CORNISH PASTIES

WADEBRIDGE & DISTRICT MUSEUM

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PASTY...

The world famous Cornish staple inspired the shape of our Museum logo. Us Cornish take the pasty very seriously! The original portable convenience meal for tin miners, fishermen, workers of the land, holiday makers, picnickers and all foodies. A traditional pasty begins with home-made pastry rolled and cut using a (tem)plate and filled with raw ingredients: best skirt of beef, sliced potato, onion and turnip. Seasoning is key. Sealed, crimped, egg/milk washed and baked in the oven. If beef wasn’t available, then the inventive cook would use whatever ingredients came to hand, whether it was mashed potato, cheese and vegetables, or other meat. Apple pasties served with scalded cream, welcomed for dessert. To enjoy a shop pasty, you hold it vertically in the paper bag. In the olden days, the crimped pastry crust ‘handle’ would be discarded, for fear that poisonous minerals from the depths of the mines, would contaminate the workers’ hands.

So much love surrounds the pasty, they are at the heart of many a family or community event. A special treat to be enjoyed by your nearest and dearest. Workers with a pasty in their crib bag, accompanied with a piece of Cornish heavicake, were self-sufficient at dinner-time with no need to re-enter the home, enabling women to carry on unhindered with the daily chores. Rarely in my family has a crossing of the River Tamar been made without a flask of hot drink and a pasty. Popular Cornish comedian, Johnny Cowling says that the success of any event, depended on the quality of the pasties.

During the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, our very own Kernow King, entertainer Ed Rowe, organised an online “Stay home and make a pasty” day: a global event celebrating Cornwall in lockdown, when the nation were asked to “Stay at Home” to halt the spread of the killer virus. Home cooks were encouraged to create their own masterpiece. This virtual event proved a huge success. Many pictures of home-bakers’ brave attempts at pasty-making flooded the internet, proving the theory that the people of Cornwall will rise to the challenge of self-sufficiency in the pasty-making stakes.

"Informative with lovely volunteers"

Really lovely free museum which is dog friendly. Volunteers are immensely helpful and knowledgeable, offering free historical guides and maps. Please do donate - this little museum really needs to continue.

"Great Local Museum"

This is a smashing venue just off the main shopping street. It is ideal for a visit to learn about thre local history of Wadebridge. The volunteers who run the place are cheerful and enthusiastic. There are plenty of visual displays backed up by knowlegable staff. It’s ideal for under an hour and open 11-3 Mon - Sat. It’s free but make a donation.

"Another great little museum"

This is a charming and informative local museum. Free to enter, the collection reflects local life and the history of the area. The museum is staffed by volunteers who are friendly and helpful. Free information guides are offered and the volunteers are ready and willing to answer any questions. This is another local museum which relies on donations to keep it running. It is a very dog friendly area and this includes the museum so canine friends are welcome. I spent about 45 minutes here as it is a small museum, but I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.

"Very interesting"

The Wadebridge and District Museum reopened in 2013 and has a most interesting collection of photographs and artefacts about the history of Wadebridge. It is primarily manned by local volunteers who are able to provide you with not only the past historical details of this Town and about the various industries and businesses that used to be found in this area – but also about the typical life and times of local residents and how it has changed over the years. Recommended as a good starting point for visitors to Wadebridge

"just dropped in"

it was raining , glad it was or i would not have known how great this place is , finding out about where you are and the history , good fun and great staff to explain things you may not understand ,well worth the visit ,..