Want an easy dinner recipe that tastes delicious? Look no further than these simple Scottish meat pies called Forfar bridies. The filling is quick to make, and the pies taste delicious when served with chips, beans, and HP sauce!
Looking for more tasty Scottish recipes? Don't miss these recipes for Scottish steak pie and mince and tatties.
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About
Forfar Bridies are traditional Scottish meat pies that look similar to the English pasty and taste similar to a sausage roll. They were invented by a travelling food seller named Maggie Bridie, who sold her bridies in the latter half of the nineteenth century at the Buttermarket in the Scottish town of Forfar.
Traditionally, bridies with no onion (plain) have one vent hole, while two vent holes indicates the bridie contains onion. Also, the most traditional choice is to use shortcrust pastry for the bridies, but nowadays puff pastry is a common option. These pies are being considered for European Union Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status.
Ingredients
Wondering what ingredients you need to make a batch of Forfar Bridies? Fortunately, there's nothing fancy in this simple Scottish recipe.
- Meat: Use the leanest minced beef (ground beef) that you can find to prevent a lot of grease from leaking out of the pies. We used 96% lean, which worked very well for this photo shoot.
- Fat: Traditionally, a small amount of suet was added to the filling to add extra flavor, but since that's hard to find for most people, use a couple tablespoons of butter instead.
- Onion: Diced yellow onion is great in this recipe.
- Spices: All you need is salt and pepper. Pretty simple.
- Pastry: Traditionally, a sturdy shortcrust pastry was used, but we opted for the more popular modern variation of using puff pastry, which is also delicious.
How to Make
Gather all the ingredients for the Forfar bridies.
- Mix with your hand the ground beef with the onion, butter, and spices until well combined.
- Unfold the pastry sheets and cut them in half.
3. Trim off the corners to create an oval shape.
4. Divide the filling among the puff pastry. You will have extra filling that can be cooked in a skillet and served separately with brown sauce (HP sauce).
5. Brush half of the rim with beaten egg.
6. Fold the pastry over and crimp the edge with a fork. Brush with egg, then cut a few vent holes in each one.
7. Bake the bridies at 400°F for 25-30 minutes.
8. Enjoy the bridies with the baked beans and chips (French fries).
Recipe FAQs
A Scottish pasty is called a bridie, which is an individual savory pie baked in a pasty shape. The filling is made from minced beef, onion, suet or butter, and salt and pepper.
The exact reason why these savory pies have their distinctive name isn't known. The pies could have been named after Maggie Bridie, a travelling baker from Glamis who sold the pies at the Buttermarket in the Scottish town of Forfar.
A pasty contains skirt steak, swede (rutabaga in the US), potato, onion, salt, and pepper, and is made with a sturdy shortcrust pastry. A bridie contains only minced beef, onion, suet or butter, and salt and pepper. Like pasties, bridies are traditionally made with shortcrust pastry, but can also be made with puff pastry.
A bridie is a meat pie filled with ground beef and onion and cooked in a pasty shape. In the US, pasties are called hand pies.
Serve
It's traditional in Forfar to serve bridies with Heinz beans, HP sauce, and chips (French fries in the US). If you're looking for other ideas, you can try mashed potatoes, boiled peas, or mushy peas.
Expert Tips
- Use lean ground beef (around 96% lean) for less grease.
- For a more authentic result, use shortcrust pastry instead of puff pastry.
- Seal the pies well, or you'll have leakage as they bake.
- Place on parchment paper for easy clean up.
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Recipe
Forfar Bridies
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, extra lean (96%)
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, finely diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ pounds puff pastry or shortcrust pastry
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line an 11x17-inch tray with parchment paper.
- Mix together the ground beef, onion, butter, salt, and pepper until combined.
- Cut each sheet of puff pastry in half so you have four rectangles of pastry. Trim off the corners to make each rectangle into an oval.
- Divide the filling among the four ovals, then brush the rim with beaten egg and fold over the pastry. Seal with a fork, then brush the bridies with beaten egg and cut a couple vent holes in the top.
- Bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes, or until they have an internal temperature of at least 160°F and they're golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before eating.
- Serve with generous amounts of HP sauce, chips (coarse-cut French fries), and Heinz beans for an authentic meal.
Notes
- Use lean ground beef (around 96% lean) for less grease.
- For a more authentic result, use shortcrust pastry instead of puff pastry.
- Seal the pies well, or you'll have leakage as they bake.
- Place on parchment paper for easy clean up.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
This Forfar bridie recipe was originally published on January 27, 2023.
Beth
These are delightful pies with flaky pastry and a homey beef filling. Excellent with chips and HP.
Emma
Thank you, Beth! I'm glad you enjoyed the bridies!
Alex
The meat mixture has a lovely flavor, and the onions add a bit of crunch. The pastry is flaky and delicious. I would definitely have these again!
Emma
I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed these so much, Alex!