God save the pasty at GB Fish And Chips
British food often gets a bad rap, not that it’s entirely unwarranted. The brutal truth is that even quirky names can’t obscure dishes this bland: bubble and squeak is mashed potatoes fried with cabbage plus any other vegetables lying around; Yorkshire pudding is a fatty, browned biscuit ladled with meat gravy; spotted dick is a dessert made primarily with boiled beef fat and bits of fruit. It’s no wonder that the British youth of the ’50s and ’60s rose up in rock ’n’ roll rebellion.
Traditional Brit fare, though, can be tremendously comforting. On a nasty, rainy day—and they have a lot of them over there—a hot, unchallenging, fortifying meal is the way to keep the upper lip stiff. Enter the Cornish pasty—pronounced “past-ee,” and not like the twirly bits strippers wear—a hearty, bulbous meat pie. The pasty’s origins are murky, but the tale told most often is that the modern version began as a portable lunch for tin miners in the Cornwall region of Great Britain. Unlike a traditional pie, the pasty can go handheld, its folded-over crust stuffed with beef and potatoes.
At GB Fish And Chips, pasties are one of a few English classics served in addition to tasty fried fish. The bulging GB pasty looks intimidating when it arrives in its little red basket, like a chubby, sleeping animal, sided by an overflowing cup of mashed potatoes.
The truly bold, or the very hungry, will grab the pasty with their hands and make like a tin miner. More delicate eaters can slice it open, letting the steamy contents spill out; ground beef, sliced potatoes, and carrots, all gently spiced. For an authentic taste of the British Isles, dab on some HP Sauce from the little brown container that comes in the basket; it tastes like vinegary barbecue sauce mixed with ketchup.
It’s hard to hold on to grumpiness while chewing contentedly on hot beef and potatoes wrapped in a flaky, buttery pastry. The simple chip-shop atmosphere at GB, complete with inviting picnic benches and rugby on the telly, makes this lunch even more cheery.
