Traditional Forfar Bridies 🏴🥟
A hearty Scottish pastry hailing from Forfar, these golden, flaky pockets are stuffed with spiced minced beef and onions—a proper working man’s lunch from the 19th century! Best eaten warm, with a dash of brown sauce.
Ingredients
For the Filling:
🥩 Minced beef: 500g (good quality, 10% fat)
🧅 Onions: 2 medium, finely chopped
🌿 Worcestershire sauce: 1 tbsp
🧂 Salt: 1 tsp
⚫ Black pepper: ½ tsp
🌿 Beef stock: 50ml (or a stock cube dissolved in water)
For the Pastry:
🌾 Plain flour: 500g
🧈 Butter: 125g, cold & diced
🧈 Lard (or more butter): 125g, cold & diced
🧂 Salt: 1 tsp
💧 Ice-cold water: 6–8 tbsp
🥚 Egg: 1, beaten (for glazing)
Method
🍳 Cook the filling:
Dry-fry the minced beef in a pan until browned. Add onions and cook until soft.
Stir in Worcestershire sauce, seasoning, and stock. Simmer for 10 mins until reduced. Cool completely.
🌾 Make the pastry:
Rub butter and lard into flour and salt until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Gradually add water to form a firm dough. Rest in the fridge for 30 mins.
🥟 Assemble:
Roll pastry to 3mm thick. Cut into 20cm circles.
Spoon filling onto one half of each circle, leaving a border. Fold over and crimp edges tightly (like a Cornish pasty, but Scots insist it’s different!).
🔥 Bake:
Brush with beaten egg. Bake at 200°C (fan 180°C) for 25–30 mins until golden.
Serving Info
⏱ Prep: 40 mins | 🔥 Cook: 30 mins | 🍴 Makes: 6 | 🔥 Calories: ~450 per bridie
Tips
💡 Authentic touch: Use suet in the filling for extra richness (but we’ve kept it modern here).
🔥 Reheat: Pop in the oven for 10 mins to revive the crispness.
🏴 Debate alert: Purists insist no potatoes in a true Forfar bridie—just beef, onions, and seasoning!
"Fit for a farmer, a miner, or a hungry baker!" 🏴💪
Fun fact: Named after the town of Forfar in Angus, these were originally baked by local bakers for farmworkers to carry in their pockets. No napkins needed—just eat over your kilt! 😄