Cornish Pasty Trademark

The purpose of the PGI recently applied for by the Cornish Pasty Association is to serve as a Trade Mark for the “Cornish Pasty” as a brand.  The trade mark will have to be determined by the true characteristics of the product and the processes through which it goes to become an authentic finished Cornish Pasty from the definitive raw ingredients whence it started.

So what are the true characteristics of a Genuine Cornish Pasty? This extract from the CPA website details the pre-requisites of the product:-

A genuine Cornish pasty has a distinctive ‘D’ shape and is crimped on one side, never on top. The texture of the filling is chunky, made up of uncooked minced or roughly cut chunks of beef (not less than 12.5%), swede or turnip, potato and onion and a light peppery seasoning. The pastry casing is golden in colour, savoury, glazed with milk or egg and robust enough to retain its shape throughout the cooking and cooling process without splitting or cracking. The whole pasty is slow-baked and no flavourings or additives must be used. It must also be made in Cornwall.

A Proper Pasty, as it were, is exactly that all it takes to complete the process is a 45 minute bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 deg until the pastry case turns a beautiful golden colour…only then is it a Genuine Cornish Pasty!

Protecting the Cornish Pasty

Established in 2002 the Cornish Pasty Association is a body of more than 40 bakers who are passionate about their art.  So much so that they head up a representative collective solely for protecting the provenance and roots of the Cornish Pasty.

The origins of the Pasty are deep routed in the South West, however there are individuals and businesses established outside of the Cornish territories who brand their products as Cornish Pasties.  The arguement is clear…or is it?  In order to protect these origins the Cornish Pasty Association have lodged a PGI application (Protected Geographical Identity) which has recently been supported by DEFRA.

If successful this application will mean that only a product made to a traditional Cornish recipe and more importantly, which is made within Cornwalls territories can be legally named a Cornish Pasty.

The concerns of the CPA are that those products that do not follow the time honoured recipes and do not fall within the geographical locations, place the genuine, authentic Cornish Pasty at risk of becoming devalued through poor quality manufacturing processes and diluted recipes.

Not only a matter of principal, the reasons for wanting to protect a product which serves to employ over 1800 Cornish workers are the same as those adopted by Champagne, Parma Ham, Stilton Cheese, Arbroath Smokies, Cornish Clotted Cream, Smoked Salmon amongst many other who have succeeded in their PGI appplications.

Hand Made Traditions

Each and every Cornish Pasty which we bake has been lovingly created for you by hand. The hand layering process of the diced ingredients is true to the roots of the Cornish Pasty, this is something which we are very proud of! Machine made pasties are just not the same and unfortunately those who have not ventured to the South West of the UK have little or no knowledge of what a real Cornish Pasty looks like…rest assured a Proper Pasty is hand crimped and hand filled.

Traditional Cornish Pasty

Made with the very best chuck steak, in a fresh diced veg mix containing the special secret Cornish seasoning which delivers that unmistakeable Cornish flavouring! Vegetables farmed locally in the West Country provide the nourishing base upon which the steak is hand layered. All of this folded inside a short crust pastry case, hand crimped and served to you after being lovingly baked by your favourite high street cornish pasty bakery.

The Traditional Cornish Pasty is by far our number one selling cornish pasty, this 283g meal is clearly a consistent front runner within our extensive bake-off range.

Pasty of the Month January – Haggis Cornish Pasty

As a tribute to Robert Burns we proudly present the Haggis Cornish Pasty. A really unusual pasty filling and not traditionally Cornish in any way, but this flavour has always been an extremely popular choice for the month of January.  Authentic Macsween haggis is wrapped in a short crust pastry case…perfect!  This delicacy has been a part of our menu for over 5 years now and each year it is received with great enthusiasm amongst its fans! An excerpt from Macsweens website…

The Macsween family has been making its authentic and award-winning haggis in Edinburgh for over 50 years. Originally consumed locally, Macsween haggis is now known and enjoyed throughout the world. Macsween also makes tasty black pudding and is proud to have created the classic vegetarian haggis, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2009.

Haggis is indelibly linked to Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns. Born on 25th January 1759 in Alloway, Ayrshire, his birth is celebrated at Burns suppers throughout the world, where haggis is consumed with great gusto and great ceremony. In 2009, the Macsween family, like many others, will mark Burns’ 250th birthday with laughter, poetry, haggis, dancing and general merriment. Indeed, the whole of Scotland is celebrating 2009 as the year of Homecoming.

While famously seen as the culinary centrepiece of Burns Night, haggis is now popular as a nutritious and easy to use ingredient throughout the year, enlivening canapés, pakoras, lasagne, pies and many other recipes.

« Previous Page