A few things come to mind when you think of Cornwall - beautiful beaches, stunning seascapes, dramatic coastlines, and… pasties! No visit to Cornwall is complete without a pasty, a staple of Cornish food and culture. While most Cornish residents have sampled a pasty or two, many won’t have cooked one from scratch. Made to a traditional recipe, the humble pasty can be a wholesome and nutritious meal.

Despite its status as a holiday hotspot, Cornwall is faced with significant levels of deprivation, especially among some families with young children. With this in mind, Cornishmen Fergus Miller, Lewis Groom and Adam Anderson established The Pasty Box, a Community Interest Company designed to inspire change among disadvantaged children and families in Cornwall through the power of the pasty! 

United by the humble pasty, and combining their expertise, the team of three set out to tackle food poverty across the county by teaching essential cookery skills, promoting nutritional awareness, fostering independence, and boosting confidence, all while celebrating Cornwall’s culinary history. The hope is to create a lasting impact as children develop transferable skills, prompting a ripple effect within the community. While the team at The Pasty Box work with a limited number of students in schools, all pupils and their families are given the chance to purchase a heavily discounted box of ingredients with everything needed, along with instructions, for making four pasties at home. 

At Aspects Holidays, we were delighted to have the opportunity to be involved with this fantastic project. Jenna Ali, our PR and Marketing Executive, heard about The Pasty Box when they visited her daughter’s school, Bodriggy Academy. Reading all about them in the school newsletter, she felt inspired to pitch this innovative Community Interest Company to our charity board.

Chair of the charity board for Aspects Holidays, Gemma Taylor, said “We were delighted to support the project, which shines a light on the humble pasty while addressing issues of ‘hidden’ food poverty in Cornwall. Our donation of £600 will cover the cost of delivering a year’s worth of sessions to a school, which includes ingredient boxes (hence 'The Pasty Box') for children to cook at home with their families”. 

Founder and Director of The Pasty Box, Adam Anderson, passed on his gratitude: “Thank you so much, this is incredibly generous and will make a big difference to a lot of children.” 

Jenna Ali was able to acquire some wonderful feedback from Bodriggy Academy following their workshop with The Pasty Box:

Here’s what some of the children had to say:

'I learnt how to use a knife safely and managed to chop my onion without crying!" 

'Pasties are quite simple when you know how.' 

'Mine was almost as tasty as my Nana's!' 

'It was nice baking with Dad; I never knew he could crimp.' 

One member of staff also passed on their feedback:

'These skills are so important and can be tricky for us to deliver in school. It's a wonderful opportunity for our children to learn lessons for life from experts in their field.'

The team at The Pasty Box are working hard to drive change in the Cornish community, and we can’t wait to see what they achieve in the future. 

Find out more or donate at The Pasty Box>

Tags: Charity