Bakers call for restrictions on production of the Bakewell pudding

BAKERS in a Derbyshire town have called for stricter rules on the production of the world- famous Bakewell pudding.

People in Bakewell have been making the sweet treat for more than a century and are hoping to prevent the home-grown recipe from becoming lost among thousands of imitators.

They are now asking the European Union for sanctions to be placed on what ingredients can be used in Bakewell puddings and where they can be made.

Jemma Pheasey, business manager at The Old Original Pudding Company in The Square, Bakewell, said protecting the Bakewell pudding recipe was important for the people of Derbyshire.

The 27-year-old said: “The Bakewell pudding is a heritage thing. It belongs in Bakewell and we think it deserves to be made in Bakewell.

“It's definitely important to make sure the original recipe is protected because the customer needs to know that they are having a proper Bakewell pudding, not an inferior product.”

Ms Pheasey, who is involved in the campaign to preserve the original recipe, said she wanted to make sure people making Bakewell puddings used the correct ingredients.

She said: “Bakewell puddings should be made using puff pastry, quality jam that isn't full of e-numbers and the proper type of almonds.”

If the EU decides to protect it, people in Bakewell will be able to make the pudding according to a specific recipe, which will be monitored to ensure there are no imitations using the same name.

The pudding is different to the Bakewell tart, which is made using shortcrust pastry.

It is thought that the original Bakewell pudding was created by accident in a Bakewell inn in the 1860s after a misunderstanding between the landlady and a cook.

The campaign aims to get the original recipe safeguarded by the EU's Protected Geographical Indication, which provides legal protection for named regional food products against imitations.

A similar campaign was made by people in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, for the protection of the Melton Mowbray pork pie, which was granted in April after a 10-year battle.

There are a total of 34 UK products protected in the scheme, including Cornish clotted cream and Welsh lamb. The Cumberland sausage is another product currently seeking Protected Geographical Indication status.

Marion Wright, the owner of Bloomers Original Bakewell Puddings, in Water Street, said she was in full support of the application.

She said: “This recipe has history dating back to the 1800s and that is something that needs to be preserved.”