So scrumbtious: Kind of Cornish pasties... Cheap eats!

These puppies are actually pretty good. Excellent to stock your freezer with and for feeding a crowd, they're cheap, tasty, fun to make... Sadly they're not exactly a health food, but we don't want that all the time do we?!

On this note, I was reading an article on 'Orthorexia' earlier. The obsession with eating 'correct' foods is something which is becoming probably more common... I'm sure we all open magazines and papers regularly and get told what we should (or more often shouldn't) be eating.

My obsession with food in general is accompanied by a healthy interest in nutrition, and the scientist in me in always interested in learning how the body deals with different foods, and how food is inextricably linked to health. Also I happen to be female, and therefore according to the great British media should look like a lingerie model or be a failure in life (ahem). Well, rest assured, I do not resemble a Victorias Secret model in my undies. However if I eat a pasty one day, I'll probably not eat seven tonnes of other pastry that day... Also I heart internittent fasting which I genuinely believe helps. My BMI (a terrible measure of health but please don't get me started on that) is good, and I'm happy with my weight. So you can love your food and your treats, just not every day.

Right, rant over!! Pasties!

I am lucky not to have any dietary allergies or intolerances (except a strong aversion to Ruby from GBBO) but you could easily make these with gluten free flour.

Pastry:

135g butter, margarine or other fat

1tsp salt

500g bread flour

Approx 175ml chilled water

Filling:

200g beef mince (lean is good)

150g waxy spuds, skin on

150g peeled swede

1 smallish onion

Dash of Lea and Perrins

Salt and pepper

Rub the fat into the salt and flour, then add enough water to make a dough. Wrap well and chill. This pastry is robust... Don't worry too much about overworking it. Also it'll last for a few days well wrapped in the fridge.

Next make the filling: slice all the veg nice and small, mix with other ingredients.

Now, this recipe will make 8 big pasties, 16 smaller ones, 32 mini ones etc. basically, quite a lot!

Divide pastry into however many bits...