‘Save the date – get ready for Cornish Pasty Week’

 

Turning the spotlight on Cornwall’s favourite and most iconic food, the first ever Cornish Pasty Week will be celebrated throughout Cornwall and across the country.

From Sunday 25th February 2018, there will be a whole week of activity, culminating in the ‘Oggy Oscars’ – the seventh-annual World Pasty Championships – held on Saturday 3rd March at the Eden Project, Cornwall.

During Cornish Pasty Week, the Cornish Pasty Association (the membership organisation behind Cornish Pasty Week), will be working with Cornish pasty-makers across the length and breadth of Cornwall, and with those who sell Cornish pasties across the UK and beyond, to create a week’s worth of fun, special offers and information about this much-loved food.

Jason Jobling, Chair of the Cornish Pasty Association, said, “It’s about time the Cornish Pasty gets a whole week to itself, for people to celebrate, enjoy and indulge in its deliciously unique reputation and heritage and I’m delighted that we have been able to bring this idea to life. This humble dish may have its origins down the Cornish mines, but it is now worth over £300 million to the local economy and is without doubt one of the nation’s favourite foods”.

A social media campaign will be launched, using the #pastysmile and members of the Association will be working with local community groups and schools to spread the essential skills involved, with crimping and pasty-making sessions.  From Cornish pasty pub quizzes to crimping classes with local schools, there will be something for everyone.

Anyone interested in taking part is asked to get in touch with the Association, and to  save the date and keep an eye on social media and the website for further updates.

ENDS

 

Notes to Editors:

Cornish Pasty Week (25th February – 3rd March 2018) is an initiative brought to you by the Cornish Pasty Association. The Cornish Pasty Association is a British trade association, based in Cornwall, England. The Association was initially formed as a collective of Cornish pasty producers who were concerned about the number of products being sold across the country as ‘Cornish pasties’ but which bore little resemblance to the genuine product. The Association now administers the PGI designation which was granted in 2011 by the EU and is also there to help anyone who would like to make, buy, sell or find out more about Cornish pasties.

The World Pasty Championships take place every year on the Saturday before St Piran’s Day at the Eden Project near St Austell in Cornwall.  Amateur and professional bakers come from across Cornwall, the UK and the world to take part.  A day to celebrate Cornwall’s national dish ends with the Oggy Oscar ceremony for winners in the various classes.

More information on the PGI: Protected Geographical Indication

The PGI was granted to protect the quality and reputation of the Cornish pasty and to stop people being misled by pasty makers who traded off the value of the name without producing a genuine product. The status is given after a rigorous process to ensure that products have a genuine reason for protection. It means that the name ‘Cornish pasty’ can only be applied to products that have been verified as meeting the standards laid down within the specification.

The protection applies to products made commercially and not those made in the home for domestic consumption.

www.cornishpastyassociation.co.uk

@cornishpasties1

For more information contact: [email protected]