A Tale of Two Pasties: Two Families Sharing Cornwall’s Nourishing Tradition

What unites Sarah in Looe and Ann at Lizard is not just pastry and filling, but passion. Both women turned family recipes into thriving businesses. Both passed their knowledge to the next generation. And both prove that the pasty is more than food—it’s heritage, community, and a way of telling Cornwall’s story.

Cornwall has always been more than a place on the map. It’s a land of sea winds and granite cliffs, where stories linger in fishing harbours, and the scent of freshly baked pasties drifts down cobbled streets. And if there is one dish that defines this county, it’s the Cornish pasty—golden, crimped by hand, and filled with nourishment and history.

But behind every pasty are people—families who have carried on traditions for generations. In two different corners of Cornwall, two women and their families have devoted their lives to pasty-making: Sarah and her daughter Lucy in the harbour town of Looe, and Ann and her son Fergus at the very tip of The Lizard. Their stories show how Cornwall’s most iconic food is not just baked, but lovingly lived.

Before we go any further, a little note: we’re not claiming that Ann and Sarah are the only flag-bearers of Cornwall’s incredible pasty heritage. They are both truly special, but they’re also part of a wider tradition—one that includes many other talented bakers across the county who are keeping the Cornish pasty alive and thriving. We hope to shine a light on more of them in future features. For now, Ann and Sarah not only deserve the spotlight, they also fit perfectly with the story we’re telling here. As the old saying goes, don’t let precision get in the way of a good story. So, we encourage you to enjoy what Ann and Sarah have to offer, while also using this as inspiration to seek out other Cornish pasty makers—and all the other delights that Cornwall has waiting for you.

Sarah’s Pasty Shop – Looe’s Beating Heart

Walk down Buller Street in East Looe and you’ll find a small fishing cottage with a big reputation. For more than 30 years, Sarah’s Pasty Shop has been serving locals, holidaymakers, and the odd celebrity with pasties fresh from the oven.

It all began when Sarah, armed with little more than her rolling pin, a traditional recipe, and plenty of Cornish spirit, transformed a humble net store into a bakery. What started as one woman’s dream soon became a family tradition. Today, her eldest daughter Lucy leads the crimping, keeping her mother’s legacy alive with pride.

Inside the shop, you can watch the bakers hand-crimping pastry the Cornish way—every twist on the edge a mark of care. The fillings are just as authentic: skirt beef, potato, onion, and swede, layered and seasoned to perfection. But Sarah’s Pasty Shop is about more than tradition. Over the years, they’ve created their own unique takes too—breakfast pasties packed with bacon and beans, or specials like Thai butternut squash.

The shop has even made its way onto TV screens, featuring on The One Show, Countryfile, and Great British Menu. But Lucy insists the real stars are the pasties themselves: “It’s about doing things properly. Every crimp is a little bit of Cornwall.”

For those who can’t make it to Looe, Sarah’s offers Postal Pasties. Handmade and part-baked, they arrive at your door ready to finish in the oven—bringing the warmth of Cornwall to homes across the UK.

Looe – A Town with a Story

Part of the magic of Sarah’s Pasty Shop is its location. Looe itself is steeped in history, a town divided by its river, yet bound by community and sea. Once a centre of fishing and smuggling, today it thrives as a working harbour and a haven for visitors. Wander its narrow streets, cross its medieval bridge, and you’ll soon find yourself by the harbour, where gulls wheel overhead and boats unload the day’s catch.

No visit to Looe feels complete without a pasty in hand, eaten on the pier with the Atlantic breeze on your face. It’s a taste of Cornwall at its most authentic.

Ann’s Pasties – The Lizard’s Cornish Soul

Further west, where Cornwall tapers into rugged headlands and the sea stretches endlessly, lies The Lizard— (The Lizard Point is the most southerly point of mainland Britain, this is where the Atlantic Ocean meets the English Channel). Here, Ann Merrick built a pasty business that has become as much a part of the landscape as the cliffs themselves.

Ann’s story begins, as so many Cornish stories do, with family. Her mother, Hettie, was a professional pasty-maker, and Ann first learned her craft in the heat of an agricultural fair in Brittany, when demand outstripped supply and she was called to help. By the end of the day, she was crimping as fast as her mother. That moment lit a spark.

Back home in Cornwall, she began making pasties for neighbours who would bring her gifts of fish or vegetables in return. Her living room soon became a waiting room, full of laughter and gossip as people sat with tea, waiting for pasties to come out of the oven.

From there, Ann and her mother set up a market stall in Helston, then a shop in Porthleven. Eventually, when family life demanded more balance, her husband converted their garage into a pasty kitchen. Today, the business flourishes at The Lizard, with her son Fergus carrying the torch—and the family recipe. “Even mother approves,” Ann laughs, “and that’s saying something.”

Deeply Connected to the Land... and Sea

What sets Ann’s pasties apart is their connection to place. All her suppliers are within ten miles, farmers and producers who understand Cornwall’s soil, its history, and its heritage. The ingredients are as Cornish as the crimp itself, and each pasty reflects the land that made it.

Ann is fiercely proud of her roots. Growing up at Fishing Cove, Gunwalloe, she remembers roaming the cliffs and beaches, smelling out “pasty day” in different relatives’ kitchens. She could even tell the difference between her mother’s, her grandmother’s, and each aunt’s pasties—despite them using the same ingredients. That subtlety, she believes, is the essence of Cornish food: simple ingredients, transformed by the hand that makes them.

From her bakery on The Lizard, Ann looks out at the sea—sometimes calm, sometimes wild—and feels the same pull that generations of Cornish families have felt. The pasty, she says, is part of that way of life: nourishing, practical, and full of love.

The Cornish Pasty – History in Pastry

To outsiders, the Cornish pasty is a treat. To Cornwall, it is identity itself. Once the staple of miners, it was designed as a whole meal in pastry—the savoury filling at one end, sweet at the other, with a crimped edge to hold with dirty hands. Miners would even leave a piece in the mine as an offering to the spirits.

Myths abound: that the Devil never crossed into Cornwall for fear of ending up in a pasty, or that fishermen refused to take them to sea, lest they bring bad luck. What’s certain is that the pasty has nourished Cornwall for centuries, from hearthsides to harboursides, and now continues as a symbol of local pride and resilience.

Two Women, One Tradition

What unites Sarah in Looe and Ann at Lizard is not just pastry and filling, but passion. Both women turned family recipes into thriving businesses. Both passed their knowledge to the next generation. And both prove that the pasty is more than food—it’s heritage, community, and a way of telling Cornwall’s story.

Visit Sarah’s Pasty Shop and you’ll find the bustle of a harbour town, the warmth of a family bakery, and a pasty that’s as authentic as Looe itself. Head to Ann’s and you’ll find rugged landscapes, deep roots in the land, and a pasty that carries the soul of Cornwall in every bite.

Together, they show us why Cornwall’s most famous export is not just delicious, but deeply meaningful. Each crimp is a connection to the past; each bite, a reminder that some traditions are worth holding onto.

So next time you find yourself in Cornwall, take a trip to Looe, or journey down to Lizard. Meet the women, hear their stories, and taste a pasty made with love. Because in Cornwall, pasties aren’t just food—they’re family.

Order online from Ann's Pasties: annspasties.co.uk

Order online from Sarah's Pasty Shop: sarahspastyshop.com

We intentionally don’t include photo captions—our aim is to encourage you to visit the featured brand’s website and explore their work in full context.

---

Amazing Britain is the ultimate online magazine celebrating the very best Britain offers to discerning visitors. Showcasing food, fashion, art, interiors, hotels, drinks, and more, we fly the flag globally for British creativity, craftsmanship, and culture — uncovering hidden gems and iconic experiences that make the UK truly one of a kind. For more stories celebrating Britain’s most inspiring creatives, keep exploring at AmazingBritain.com