Review of Proper Cornish 'Best Pasty' in British Pie Awards

The mix of beef steak (traditionally skirt), potato, onions and swede-turnip, not forgetting a good dash of pepper, is even protected by law, with the Cornish Pasty given Protected Geographical Indication status in 2011.

So when an entry from Proper Cornish was crowned 'Best Pasty' in last week's British Pie Awards a few eyebrows were raised at its altogether more multicultural flavouring.

For it was the Bodmin-based pasty maker's Chicken Bhaji Pasty that wowed the judges.

So does this new kid on the pasty block deserve its title or should purists stick to their tried and tested recipe? We thought we'd find out, with a review of Proper Cornish's award-winning entry.

First impressions

The first thing that strikes you upon biting through the crunchy pastry is the warming curry spices hitting both your tastebuds and nose.

It’s a similar sensation to the warm feeling you get upon walking through the door of your favourite Indian restaurant.

Inside the award-winning Chicken Bhaji Pasty (Image: NQ)

The official description for the pasty reads: “This sweet curry pasty, with coconut undernotes and a mild heat, contains chicken, chickpeas, cauliflower, and onion bhaji, combined with coconut milk, mango chutney, spices and seasoning.

“Encased in a pre-glazed, hand-crimped pastry case and sprinkled with a coriander and rusk topping.”

The taste

After the first hit of curry, the other elements start to emerge: the bite of the chickpeas, a slight sweetness from the mango chutney and the comforting familiarity of potato and chicken.

There is a warming heat to it, but nothing over-the-top – I’ve had more mouth burn from a traditional pasty peppered rather too liberally!

How does it compare to the original?

For a proper comparison, we also tasted Proper Cornish’s traditional steak pasty.

Proper Cornish's Chicken Bhaji Pasty and traditional steak Cornish Pasty (Image: NQ)

With its golden shortcrust pastry warm from the oven, it’s hard to fault a classic – there’s a reason why 120 million Cornish Pasties are supposedly eaten every year.

In this one the crimping was tight, the filling juicy and the beef tender; what’s not to like?

Overall verdict

While pasty purists will never agree that the traditional Cornish Pasty can be bettered, having tasted the Chicken Bhaji Pasty you can see why the judges fell in love with it.

The aromatic flavours combined in a handily portable pastry casing give a tasty alternative when your palate just fancies something with a bit more zing.

Plus let’s not forget, this diversification means the title of Best Pasty remains in its rightful place, here in Cornwall – and produced by a company called ‘Proper Cornish’, how could it be anything but?

Where to try it

Proper Cornish sells the award-winning Chicken Bhaji Pasties at its Bodmin bakery, open 8.30pm to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Customers can also call 01208 265838 to find the nearest stockist local to them.