Traditional Cornish Pasty with Steak and Vegetables

1. Put the flour into a mixing bowl.

2. Add the salt and grate in the butter and lard.

3. Rub in the fat until there aren’t any large lumps, it doesn’t have to be completely rubbed in and it’s as the more you handle the pastry the tougher it will become.

4. Make a well in the mixture and pour in half the cup of water, use a butter knife to start combining the mixture.

5. Add the rest of the water and keep mixing with the knife, it should be wet enough to combine but if not just add a little more water, you don’t want it too wet, just enough to bring it together.

6. Put the pastry in the fridge for half an hour.

Assembly

1. Divide the pastry into four.

2. Flour the kitchen top and rolling pin.

3. Role out a piece of the pastry big enough to cut around a medium size dinner plate.

4. Put any scraps to one side.

5. Place your pastry disc over the rolling pin in front of you, so the front half is flat on the kitchen top and the back half is going over the rolling pin. The pastry half in front of you is for your filling.

6. Use a knife to make a little indentation 1 inch around the edge, that’s the border for your filling.

7. Place a sparse layer of steak, then onion, swede and potato and season with salt and pepper. Repeat until you reach the top of the rolling pin, two layers usually does it, season.

8. Pat a little cold water on the pastry edge, then fold the top over, press the edges together.

9. To crimp start at the right hand side, at the top edge place your thumb on the top of the pastry and your index finger underneath, with a firm movement twist the pastry up and back and press down, repeat until complete.

10. Repeat for each pasty.

11. Place the pasties on a floured baking tray, stab a little hole in the top of each and brush with beaten egg.

12. Place in oven at 240 degrees for 20 mins and then turn down to 200 for another 20 minutes.

13. Let them rest for five mins.