Cornish Recipes - Geevor Tin Mine

Geevor

Tin Mine Museum

2009

CORNISH RECIPES

PASTY

Ingredients:
Shortcrust pastry (8oz Self-Raising Flour, 4oz Margarine& Lard, bit of water as
necessary)
Salt & Pepper
8oz Beef, chuck (or stewing) steak, finely diced
2 medium potatoes, finely diced (or sliced if preferred)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small swede, or turnip, finely diced (optional)
Makes 2 pasties

Method:
To make the pastry, rub the flour and margarine/ lard together with your fingers in a
bowl. Gradually add a small amount of water at a time until a stiff dough is formed. On
floured surface, roll out pastry into 2 circles (approx. size of side plate each). Put potato,
onions & swede in centre of pastry with salt& pepper. Place meat on top of vegetables.
Sprinkle teaspoon of flour over top and finish with a knob of butter. Dampen edges of
pastry with milk or water and fold over the top of filling into a semi-circle shape. Crinkle
the edge and prick with a fork to let steam out. Brush with egg and milk mixture. Put
onto baking tray into preheated oven No.7 for 20mins, then No.4 for 40mins, or until
golden-browned.
Eat hot or cold. Use crust to hold onto whilst eating.

NB: Traditional Pasties were half meat/vegetable and half jam/dried fruit. The
actual contents varied with whatever ingredients were available. Originally
pasties would have been held by their crust so miners didn’t get metallic dust on
the main part to be eaten.

HEVVA (or HEAVY) CAKE

Ingredients:
12oz S.R. Flour
1 pinch of salt
3oz sugar
3oz lard
3oz margarine
6oz mixed dried fruit (raisins/sultanas/currants)

Method:
Put ¾ of the flour in with lard and margarine mix. Add sugar, salt, fruit and mix. Add
water only if necessary. Flatten onto baking tray to desired size/thickness.
Gas Mark 4 for 20mins, or until light brown.

Geevor

Tin Mine Museum

2009

SCONES

Ingredients:
8oz S.R. Flour
Pinch of salt
2oz Butter or margarine
¼ pint of milk.

Method:
Mix flour, salt and margarine together until like fine breadcrumbs. Mix in milk gradually
until soft dough. Roll out onto floured surface approx. 1cm thick and use biscuit cutters
or sharp knife to cut into rounds, until all dough is used. Gas mark 7 for 10-15mins or
until golden brown.

NB: Cornish Cream Teas consisted of 2 or 3 scone halves per person, either
warm or cold. Either spread with real butter OR preferably, spread with
strawberry jam and a dollop of clotted cream on top. Eat with fingers, not with
knives/fork! Accompany with pots of tea.
NB: Cornish Splits are made with yeast and generally served cold.

BREAD

Ingredients:
1lb 2oz (500g) Strong bread flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 packet (8g) of easy blend Yeast
1oz margarine
½ pint warm water

Method:
Mix sugar, flour, salt, yeast together. Rub in fat. Add warm water slowly. Knead for
5mins. Leave to prove for 15mins (i.e. leave mixture undisturbed in warm place). Bake
for 15mins at 220º or gas 7-8.

NB: Early Mining families would have used barley flour for cooking, which made
bread and pastry very heavy and hard to digest:

BARLEY BREAD

Ingredients:
500g barley flour
500g stone-ground wheat flour
1 tsp salt
250g butter
Beer to mix

Geevor

Tin Mine Museum

2009

Method:
Mix the flours and salt together and rub in the butter. Add enough beer to make a soft
dough and shape into small cakes. Cook on a hot stone (or griddle) until firm.

CORNISH FAIRINGS

Ingredients:
100g plain flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
40g golden caster sugar
50g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
3 tablespoons of golden syrup

Method:
Preheat oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of
soda, ginger and mixed spice into a larger bowl. Stir in the sugar. Add the diced butter
and rub in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the syrup. Using floury
hands, roll the dough into about 20 marble-sized balls. Space them well apart on
greased baking sheets. Bake in oven for about 7 minutes or until golden.

PLAY DOUGH

NB: Not to eat! Just to play with and can also be used to attach candles to hats
when dressing-up.
Ingredients:
1 cup of water
½ cup of salt
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon of oil
1 teaspoon of cream of tartar
½ dessert spoon of powder paint OR a few drops of food colouring
Method:
Cook mixture in saucepan over a medium heat stirring all the time. Remove from pan
when mixture is thick and comes away from sides. Knead with hands and store in
airtight container once cool.

Geevor

Tin Mine Museum

2009

TEMPERATURE CONVERSIONS:

Heat °F Gas °C °C (Fan
Oven)
Slow 275 ½ 110
100
Slow 300 1 125 115
125
Moderately 325 2 140
145
Slow 160
180
Moderate 350 3 160 200
210
Moderate 370 4 180 215
225
Moderately Hot 400 5 200

Hot 425 6 220

Hot 450 7 230

Very Hot 475 8 240

Very hot 500 9 250

1 tsp = 5g or 1/8 oz; 1 tbsp = 15g or ½oz; 4oz = 100g = ½cup (flour)

OTHER CORNISH FOODS:
• SAFFRON CAKE
• FIGGY ‘OBBIN (suet pudding with raisins – called ‘figs’ by Cornish folk)
• STAR GAZEY PIE (i.e. savoury pie with mackerel heads sticking out of the
top!)
• SALTED PILCHARDS (Cornish name for sardines)

EARLY MINERS’ MOSSEL may have been a selection of:
• “BARLEY BREAD” (dry hard bread difficult to digest)
• “HOGGIN” (small bun of barley bread with potatoe and pig fat baked into it)
• “FUGGIN” as above but baked with the inclusion of fruit.
• COLD WATER (Possibly flavoured with ‘mugwort’ or other cheap tea
alternative)
• WEAK BEER (due to poor water quality, beer was drunk regularly by all
because it was partially pasteurised)
• MILK
• SALTED FISH (‘Pilchards’ are the Cornish name for sardines)
• POTATOES
• DRIED FRUIT
• SMOKED CLAY PIPE
• PASTY (Only at celebration times, then made with barley flour and poor
quality meat and seasonal vegetables)

MODERN MINERS’ MOSSEL typically much more varied and palatable:
• SANDWICHES (Bread of softer wheat flour, yeast and had various fillings)
• FLASK OF HOT TEA

Geevor

Tin Mine Museum

2009

• HOME-MADE PASTY (About once a week, made with rich pastry and varied
fillings)

• SMOKED CIGARETTES