Man takes on giant £40 pasty as maker says Cornish ‘are wrong’

The Cornish pasty is a humble thing – made for miners, it was designed to be simple, packed with goodness, and small enough to pack into a pocket.

Some people put lamb in them for some reason, other folk crimp them wrong, but despite all the un-Godly concoctions we’ve witnessed over the years, we’ve never seen anything quite like this.

Adam Moran, known on social media as BeardMeatsFood, travelled to Sonson’s Pasty Co. in Mesa, near Phoenix, Arizona, to sink his teeth into a 5lb (2.26kg) pasty. He took to YouTube – where he has almost five million subscribers – to document his adventure.

“Intrepid diners get one hour in which to finish a giant Cornish pasty, containing beef, onions, swede and potatoes,” Adam penned in the caption. “If you can join the four victors, not only is the $50 meal free, but you get a mug and a spot on their board of fame!”

Adam began by speaking to a customer who had previously tried and failed the challenge, before offering a brief tour of the establishment which even boasted a poster on the wall paying homage to the Cornish dialect.

Looking at the poster, Adam said: “I should probably know some of this because my gran’s actually Cornish.”

He then compared the 5lb pasty in his clip to regular ones – showcasing the staggering difference in size – and took his seat at the table as the staff presented him with his meal, which came with a full jug of gravy.

Before digging in, Adam spoke to staff at the restaurant, who advised him to let the pasty cool. He then replied: “That’s the thing about pasties, if you don’t let them cool it can be like eating napalm.”

The staff then exlained what goes in their Cornish pasty – potato, onion, rutabaga, and loads of meat with salt and pepper.

Adam then asks: “Rutabaga, what do we call them in England?”

And the staff replied: “Swede! And some of the Cornish call them turnips but they’re wrong.”

As the countdown began, Adam cut the pasty down the middle and began by eating its edges. Grabbing it with his hands, he took a bite and declared: “It’s delicious. It’s really good.” He then opted for a different tactic, opening the pasty up and devouring it’s insides with a fork as he scoffed away.

Making good progress after just six minutes, Adam was soon warned by a member of staff to slow down to avoid indigestion, prompting him to pour on his thick gravy to moisten his dish. Making good progress after 11 minutes, he cursed: “Oh man, it’s never-ending.”

By 17 minutes, Adam had completed the pasty’s inside and was left with a vast amount of crust. He proceeded to dip it in the gravy jug to get him through.

Taking the last bite at an impressive 19 minutes and 12 seconds, his completion was met with great applause from staff and fellow customers. Adam was then presented with his victory mug, and even had the appetite to order a cherry pie for dessert.

His efforts were met with praise from hundreds of subscribers, one of whom responded: “A Brit here living in Northern California, and it is so good to see that the wonderful Cornish pasty has finally hit the western states. I love how everyone was enthusiastically getting in on the challenge. The manager was an absolute hoot and a half. And Canadians dropped by. Great job, Mr Beard, and a wonderful way to start off the new week.”

A second wrote: “Not only do you get to enjoy your life doing what you love, you tend to spread a bit of joy to millions of others like me. Happy Sunday Beard.” A third praised him: “The amount of interaction you get from the owners and patrons, I think you make the world a better place adding happiness and a laugh or two, I think you are a good bloke mate.”

Meanwhile a fourth added: “Welcome to Phoenix, Arizona beard! Glad you had a good time eating a giant pasty. I’ve never seen or heard of this shop before, but the staff seem pretty great. Thanks for sharing the video, and job well done on completing the challenge!”