Pasty rappers head stellar line-up at the World Pasty Championships on March 1

Cornish rap duo Hedluv and Passman have been announced as part of the fantastic entertainment line-up for the Eden Project’s third annual World Pasty Championships on March 1. 

Also on the entertainment bill is Grapefruit Moon, who played at Eden’s biggest ever beer festival in October last year (2013), and the melodic contemporary folk duo Winter Mountain. They have previously played at the Eden Sessions and at Eden’s café in St. Austell. 

Comedy Redruth rappers Hedluv and Passman have played at every World Pasty Championships to enraptured audiences, and entered the competition themselves last year with a bacon and marmalade pasty. 

The pasty didn’t win and the judges only made one comment – “the ingredients don’t work” – before awarding them a disappointing 38 out of 100. Their experience at the World Pasty Championships has been immortalised in a new video for their ode to the oggy, entitled Pasty Song (http://youtu.be/YaiatsT3x9g). 

Hedluv and Passman, who count QI panellist Alan Davies and Kiwi stand-up and Flight of the Conchords star Rhys Darby among their fans, toured Australia and New Zealand last year before playing 30 dates at the Edinburgh Fringe. They will be playing on the main stage in the Mediterranean Biome at 12.30pm. 

Anyone who thinks they can do better than the Casio crooners, can register to enter the competition at www.edenproject.com or by calling 01726 811972. 

The competition is open to amateurs, professionals, companies and juniors and entrants can submit traditional Cornish pasties as well as more outlandish creations. Entry costs £10 per adult category or £5 for the junior categories. This entitles the competitor and one guest to free entry to the Eden Project on the day of the competition. 

Eden will be open until 9pm on the day of the World Pasty Championships with a programme including the “Oggy Oscars” awards ceremony and live music. Eden’s ice rink will also be open for the day with the last skating session starting at 8pm. 

Chris Pritchard, Eden’s Programme Producer, said: “It’s great to be welcoming our favourite Cornish hip-hop stars back to the World Pasty Championships. They have always been a big hit with our guests and we can’t wait to see their quintessentially Cornish Casio rap stylings. 

“Grapefruit Moon went down fantastically well at our beer festival last year and Winter Mountain are perennial favourites on the south west music circuit.” 

As well as music and entertainment throughout the day and evening, the World Pasty Championships will also feature workshops and masterclasses from renowned pasty experts, including a session on how to make the perfect pasty pastry from top chef Martin Chiffers, formerly of The Savoy in London. 

This year’s World Pasty Championships will mark the start of Eden’s “Charity Begins in Cornwall” campaign, which will help ten small Cornish charities with their fundraising. 

Eden is working in partnership with the Cornwall Community Foundation, who have chosen the charities, and Localgiving.com, who enable giving and donations to small local charities and community groups.  The campaign will match donations up to a value of £20,000. 

Each charity will have a location on the Eden site during the World Pasty Championships where they can talk to visitors about their work. All money donated to the campaign will be split equally among the charities, who are: 

Battling Back
Community CIC
Community Greenspace
The Cornwall Down’s Syndrome Support Group
Gwealan Tops
Lizard Child Trust
Pengarth Day Centre
Penhaligon’s Friends
Wild Woods 

Businesses who would like to support the charities by sponsoring “Charity Begins in Cornwall” should contact Tracey Smith, Eden’s commercial manager, by e-mailing [email protected]. 

The Championships are backed by the Cornish Pasty Association after it won European Union Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status for the Cornish pasty last year. It means only pasty makers based in Cornwall who make pasties in a traditional manner and follow a traditional recipe are able to label their products as Cornish pasties.