Forfar Bridies (Recipe) (2024)

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A Forfar bridie is a popular Scottish creation that isn’t quite as famous as Cornish pasties, but if you ask me, they win the prize for the tastier of the two!

Forfar Bridies (Recipe) (1)

Have you ever heard of a bridie? Unless you’re from Scotland, or possibly the UK, I’d place a bet that you haven’t, and that’s such a shame! Let’s change that, shall we?

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What is a Bridie? (or a Forfar Bridie?)

A Scottish Forfar bridie is a meat and onion filled pastry that is popular in Scotland. The traditional and authentic Forfar version uses shortcrust pastry, however, bridies are often made with flaky pastry in Scotland. In the US and Canada, it would be referred to as a handheld meat pie.

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Forfar bridies are perfect packable food to go, too.

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Forfar Bridie Recipe

Adapted from Rampant Scotland and Traditional Scottish Cookery Cookbook Serves 6

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

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Ingredients

Note: shortcrust pastry is the authentic option.

Oven temperature to start: 450˚F (230˚C)

Step by Step Directions for Bridie Recipe

Put all of the ingredients, except for the pastry, into a large bowl and mix well, preferably with your hands.

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Divide the pastry and meat mixture into six equal portions. Roll or cut (if using puff pastry) each piece of pastry into an oval or circle about six inches in diameter, and about quarter of an inch thick.

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Place some of the bridie mixture in the middle of the pastry.

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Wet the edge of the pastry with water, then fold over to seal.

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Seal the edge of the pastry with a fork.

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Place the finished bridies onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone sheet or piece of parchment paper. Cut a small slit or two in the top then brush with an egg white wash (slightly beat an egg white with half a teaspoon of water.)

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Bake in a pre-heated oven at 450˚F (230˚C) for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350˚F (180˚C) and cook for another 35 to 40 minutes until they are golden brown. If they start to get too brown, cover with aluminum foil. Remove from the oven and if not eating them right away, place on a metal cooling rack.

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Serve hot, with a generous amount of HP Sauce! and chips (as in chunky fries) and Heinz beans. Thanks to Rona B. from Forfar who told me that they’re traditionally served with chips (and not mashed potatoes) and beans. She also went out of her way to ask NINE other friends how they eat theirs and they all concurred. So there you have it: straight from Forfar! Thanks again, Rona! 😊

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How about some Dundee cake with a cup of tea, now?

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Forfar Bridie Recipe

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Traditional Scottish handheld meat pies from Forfar, Scotland.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb mince or chopped lean, organic beef, cut into 1/2" pieces (1 cm)
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 oz butter (about 2 Tbsp) cut into small pieces, or shredded suet
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp Kosher or sea salt
  • 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp beef stock (I use water and Oxo beef cube)
  • 1 lb flaky pastry or puff pastry (I used Trader Joe's puff pastry for the bridies in the photos) Note: shortcrust pastry is the authentic option. (link to shortcrust pastry in the instructions)

Instructions

Oven Temperature: 450˚F (230˚C)

SHORTCRUST PASTRY RECIPE

  1. Put all of the ingredients, except for the pastry, into a large bowl and mix well, preferably with your hands.
  2. Divide the pastry and meat mixture into six equal portions. Roll or cut (if using puff pastry) each piece of pastry into an oval or circle about six inches in diameter, and about quarter of an inch thick.
  3. Place some of the bridie mixture in the middle of the pastry.
  4. Wet the edge of the pastry with water, then fold over to seal.
  5. Seal the edge of the pastry with a fork.
  6. Place the finished bridies onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone sheet or piece of parchment paper. Cut a small slit or two in the top then brush with an egg white wash (slightly beat an egg white with half a teaspoon of water.)
  7. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 450˚F (230˚C) for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350˚F (180˚C) and cook for another 35 to 40 minutes until they are golden brown. If they start to get too brown, cover with aluminum foil. Remove from the oven and if not eating them right away, place on a metal cooling rack.
  8. Serve hot, with a generous amount of HP Sauce! You can make it a full meal by adding hot, fluffy mashed potatoes and a green vegetable, like peas, (or Heinz beans.)

Notes

Note: shortcrust pastry is the authentic option. Also, omit the mustard powder and beef stock for a more authentic recipe.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 710Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 139mgSodium: 1030mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 3gSugar: 16gProtein: 32g

Nutrition information is only an estimate.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a review by clicking on the 5 stars above, in the purple header (a form will appear) or tag me on Instagram! 😍

More savory Scottish recipes ~

Haggis, Neeps and Tattie Pie

Steak Pie

Scottish Red Lentil Soup

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Forfar Bridies (Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Forfar Bridie and Cornish pasty? ›

Most Cornish Pasties contain beef skirt steak or another cut of ground beef, potatoes, onions, and swedes (rutabagas in the US). Forfar Bridies, on the other hand, may contain onion or may sometimes be plain, without onion.

What meat is in a Forfar Bridie? ›

A Forfar Bridie is a horseshoe-shaped meat product. It has a shortcrust cover and the filling consists of beef, onions and seasoning. The Famous Forfar Bridie. They originated in the early part of the 19th century.

What is a bridie in Scotland? ›

The bridie is made of minced beef, sometimes with onions and spices, placed on rolled-out pastry and folded into a semi-circular shape, and then baked in an oven. Forfar bakers traditionally use shortcrust pastry but similar products on flaky pastry or puff pastry are occasionally found.

What is the Scottish version of a Cornish pasty? ›

Bridie
A bridie
Alternative namesForfar bridie
TypeSavoury pasty
Place of originScotland
Main ingredientsPie crust, minced steak, butter, beef suet

Why can't you say Cornish pasty? ›

Since 2011, the Cornish Pasty has enjoyed protected status under Protected Food Names legislation; so only a pasty made to a specific recipe in Cornwall can be called a “Cornish Pasty”.

Where did Forfar bridie come from? ›

Local stories claim the 'Forfar Bridie' originated from one Margaret Bridie of Glamis who sold these meat pasties at the Buttermarket at Forfar in the eighteenth century. Recent genealogical research shows that there was a Margaret Bridie who lived in the first part of the eighteenth century in Glamis.

What's inside a bridie? ›

A Forfar Bridie is a simple hand-held Scottish meat pie made in a horseshoe shape. It usually contains minced beef, and sometimes onion, and a few various seasonings.

What is a Scottish brady? ›

A Scottish Forfar bridie is a meat and onion filled pastry that is popular in Scotland. The traditional and authentic Forfar version uses shortcrust pastry, however, bridies are often made with flaky pastry in Scotland. In the US and Canada, it would be referred to as a handheld meat pie.

Can Scotch pies be eaten cold? ›

SUITABLE FOR EATEN HOT OR COLD.

Why is it called a Scotch pie? ›

A real Scottish favourite, the Scotch pie has been made in Scotland for at least the last four or five hundred years. The first filling was spiced mutton and sometimes you'll still find Scotch Pies called a Mutton pie, although now minced lamb or beef is more commonly used.

What is the difference between a Scotch pie and a mince pie? ›

A mince pie is a sweet pie made with dried fruits and spices and, usually, encased in either a rich shortcrust or flaky pastry case. A Scotch Pie is a savoury pie made with, usually, minced mutton and spices and put in a hot water crust pastry shell.

What does tiddy oggy mean? ›

Tiddly in naval slang means 'proper', a common adjective and adverb used by Cornish people, and oggie was the term for a pastie in cornwall, so “tiddly oggie” meant proper pasty. Cornish rugby supporters later adopted the chant “Oggie, oggie, oggie, oi, oi, oi!” when cheering on their team.

What is a Cornish pasty called in America? ›

American pasties are the American equivalent to Cornish pasties. The border between Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is delineated by a line of pasty shops.

What is the Welsh pasty called? ›

Oggies. The Welsh answer to the Cornish pasty, oggies are a savoury pastry, usually filled with the quintessential Welsh ingredients of lamb and leek.

What is another name for Cornish pasty? ›

In Cornwall, a pasty is often called an “Oggie”, and while it is unclear as to where the word originated, some people have suggested that it is derived from hoggan, a kind of bag in which the miners carried their croust (croust is the Cornish term for lunch).

What are the 5 types of pasty? ›

There are five main types of pastry dough for creating pastries: flaky, shortcrust, puff, choux and filo. All of them are made primarily from flour, water and fat. However, these five types of pastry dough each have slightly different core ingredients, different ratios of ingredients and, ultimately, different uses.

What is the difference between Devonshire and Cornish pasties? ›

There will always be great debate about the origin of the pasty, but one easy way to detect the Devon pasty from the Cornish is that the Devon pasty has a top-crimp and is oval in shape, whereas the Cornish pasty is semi-circular and side-crimped along the curve.

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