Cornish Through and Through

I broke one of life's cardinal sins the other Sunday.

Like eating a kebab when you're sober I actually bought and ate a Ginster Cornish pasty when I wasn't going to/coming from an away game!

I sort of condoned the action in that I was coming back from the Arsenal home game, being starving at all that and steadfastly refusing to give Father Jack and Auntie Doris any money in the ground the Co-Op at Marsh Green awaited.

Now I went in with the full intention of buying something to go with the bags of pasta I have at home but there they were. The black, red and brown packaging emblazoned with "Traditionally Cornish" and that photo of that beautiful beast of a pasty.

What's more they were two for the price of one! Two for £1.39 - a complete and utter bargain! Deal done!

Any match-going football fan will know the pride and place that the humble Ginster holds in their affection. A stop at a motorway service station or British Rail station buffet would not be complete without picking up one of the said pastries. Blimey some people actually pay for them. And those that do pay actually buy them do so as they are the only item that appear to offer value for money (sort of). The choice of an Egg Mayo butty or a Ginster? No contest. They may be £2 but sod it. Team up with a bottle of Lucozade and you have a meal of Michelin star standard - and 20 minutes off the beer.

But are they any good? For anybody that has the good fortune to tackle a proper Cornish Pasty then the answer would probably be okay. The pastry is a little stodgy and of course you are eating them cold which doesn't help but the carrots, spuds and meat is pretty damn fine. Nice and peppery - not as peppery as their peppered steak slices but not bad - and a nicely annoying outer pastry that means you spend the rest of the journey home taking bits out your jumper. All in all they are a 7/10 on the Football Food stakes.

After the Arsenal game I gave my two the half chips/half rice treatment by having the first one cold and then whacking the second in the microwave. I should have elected on the oven but couldn't be arsed with the wait. The hot one was superior and as I checked the league tables on teletext life was sweet.

Ps for pudding I had custard creams dunked in coffee - lovely

This article is from The Mudhutter EZINE 14 see below for details