Ann's Pasties

Ann's Pasties: handmade Cornish pasties with shop sales and home delivery

Ann's Pasties is a family business dedicated to the handmade production of Cornish pasties. The company sells its products through its own shops, by post and through a network of retailers, and also offers event catering. Its range includes frozen or cooked pasties, delivered ready to eat on the day they arrive or to keep in the freezer.

Products and available formats

The online shop organises pasties into several categories according to size and weight. Regular 350g pasties are offered in packs of 5, 10 or 20; classic 450g pasties in the same quantities; and large 625g pasties in packs of 2 or 4. There is also an occasional range with special formats: the 1500g Star Celebration Pasty, the Gurt Licker and the heart-shaped pasty. The site shows prices for each pack as a guide to the range.

Alongside the pasties, the company sells other products grouped under different headings: beers and spirits (beer, gin, rum and whiskey), Ann's Pantry (preserves, seasoning, sauces and biscuits), Cornish hampers, the Simply Cornish selection, cream tea products, and clothing and accessories merchandise. Gift vouchers are also available.

History and family origins

The story of Ann's Pasties goes back to the pasty-making tradition of Ann's mother's Cornish family. Ann learned to make pasties unexpectedly, when her mother, Hettie Merrick, a professional pasty-maker, called on her to help at a stall at an agricultural fair in Brittany where demand far exceeded supply. After that experience, Ann began making pasties for her neighbours and later, together with her mother, set up a stall at Helston market. The business grew until they opened a shop in Porthleven. When balancing family life became difficult, her husband converted the garage of the family home in The Lizard into a pasty kitchen. Over time, demand increased and her son Fergus joined the business, continuing the family recipe.

Production and local suppliers

The company highlights its connection to the area and states that all its suppliers are based within 10 miles. According to its presentation, the ingredients reflect the Cornish landscape and the region's farming heritage. The production is described as handmade, using the family's traditional recipe.

The Cornish pasty according to Ann's Pasties

The website explains that in Cornwall people don't say "Cornish pasty", but simply "pasty". The classic recipe described by the company includes turnip (called swede outside Cornwall), onion, beef and potato. Beef skirt is preferred, although chuck steak cut into small pieces is also acceptable. The potato and turnip are cut into thin slices and the onion into thin rings. The ingredients are layered and seasoned inside a disc of pastry; the edges are lifted around the filling and crimped. The pasty is then baked for an hour in a moderate oven.

The site also includes a detailed recipe for making pasties at home, with quantities for the pastry (flour, margarine, lard and water), a wholemeal pastry variation and the filling proportions for one pasty. It describes the steps for preparing the pastry, the filling and the assembly, including crimping and baking.

How to buy and event catering

Ann's Pasties lists three main ways to buy its products. The first is buying directly from its shops: one in The Lizard, run by Ann, and another in Helston, run by her son Fergus. The second is event catering: the company brings Cornish pasties to weddings, birthdays and corporate events, with local delivery or courier shipping to other areas. The third is postal delivery of frozen or cooked pasties, which arrive at your door ready to eat or freeze. The site also mentions that it supplies some shops and delicatessens in Cornwall.

Presence and contact

The company has two own shops, in Helston and The Lizard, and runs an online shop with shipping. For order or event enquiries, the site provides the Helston shop phone number and a contact email address.

Phone: 01326 572282