Cornish pasties are not only great in winter as they are prepared from inexpensive healthy ingredients. Use good quality chuck steak. It has great flavour.

Ingredients

• 1 quantity short crust pastry
• about 3 medium size potatoes, peeled
• 1 medium size onion, peeled and diced
• 1 small swede, peeled and diced
• 250-300 grams chuck steak
• salt and pepper
• 25 grams butter, optional

Method

1. Finely slice the potatoes and finely dice the chuck steak.
2. Divide the chilled pastry into 4 and roll each out to make a circle of around 18-20cm. The pastry should be about 0.5cm thick. Do not use too much flour on the board or rolling pin, as this will make your pastry tough. Brush off any excess with a pastry brush.
3. Arrange the potato slices evenly over the center of the four pastry rounds and then top with each with an equal amount of diced onion, swede and beef. Season each pastie well with salt and pepper and if wished place a knob of butter on top.
4. Brush the inside edges of the pastry circle with water and bring the edges together and pinch securely to seal. If wished you may care to put your initials cut from pastry scraps at one end of the pastie. Place on a greased baking tray and brush with milk or beaten egg to glaze.
5. Bake at 220 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius for a further 30 minutes until the pasties are well-browned.
6. Variations: - Add fresh chopped herbs like sage, parsley or thyme. Add a seasoning of Worcestershire Sauce or a touch of your favourite mustard - Add a little chopped bacon - If wished dice all the filling ingredients and mix them together. You may find the filling easier to handle this way. - Use 2x 400 gram blocks of savoury, flaky pie or puff pastry that have been defrosted