BJ Bull Bakery in Elko, Nevada, Cooks Up British Tradition

BJ Bull, located at 208 Idaho Street in Elko, Nevada, brings a little traditional Cornish cuisine and British flair to northeastern Nevada. The bakery has been in business for a few years and enjoys a loyal following of miners and construction workers, as well as British transplants and the once curious who are now loyal eaters.

The specialty of the store is the Cornish pastie. Note it's pronounced past-y, not paste-y, like the jeweled disc strippers glue to their nipples. Traditionally, the pastie uses leftover cabbage, potatoes and lesser cuts of meat left over from the stew pot. While this is still done, it's even better with the fresh ingredients used every morning. Quality meats are used, and the basic beef pie comes with either beef and potato or beef and cabbage. Beef and cabbage is a personal favorite, since the potato one is on the dry side. Either way, both are lightly seasoned, relying mainly on black pepper and the ingredients' own natural flavors to come through. A little yellow mustard or brown gravy takes it to the next level.

The recently added chicken and rice and veggie pasties are nifty additions to the line-up that add a new level of being to the traditional pastie. The chicken and rice pasties have more moisture to them and have a thick sauce within. For someone who enjoys meat, I'll say the veggie pasties still kick major butt.

But BJ Bull's has more than pasties. It has specializes in some awesome fruit pies, ranging from rhubarb to blueberry, apple, cherry and even homemade pumpkin in the fall. And this pumpkin pie tastes truly homemade, unlike the crap found in the store that's prepackaged and you can taste the preservatives. BJ Bull even has sugar free pies for those cutting back on their sugar intake, or those who have diabetes - an increasingly common health situation in our country. Even the pies with sugar have a minimal amount, and don't rely on preservatives.

There isn't much in the way of seating in the establishment, although the foods are made ready to go. Everything's made fresh daily, and some can be bought frozen for baking later in the oven. Many miners and outdoor workers buy pasties in the bulk, which saves money by the way due to bulk purchase deals, and they retain their internal heat for quite some time once heated.

There are some who even say the pasties are just fine cold or at room temperature. But, from personal experience, there's nothing better than a toasty pastie on an autumn day to put you in the right mood.

Besides, BJ Bull's is the only place in northeastern Nevada where I can find real ginger beer, not ginger ale.