British Invasion: Homemade Cornish Pasties & Favorite English Cookery Books

The dangers of outdoor food photo shoots (Cornish pasty recipe here).

I'm not sure why, but for some reason my recipe for Jamie Oliver's Cornish Pasties with beef, onion, potatoes, and carrots that I shared with you last fall has been one of the most popular posts on Farmgirl Fare for at least the past six weeks. (You'll find the top ten posts of each week listed over in the left sidebar.) Maybe it's pasty season.

What I do know is that these classic British meat pies taste delicious and freeze beautifully. I made a double batch during the tail end (ha) of lambing season this year, and hopefully next year I'll remember to make some at the beginning of lambing season because they're the perfect thing to have on hand for quick and easy dinners or hot and hearty (and portable!) lunches.

I defrosted the frozen pasties at room temperature and then reheated them in my beloved little Oster convection toaster oven (which I often use several times a day), but you could probably go straight from freezer to oven. If you're in a hurry or at work, you can gently heat them in the microwave. They taste especially wonderful when served with brown mustard and cold beer.

Everybody loves these traditional Cornish pasties, including Mr. Midnight.

This pasty recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver's Great Britain: 130 of My Favorite British Recipes, from Comfort Food to New Classics, which is a neat cookbook. I bookmarked several other recipes to try while spending a couple of hours leisurely reading through it.

I have a huge cookbook collection but rarely use most of them. So in keeping with my word for the year—SIMPLIFY—I've been slowly sorting through my cookbooks, most of which still haven't made the move from The Shack to the new house, and donating a bunch of them to the small local (35 miles away) library, much to the delight of the librarian. Jamie Oliver's Great Britain is staying here.

More British cookbooks (including three for under $1) that made the cut below. . .

Nigella's Big Chocolate Chip Cookies look and taste great (recipe here).

Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home by Nigella Lawson is staying too. This is another whopping hardcover that's given me several hours of reading enjoyment. You'll find my rave review, along with two versions of Nigella's Big Chocolate Chip Cookies here.

I've also dusted off a few forgotten English favorites that aren't going anywhere except next to the bed (doesn't everybody read cookbooks in bed?) and into the kitchen. Because thousands of new cookbooks are published each year, many oldies but goodies can be found for a bargain. Used copies of the three titles below are currently available for less than a dollar apiece from amazon.

A Glorious Harvest: Robust Recipes from the Dairy, Pasture, Orchard, and Sea by Henrietta Green is a big, beautiful book full of gorgeous photos, charming watercolor illustrations (sheep!), and all kinds of delicious inspiration. I've had my copy for at least 18 years and will always think of it as the cookbook that first inspired me to start making my own crackers. Used copies starting at just one cent from amazon.

In Food from Green Places: Vegetarian Recipes from Garden & Countryside, author Rosamond Richardson gleaned information from old handwritten cookbooks, history, and folklore to create 150 modern recipes that celebrate the pleasures of cooking with freshly gathered food and the joy of living in the country. I have my eye on the Zucchini Parmigiana, Nettle Soup, and simple Blackberry Puree. Used copies starting at one cent from amazon.

Are you sensing a seasonal, freshly picked theme here? Tamasin Day-Lewis' Good Tempered Food: Recipes to Love, Leave, and Linger Over fits right in. I love Tamasin's chatty writing style, and when summer comes I'll be making her Smoky Aubergine (Eggplant) and White Bean Puree, Slow Roasted Tomato Tart, Piperade with Grilled Peppers, and Homemade Bloody Marys (maybe this will be the year I finally plant some horseradish in my kitchen garden). Used copies starting at 41 cents from amazon.

Okay, now I'm really hungry. So how about you—do you love English cookery books too? Any must have favorites? There's a little space available on my bookshelves these days. . .

More Mr. Midnight? Here.

More Farmgirl Fare recipes? Here.

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