Cornish pasty producers will tell MPs of the importance of the product to the local economy as part of the first-ever Cornish Pasty Week.

The week kicks off on Sunday (25 February), when a giant ‘Mr and Mrs Pasty’ will take the sleeper train service to London, and also tour the city by open top bus.

Trade group the Cornish Pasty Association, which has launched the initiative, will partner with George Eustice, MP for Camborne and Redruth and minister of state for agriculture fisheries and food, to host a reception at the Houses of Parliament on the afternoon of Monday 26 February.

“The Cornish pasty is a local, national and international food hero,” said Cornish Pasty Association chairman Jason Jobling, who is also head baker at Warrens bakery.

“The first-ever Cornish Pasty Week will celebrate its fabulous history and heritage and the vital part it plays in our economy. We’ll be baking up a storm all week, taking the pasties from Cornwall to the Commons.”

Other activity organised as part of Cornish Pasty week includes:

  • The West Cornwall Pasty Company selling pasties at £1.99 each throughout their shops on Monday 26 February
  • Brian Etherington’s in Redruth producing a giant pasty
  • Proper Cornish giving away Cornish Pasties on select GWR trains from Bodmin Parkway on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
  • Warren’s Bakery promoting a school’s competition to design a new pasty flavour
  • Let them Eat delivering fresh pasties to the homeless, across the Tamar valley throughout the week, making donations to local food banks
  • Prima Bakeries running a Facebook competition to win a box of pasties delivered to your door.

The week culminates on 3 March with the seventh annual Cornish pasty championships, to be held at the Eden Project.

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