In the WW2 recipe book ‘Good Eating’ published in the 1940s by the ‘Daily Telegraph’ and which included wartime recipes tried and tested by readers, I came across a recipe for ‘Kentish Pasties’.
This particular recipe, according to the reader, was for a popular pasty distributed by mobile canteens and pie stations at Sevenoaks Rural District during the war.
Using the ingredients in the recipe, I was able to make three huge pasties which could easily be cut in two, one half for your dinner (served with veggies and gravy) and one half for your lunch the next day (although I am sure if you were working on the land a whole pasty for lunch would be appreciated) I also added two teaspoons of Marmite and one chopped leek which added to the flavour as it was a little bland without.
Overall I found this very filling and tasty!
Kentish Pasties
Filling
- 1/4 lb of boiled rice
- 4 oz grated cheese
- 2 oz raw grated carrot
- Salt and pepper
Carolyn’s extra ingredients
- 1 leek chopped finely
- 2 teaspoons of Marmite
Pastry
- 12 oz flour
- 3 oz cooking fat/margarine or butter
- Pinch salt
- Water to mix.
Method
The original recipe calls for the filling ingredients to be mixed together well and then placed on the pastry and formed into pasties.
To improve the flavour, once the rice was cooked I placed a knob of butter in a pan and when it was hot added the chopped leek and sauted and then added the rice and mixed well. I then removed from the heat and mixed in the raw grated carrot, grated cheese and two teaspoons of Marmite and a little extra salt and pepper.
I rolled out the pastry into three rounds about the size of a large side plate and damped all the edges with water and placed a third of the mixture in the middle of each tapering out at each end and then brought the pastry up and over and created the frill with my two fingers.
The pasties took about 30 minutes to cook in a pre-heated oven at 200 C.
Makes 3 extra large pasties or 6 small ones!
Oooh, they look lovely. I’ll definitely be making those when I get the chance! X
They were surprisingly yummy 🙂 xx
Tho’ freezers weren’t available then I’ll bet, after cooked, these would freeze well for ready made lunches and suppers.
I bet they would!!! 🙂
This looks really tasty! I think I may try something like this, and just make smaller versions that would fit in my lunch! 🙂
they look yummy – may add a little chilli to spice it up 🙂
These look lovely. I’ll definitely be giving these a go. Well done on the weight loss : )
HI thanks for the recipie, I followed it perfectly but the pastry came out rock hard, as in I could use it to hammer a nail in lol. Any ideas what I did wrong , I used 12 oz plain flour (I assumed plain?) and 3 oz of butter , salt and a little water and about 35 mins? Thanks x I’d like to try it also with maybe some cubed tiny potatoes, peas and spice next time.
Hahah oh my!! It is quite a hard pastry but I rolled mine quite thin and was only hard on the crimped bit, the body was easy to cut through so I’m not sure. The only thing I can think of was maybe the pastry was a little thick and the dough a little dry? That’s only a guess… I followed this recipe exactly as the original and added water so my dough was nice and soft and pliable. I added plenty of seasoning for the filling using a generous teaspoon of Marmite and chopped leek as I have also found the original recipe to be a little bland for our more spiced modern palates xxxx
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Reblogged this on The 1940's Experiment and commented:
Reblogging one of my favourite wartime pastie recipes.
If I had time to bake and could find my cooking utensils (packed away because of the move next weekend) I would definitely cook these today and serve them cooled with a nice crisp salad and a pint of beer!
6 days until we move!
C xxx
That is absolutely beautiful, and you say tasty, too? I must try it, but I think I will wait for fall, when it back off of our 90 and 100 degree weather.
You gave me an idea for my WWII novel. I’m working on the 3rd in the Jitterbug Dress series and my character is in England during WWII. I have her going to Kew Gardens and a few other things, but I’ve forgotten about food. We don’t really do pasties here in America and that would be fun for her to try. Plus I love the name, plus it works with the history tidbit you added above.
Thank you so much!
Carolyn, I have wondered about the availability of rice during WWII. As I have been trying to follow and eat the foods available during those war years, I thought of rice as nice and filling, like potatoes, but wasn’t sure if I was “cheating.” :^)
Hi 🙂 There are a fair few 1940s recipes that use rice so it was available but in sporadic limited quantities depending when shops got deliveries xx
I made these last night after trawling through a fair bit of your blog – I’m constantly hunting for new budget cooking ideas and I love food history like this!
Like you, I added marmite, but I cooked the rice in a marmite stock (like a pilaf – absorption method) rather than plain boiling it and added a chopped onion to the mixture (raw prior to baking, like in a Cornish pasty). I don’t know whether it was because of the marmite, the extra mature cheddar that I used, or the addition of the onion but I was very surprised how meaty they tasted! Also was pleasantly surprised by the pastry – quite forgiving considering how little fat is in it and it wasn’t too tough either, in fact it’s pleasantly crispy.
Will definitely make these again! I love this blog.
I think a touch of curry powder to the rice would make it tasty. I think onions or leeks are a great addition!