Cornish Bakehouse

God bless the Cornish Bakehouse.

Sat on the corner of Church Street and the Hayes, between O'Neill's and 10 Feet Tall, the small counter-shop is a beacon to all hungry men everywhere. The pasties come in three sizes, the smallest of which is "Large", so that should give you an idea of the kind of thing we're dealing with here.

Serving a selection of pasties filled with everything from chicken and mushroom, to traditional cornish filling and my personal favourite of Steak and Stilton (so good it deserves to be capitalised), alongside pizza slices, pies and wraps, it sends out an amazing smell that captures anyone in five miles with an operating olfactory sense.

Granted, the fare is slightly more expensive than Greggs and that ilk and it is still a chain store, so you may feel you aren't quite getting the personal touch you like on your pasties (for my money, I don't want a personal touch anywhere near my pasty. If I can believe it was made entirely by machine and that none of the filling has ever been touched by a large Cornish man named David, I'm happy), but the food is still great and you get what you pay for.

Word of warning, though. If you're dating a Cornish girl, never mention that you like this place. They will instantly bludgeon you to death with a pasty they consider properly crimped.

It was about two summers ago I was walking past the Cornish Bakehouse and I saw another girl walking in the opposite direction. I say walking, she was wobbling a little, not only because it was hot but also because this lady, she we say, has probably struggled with her weight. If I had to guess I'd say she was probably the chunky side of 20 stone.

Anyway she was sweating profusely, pain of effort etched on her face as she ambled towards the Cornish Bakehouse whilst clutching a two handfuls of shopping bags. She stopped about 10 yards before pasty heaven and with straining face laid all her bags onto the floor. She then started to holler, "Karen! Donna!" - at this point two slimmer girls about 20 yards ahead of her (beyond the shop) stopped and turned round. She continued her plea, "PASTIES!!!!" She shouted pointed out the Cornish Bakehouse to her 2 mates.

Her 2 friends looked at each other looked back at the larger friend and the one shouted, "Come Trace, we've just had lunch!"

Tracey, then with a pained look of resignation picked up her bags and struggled past the pasty shop and its wonderful aroma.

I know how Tracey feels - I find it hard to walk past this shop and even though the pasties are fresh and tasty - they can never deliver beyond what their smell promises but hey it doesn't stop me finding out.

This is a really great bakery in the centre of Cardiff. Although it's more expensive than the Greggs just around the corner, Cornish Bakehouse is usually the one with the longer queues come lunchtime.

They have particularly good, meaty sausage rolls on offer, and a good range of pasties and other baked goods. Vegetarian options are all great too, offering a surprisingly large range. The food is usually hot, straight out from the oven. During quieter times, this is a nice place to have a seat and, my favourite, watch people run through the rain outside while you fill your tummy with delicious warmth.

Exceptionally popular come lunchtime, I advice the hungry to stop by this place any time. Delicious.

I really was hoping these pasties would be good and I was so disappointed.

The thing is I have a slight hatred of Greggs, but a big love of pasties so I am on the hunt for a perfect cornish in Cardiff. Thankfully it was slightly better than Greggs but it was also more expensive. Maybe if I had been earlier in the day they would have been fresher and nicer but when I went in the afternoon the pastry was a bit hard and the pasty wasn't very warm.

I'm pretty sure that Cornish people would be disappointed by this place, its not like anything I had while on holiday down there. Maybe I'm just being fussy but if anyone can help me with me mission to find perfection please let me know!

The Cornish Bakehouse is located on the corner of Church Street in the centre of Cardiff.

Having been here many years, the well-established shop has built up a stellar reputation among locals as the place to go if you're looking for a delicious lunchtime snack in Cardiff. It has become a regular spot for sports fans to go prior to a big game, with queues regularly flowing far beyond the shop doorway on match day.

The pasties themselves are outstanding, and far surpass any you will find elsewhere in the city. With a range that boasts a wide variety, from basic cheese and onion and the standard Cornish, to the more extravagant likes of beef and Stilton and the roast pork and apple, you won't find a better selection anywhere else.

Locals and shop regulars have come to know it simply as The Pasty Shop, which says it all, really. While fast-food bakeries like Greggs have the monopoly as a nationally-known name brand, the Cornish Bakehouse is the Rocky Babloa of pasty shops; a complete unknown to most city-goers but with the potential to be truly world class.

A person from Cornwall will probably disagree with me, but hey ho I'm in Cardiff. I love Cornish Bakehouse, normally because I'm really hungry when I go there.

Either way I always get a spicy chicken pasty to takeaway. There's quite a vast choice of pasties, beef, veggie, bacon, cheese etc are among some on offer.

You can eat in if you so wish, but I really don't like to sit in places that have queues forming round you as you eat. It's a preference thing and not against the smallish, semi-circle layout of the place.

Prices are ok, just a little more expensive than the likes of Greg's etc. But in my humble opinion you are getting a much tastier pastry. Yum.

I have family down in Cornwall and anytime you see an establishment not in Cornwall that sells Cornish Pasties it always begs the question whether they are worthy of the title. On this occasion I must say I was not that impressed. My friend and I bought a Cornish pasty which was fairly big but seriously overpriced and above all the biggest sin was that it was stone cold! When I asked if it could be re heated the staff weren't particularly happy about zapping it for a couple of seconds and I got the sense they were about to charge me that but luckily they didn't.

Don't get me wrong there is plenty of choice and I'm sure it would satisfy the average Cardiffer quite nicely. However, I personally think there is plenty of other places in the surrounding area that offer the same sort of food that 's cheaper and tastes just as good.

All hale the Cornish Bakehouse.

This is a real treat of a shop. I like to pop in on my lunch break after a night out to taste one of these little delights. I only ever order a large pasty which just so happens to be the smallest size they do! Which is ok by me as it mops up the last little traces of alcohol still running through my vains!

They have loads of different fillings including meat, chicken with mushrooms and a superb veggie one!

I have only received excellent service from the ladies in this shop but reading the other reviews some people have not been so lucky.

The shop itself is quite inviting it has a big bold sign and always looks clean and tidy!

As I write this I am starting to feel a rumble in my tummy so I may pay a little visit to this shop in about an hour!

Mmmmmmmmmm!

If you think of pasties the next immediate thought should almost always be Cornish, I'm not going to check up on you to find out if this is the case. But there's no way of knowing that for sure.

Anyhow, the Cornish know their pasties, and that's why this bakehouse is held in such high acclaim. They've won awards. Not Oscars of Baftas, you understand, but ones related to pasties an' tha'. And they're pretty keen to flaunt that on various stickers and posters on their windows to beckon you in. Perhaps as a consequence of these awards or perhaps because you'll probably feel more confident there is a higher proportion of meat in their pasties than some alternatives, it's a little more expensive than what you'd be used to for a quick stop bakery. But you're certainly getting what you pay for. Their Cornish Pasties are plain ace.

On more than one occasion, my life has literally been saved by this pasty shop.

OK, this may be a bit of an over exaggeration, but it has certainly proved handy more than once. I've been on a few fad diets, and for many years couldn't eat beef, dairy, white flour etc. etc. so pasties were usually the last thing I could eat. However, the Cornish Bakehouse have such a wide selection that they even do a vegetarian, wholemeal option. A healthy pasty? I know!!! And it is really tasty!

However, recently I was told it was all ok and I could eat what I wanted, so I went straight down there for what my pal always described as 'a life changing pasty.' Healthy food isn't the only thing in here - they also do a massive, and I mean huge, steak pasty, and I would have to concur - it is life changing!

So much better than the chains or a boring floppy sandwich.

The pasties are always fresh, warm and served with a smile. Mmmmmm, pasties...