Cornwall is glorious right now; after a damp start to the week it has got cold and bright, like the whole of the UK.  I love it cold and crisp.  Today we whizzed over to Watergate Bay for breakfast and although exceptionally bracing, it was absolutely stunning and made the hot chocolate even warmer and more like a hug in a mug than normal.

This week Jessica came home from school with a slip of paper asking if she would like a pasty on St Piran’s Day.  St Pirans Day is a celebration of the patron saint of Cornwall and a festival very much part of the social calendar of Cornwall.  I still smile at the amount of pasties consumed down here.  Richard is as Cornish as they come, from a very Cornish family with a long history across the county, he himself has learnt Cornish and is a passionate champion of the County (don’t get him started on Cornwall becoming independent from the UK!).  I am not Cornish, I am Norfolk – we met in Cambridgeshire and came down here not long after we married.  I knew Cornwall was famed for pasties but I had no idea they would happily eat them everyday like the rest of the country eat sandwiches.  The norm of eating pasties so frequently still makes me smile.

Whilst down here I assume you will need to have a pasty – it is part if visiting Cornwall.  So here are  five favourite places to find a good pasty.  I am not putting them in an particular order this week, as the ‘best’ pasty is very much a personal thing; some like it flaky, some like it crispy; some like it peppery, some like it plain; some like optional extras like clotted cream, some will only accept tradional.  So where are our favourite places to buy a pasty…in no particular order:

  • The Crib Box – Mount Charles Road, St Austell.  A tiny little shop, serving traditional pasties and not much else.  A good local choice.
  • Pearce’s Butchers – St Austell.  A well loved traditional butchers, generations have been munching their pasties.  Nice and flaky pastry with a good amount of seasoning.
  • Philps – Hayle.  If you are going west it is worth calling into Philps.  They are big though, so just go for  medium unless you have a mega apetit.
  • Chough Bakery, Padstow.  Award winning pasties that feature Clotted Cream, they are pretty good, as too is the millionaires shortbread
  • The Horse and Jockey – Helston.  I have never had one, Richard insisted I included it on the list.  He did buy me a pasty from here when he went for a meeting but ate it, along with his on the way home  –  they were that good.  So I take that as a good indication of what they are like.

For more information of our family holiday camping in St Austell please give us a call on 01726 843687.