Christmas is just around the corner and nothing says Christmas is coming quite like filling your kitchen with the spicy, warm scents of festive holiday cooking.
Cornwall is home to a multitude of Cornish Christmas traditions and the food is no exception. Take a look below at some classic Cornish Christmas recipes and add some Cornish spark to your home this holiday season.
1. Stargazy Pie
This Cornish Christmas favourite is a staple of homes in the county during the festive season. The pie originates from Mousehole where fisherman, Tom Bawcock, went out in a storm to catch fish and save the village from starving.
Stargazy Pie commemorates this event, with a pie characterised by whole fish heads, typically pilchards or mackerel. It is traditionally eaten on Tom Bawcock’s Eve, a festival held annually on the 23rd of December.
Stargazy Pie Christmas Recipe
Rick Stein’s Stargazy Pie recipe is a traditional classic and is easy to make at home so that you can celebrate Christmas and Cornish history in comfort.
His is only one of several stargazy pie recipes that can be found online so be sure to find the perfect one for you, with plenty of fish variations allowing you to put your own spin on the pie and transform it into a family favourite.
To make a stargazy pie, you can use a simple pastry-making recipe like you would with other pies, or buy pre-made pastry for a quick and easy cook. Other ingredients will include:
- 6 small fish (mackerels, pilchards, or sardines – fillet them but keep the heads)
- Shallot or onion
- Potato
- Leek
- Garlic
- Pancetta or streaky bacon (smoked or unsmoked)
- Chives and parsley
- White wine or dry cider
- Milk and double cream
- Saffron
The most important thing to remember when cooking a stargazy pie is to make slits in the pastry lid for the fish heads to poke out through.
2. Saffron Buns
Saffron is a favourite flavour for cooking in traditional Cornish cuisine, and nowhere is that more evident than in the classic saffron bun. It is also known as the ‘revel bun’ or the ‘tea treat bun’ and is eaten regularly at special occasions and anniversaries, including Christmas.
Saffron bun recipes
Due to their popularity in the county, there are a number of saffron bun recipes you can find and save on the internet, including a classic Rick Stein recipe, making it easier than ever for you to make these tasty treats for your friends and family.
Saffron buns can be eaten as they are or cut in half and slathered with butter. As well as saffron, you will also need:
- Raisins, sultanas, or currants
- Mixed peel
- Mixed spices
- A pinch of sea salt
- Cornish clotted cream
Some recipes will have variations on the dried fruits and mixed peel to add to the buns so take your time to experiment and find a recipe that works for you.
Saffron bun stuffing filling
You can also use your saffron buns to add a kick of sweetness to your Christmas dinner stuffing.
After cooking the saffron buns, prepare your usual stuffing filling before blending your saffron buns into breadcrumbs and combing them with your stuffing mixture for a classic Cornish twist that will make the turkey, game hen, or other Christmas bird on your table sing.
3. Hevva Cake
A hevva cake is a traditional Cornish treat that can be enjoyed at any time of the year, making it perfect for Christmas time, especially with its fruity and spicy flavours.
It is said to have got its name from the huers (people who stood on cliffs to alert fishermen to the direction in which shoals of fish were moving, generally herrings, pilchards, or sardines). These huers would shout ‘Hevva!’ to make the alert.
The hevva cake was baked by these same huers in Cornish tradition so that the fishermen would have something warm and filling to eat when they returned to shore.
Traditional Hevva Cake recipes
Due to its strong ties to Cornish tradition, you may find that a number of different hevva cake recipes have a little something different about them, depending on how different families throughout Cornwall have cooked this treat.
Typically, the ingredients of a hevva cake will include:
- Currants
- Mixed peel or lemon zest (optional)
- Self-raising flour
- Castor sugar
- Butter
- Milk
You will be able to find a range of different recipes online, whether they be commercial recipes or homemade recipes. Hevva cakes will normally end up quite large, making them the perfect cake for large gatherings – or for people who want a second slice.
4. Cornish Fairings
Fairings are traditionally sweet snacks that were sold nationwide at fairs and fetes, often given to children or by young men for their sweethearts. Cornish fairings are typically associated with ginger biscuits and gingerbread, making them sweet and spicy, the perfect warming treat for the cold Christmas period.
Cornish Fairings traditional Christmas recipe
The main staple of any Cornish fairing biscuit will of course be the ginger, giving your winter holiday mornings a spicy kick. Other ingredients include:
- Mixed spices
- Cinnamon
- Golden syrup
- Castor sugar
- Plain flour
- Butter
- Baking soda
Some recipes may even include chilli flavourings for extra spice. When selecting a Cornish fairing recipe to try at home, you can always experiment with the balance of flavours to find something that’s right for you. Whether this is increasing the sweetness of the syrup and sugar flavours or toning it down in favour of more spice, you’re sure to find something that pleases the whole family.
5. Cornish Pasty
Nothing says Cornwall like a good, hot Cornish pasty, and nothing says Christmas like a Cornish pasty with a festive filling. Combine this favourite food of Cornwall with Christmas for a unique spin on the festive season that will keep you warm in the cold and experience your favourite flavours in new and exciting ways.
Cornish pasty Christmas recipes
Find a good and simple pasty recipe to get the pastry just right and then substitute the filling for something with a more Christmassy bend. There are a few different flavour profiles you can experiment with that will capture the magic of Christmas, including:
- Turkey and cranberry
- Turkey and apple sauce
- Chicken and stuffing
This is also a good way to use up any leftovers in an inventive way, making sure you waste no food and can enjoy a hearty meal in the days after Christmas.
You can make your Cornish pasty using shortcrust or rough puff pastry. You can use pre-made pastry if you want a quicker cook that allows you to relax over the busy festive period, without sacrificing the quality of the pasty.
6. Cornish Game Hens
If you don’t fancy turkey for Christmas, why not consider roasting up some game hens for the family to enjoy? Game hens are the perfect dinner for the winter months, with the meat being softer and more tender than chicken. They are also healthier than chicken with less fat and fewer calories, leaving more room for sweet Christmas treats.
Cornish Game Hen Christmas recipe
Cornish hens can be eaten at any time of the year. Pair them with festive stuffing during the Christmas period for some extra holiday spark. You may even consider experimenting with the saffron bun stuffing we mentioned above.
Other popular Christmas stuffing fillings you can try include:
- Apple and cranberry
- Chestnut, sage and sausage
- Sage and onion
- Sausage and walnut
- Cranberry and chestnut
You can find recipes for various stuffing fillings on the internet to find something that suits you and add some robust flavours to your Christmas game hen to make it a dinner to remember,
7. Cornish Mulled Cider
It’s not Christmas without a warming drink to cap off all the food and treats you’re cooking. Cornish mulled cider is a classic favourite, originating from the tradition of wassailing.
Wassailing is an annual winter tradition and ritual that involves blessing orchards for a good harvest in the spring. Wassail itself is a drink made from roasted apples and mulled ale that celebrates the tradition and paved the way for mulled cider.
Cornish Mulled Cider Christmas recipe
Cornish mulled cider is made by heating up apple cider and apple juice and infusing the drink with a range of spices that may include:
- Cinnamon
- Allspice
- Cloves
- Star anise
Simply buy some bottles of your favourite Cornish apple cider such as Polgoon or Cornish Orchards and get to brewing for a quick and easy drink to celebrate Christmas with.
Wassail Cornish Christmas drink recipe
You can also forgo the Cornish mulled cider for a taste of the traditional wassail, making your Christmas more unique and magical than ever. You can make your wassail alcoholic with the addition of hard liquor such as brandy, rum, or whiskey.
Traditional wassail ingredients will include:
- Roasted apples
- Cloves
- Lemon
- Cinnamon
- Orange
- Ginger
- Nutmeg
Simply add all of the ingredients to a pan and leave to simmer for around 45 minutes. Then all you have to do is take out the apples and the cloves, pour the drink and enjoy!
These traditional Cornish Christmas recipes are bound to spice up your Christmas for a heartwarming festive season.
When you stay at one of our holiday homes in St Ives or Mousehole, you can visit the farmer’s markets to find all of these ingredients for a more authentic Cornish experience. Book your stay with us today and cook up a storm in our self-catering cottages.
