World Pasty Championship: The Cornish Show You How it is Done

Cornwall and the Cornishman are taking on all pasty-makers!

The World Pasty Championships, to be held at Eden on Saturday (a day before St Piran's Day), is one of Cornwall's social and cultural highlights of the year. The Cornish are believed to be the makers of the best and most delicious pasties in the world. It is no surprise, therefore, that this competition... indeed, the very act of making pasties... is so entirely a matter of pride and emotion.

According to a report on Cornish Pasty Association, "A genuine Cornish pasty has a distinctive 'D' shape and is crimped on one side, never on top. The texture of the filling for the pasty is chunky, made up of uncooked minced or roughly cut chunks of beef (not less than 12.5%), swede, 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 to ensure that flavours from the raw ingredients are maximised. No flavourings or additives must be used."

The competition itself tests traditional pasty-making skills and there will be entrants from all around the world; it is also believed that pasties made worldwide had their ideas from Cornish immigrants.

The main categories are Cornish Pasty (Professional), Cornish Pasty (Amateur), Open Savoury Pasty (Professional) and Open Savoury Pasty (Amateur).

According to the organisers of the Eden Project, the event has the backing of the Cornish Pasty Association, which upholds the reputation of the pasty and represents more than 50 bakers.