No 'arm' in Andy's pasty!
PASTY maker Andrew Blackwell just wants to curl up when he hears the name armadillo. Since winning a prestigious prize with his pasties this month, the name of the strange American creature keeps cropping up in his family pasty shop. It all began when And
PASTY maker Andrew Blackwell just wants to curl up when he hears the name armadillo.
Since winning a prestigious prize with his pasties this month, the name of the strange American creature keeps cropping up in his family pasty shop.
It all began when Andrew carried off first prize in the 'armadillo' class of the Cornish pasty competition at the Western Baking championships in Cullompton, following on from a bronze award at the Taste of the West event earlier in the summer.
"Since then I have been asked if we actually put armadillo into the pasties," said Andrew. "So I would like to put the record straight: No armadillos are harmed in the making of our pasties!"
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The armadillo tag refers to the shape of the pasty, he explained. It meant the pastry 'crimp' was along the top spine of the pasty rather than around the side as in the traditional Cornish pasty.
"The Cornish are very proud of their pasties and are even prepared to fight in Europe to keep their name local," said Andrew. "We make both top and side crimp varieties and are happy to refer to them as Blackwell's Devon pasties as they are made here in Devon, in our shop in Meddon Street, Bideford."
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In case you were wondering: "They are made of the best local beef and potatoes, plus swedes, onions and seasoning and covered with our own recipe pastry."
Blackwells has been a family run business in Bideford for 25 years, originally a grocery shop, with a butcher's department run by Andrew's father and master-butcher John Blackwell.
Gradually the success of their pasty-making took over and during the past 15 years the shop has concentrated on making and selling pasties and pies, a range of other savouries and cakes, both to visiting customers and wholesale.
The family business now supplies 40 different outlets and, in the summer months, can be turning out up to 1,000 hand-made pasties a day.
Top crimp, side crimp, cocktail versions, short pastry, puff pastry, they come in a variety of styles and tastes - but none contain armadillo!
