Scottish Forfar Bridies (Savory Hand Pies)
🛒 Ingredients
For the Pastry (Traditional Shortcrust)
3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
200 g cold butter (cubed)
6–8 tablespoons cold water
(Shortcut: use ready-made shortcrust pastry.)
For the Filling
500 g minced beef (ground beef)
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon beef stock (optional, for moisture)
👩🍳 Instructions
1️⃣ Make the Pastry
Mix flour and salt in a bowl.
Rub in cold butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add cold water gradually until dough comes together.
Form into a disc, wrap, and chill 30 minutes.
2️⃣ Prepare the Filling
Traditionally, the beef is used raw.
In a bowl, mix minced beef, finely chopped onion, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
Keep mixture cold.
(Some modern versions lightly sauté the onion first for milder flavor.)
3️⃣ Shape the Bridies
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
Roll pastry to about 3 mm thickness.
Cut into circles (about 15–18 cm wide).
Place beef mixture on one half of each circle.
Lightly dampen edges with water.
Fold over into a half-moon shape.
Crimp edges firmly with fingers or fork.
👉 Traditionally:
Crimped edge = onion included
No crimp = no onion
(A clever bakery code!)
4️⃣ Bake
Place on lined baking tray.
Make a small steam hole on top.
Bake 20–25 minutes until golden brown.
🥄 Serve With
Mashed potatoes
Baked beans
Pickles
Brown sauce
❄ Storage
Refrigerate 3 days
Freeze baked or unbaked up to 2 months
💡 Authentic Tips
✔ Keep filling raw for traditional texture
✔ Chop onion very fine
✔ Don’t overfill or juices may leak
Scottish Forfar Bridies
