Plymouth, England - Britain's Ocean City

We were in Plymouth just long enough to have a quick wander and some lunch, (refer my last post), so I was keen to make the most of our short visit.  Fortunately we were dropped off at the boat harbour beside the Barbican, the most historic part of Plymouth. 

 

The Barbican is a quaint, ancient set of streets containing 200 listed buildings, many dating from Tudor and Jacobean times, my kind of place.  The cobble stone streets now offer cafes, galleries and shops and also the Plymouth Gin Company, the oldest gin distillery in England.  Plymouth Gin is housed in a building which dates back to the 1400s and it is said that the Mayflower Fathers spent their last night there before setting sail on The Mayflower to the new world. It became a gin distillery in 1793, well after the Puritan abstainers stayed there. I would have loved to tour the building but time didn't allow, instead I poked my nose in the door to soak up the atmosphere, if not a little whiff of gin! 

   The main street was fairly busy so I decided to head up into the back streets which were deserted.  It was like stepping back in time and I kept thinking "Boy, if these buildings could talk what tales they'd have".  By the mid 19th century the Barbican was long past its heyday and was a rat infested, overcrowded, squalid and disease ridden slum.  Plymouth City Council wanted to clear it and build new housing on the site but fortunately a group of enthusiastic conservationists stepped in and worked hard to ensure its preservation.  They formed what is now the Barbican Trust and set about restoring and cleaning the historic buildings.  Their hard work has provided Plymouth with a jewel in its crown, now a charming  precinct of antique shops, art galleries and tea shops.              

                                          

I enjoyed my stroll around the Barbican but with time running out before continuing our bus tour I headed back down to the boat harbour to view the Mayflower steps.  Actually, the steps are no longer there, however, a granite block marks the approximate spot it is believed they were.

Of particular interest to me, as a New Zealander, were the plaques commemorating the ships that sailed from Plymouth to New Zealand carrying very early colonists including several that went to settle a city in New Zealand they named New Plymouth.

So there you have it.  A fleeting look at Plymouth which has so much more to offer than I had time to see, a town full of naval history with museums, a citadel and as the place Sir Walter Raleigh rallied the navy, led by Sir Francis Drake which set off to successfully defend England from the Spanish Armada. Nevertheless I liked what I saw. It is known as Britain's Ocean city due to its coastal location, large harbour and fresh, salty air. It was a great place for me to ponder history, have a wander and lunch and give thanks to those conservationists who despite opposition stuck to their guns.

The Iconic Cornish Pasty - The ideal lunch for hard working miners

 You can't go to Cornwall without having a Cornish Pasty, can you?   It was somewhat ironic, though, that I had my first Cornish Pasty in Devon, on the Barbican in Plymouth to be exact. To be fair it was completely authentic because in 2011 Cornish Pasties were awarded a PDO, that is a Protected Designation of Origin.  This means that in order to be sold as Cornish Pasties they must have been made in Cornwall and the Barbican Pasty Shop is famous for selling spectacularly good pasties from Bodmin, Cornwall.

Pasties have a long history, King Henry V111 is said to have referred to them and Shakespeare also mentioned them in "All's Well That Ends Well" Act V1: Scene 111.  They evolved in the 1800s as a practical and hearty lunch for the hard working Cornish tin and copper miners and farm workers and today remain as a popular handy, portable meal. The deeply crimped edges were developed as a handle for the miners to hold as their  hands were dirty and often contaminated with arsenic.  After eating the pasty they would throw away the edge.  The crescent shape made them easy to carry in a pocket. Sometimes the pasties were baked as a whole meal with the meat filling at one end and a sweet fruit filling at the other.  

To be authentic the pasty must stick to the following rules:

* Must be made in Cornwall

* Contain only beef, onion, potato, swede (rutabaga) and salt and pepper - no other ingredients or seasoning

* The ingredients must be raw and uncooked, when filled into the pastry and then baked slowly

* The edges of the pastry must be crimped in the traditional Cornish style

Since we were in Plymouth for a lunch break it was my golden opportunity to enjoy this traditional lunch at the acclaimed Barbican shop.  Among their dazzling array of pasties there were all sorts of flavours and fillings but I was there to have a traditional Cornish Pasty because I think it's fun to try traditional foods from whatever country I happen to be in.  I bought a medium sized one and very tasty it was too, just too big and filling for me.  But, yes, perfect for someone who wants a good, handy and satisfying lunch. I can just imagine how much  those hard working Cornish miners and farm workers would have looked forward to this substantial and comforting lunch. 

My pasty.  It doesn't look big but, my, was it filling!

Every country has their version of this portable, quick, tasty meal.  New Zealanders  are big fans of Meat Pies with a wide variety of meat fillings, in South America it is the Empanada, in Greece the Kreatopita, in Russia the Pierogi and, of course the Indian Samosa, but there are many others all tasty and portable and ideal for a lunch box or picnic. If you would like to try baking a Cornish pasty there are plenty of recipes on line, you will find one here: 

www.thespruceeats.com   and type Cornish Pasty into the search box