the option of the flaky or shortcrust adds a whole new dimension. We’re all just hoping the quality doesn’t start to drop, if they continue to grow.

Philps Pasties - a couple of my staff are from Hayle…so maybe a little biased. Philps are a funny one. At their best they’re right up there. Especially their meat pasties. The problem we all have is that you seem to have good batches and bad batches. The last couple of pasties I’ve had from them have been quite anaemic (and I haven’t been back for a good 6 months), Matthew however, tells me that recent batches have been very, very good.

Gear Farm pasties - Gweek area. Full disclosure, I’ve never had one. A few of the staff have made purchases and have said they’re good but not outstanding. I’ve been asking around and all the feedback is good.

Lavenders Cornish Pasties - I live just around the corner from an outlet, so have had plenty of pasties from these guys. They’re not bad. I’ve had better pastry and I’ve had better fillings. They are very consistent and reasonably priced. Not a bad choice.

Ann’s Pasties - we personally preferred Ann’s to Lavenders. Much of the above (Lavenders) holds true, just a little better.

Morris Pasties - some slight variations on the traditional flavours, without going OTT. Again, very consistent and very nice. Can’t really go wrong.

St Buryan Farm Shop - we had some customers visit on Saturday and the veg was a little raw…but everyone is entitled to a bad day. They generally produce very good and consistent pasties, especially the meat ones…being a butchers and all. My one visit yielded quality produce and again, word on the street is that it’s a quality establishment.

Brays n Kays - Newquay based producer. We haven’t personally had the pleasure but I’m hearing good things.

Mary’s Pasties - again, great reports from a number of sources. Will report back from personal experience asap.

Trevilley’s Farm Shop, Newquay. I’m hoping their not a one-hit wonder but one of my staff has not stopped talking about their pasties….and he’s only visited the shop once! Pastry, meat, the juice, veges…it’s all good! Worth the visit.

We’ll add a few more businesses and a short docu-style video to the article.