Bidding to show that the proof of the pudding is in the name

The news that, if the European bid was successful, no producer outside Yorkshire could call Yorkshire puddings, well, Yorkshire puddings was greeted with an outcry.

"The story just seems to have grown," says Sarah, who is the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Food Group's director of research and development.

It is the three manufacturers of pre-packed Yorkshire puddings who need to apply for the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status by the European Commission's Protected Food Name scheme with support from the Regional Food Group.

In the past, attempts to win special protection have failed if a food's geographical name has become generic, rather than a description of where it was made.

But Sarah says Yorkshire puddings were first named in an 18th-century recipe by food writer Hannah Glasse, and that her puddings differed from similar dishes.

Winning special protection would benefit Yorkshire producers and boost sales, she said, as well as allowing producers to increase prices.

She added: "It would prevent people anywhere else in the world from making it and calling it Yorkshire pudding."

More British manufacturers are being encouraged to win protected status for food products – there are only about 30 in the UK compared with more than 300 in France and other European countries.

"I don't know why we lag behind these other countries," says Sarah. "We are now playing catch-up."

Last week, the Regional Food Group helped win the coveted PDO for Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb, and the Yorkshire Post is backing a campaign to give the status to Real Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese.

Swaledale Cheese (has two – for its Swaledale Cheese and Ewes' Cheese) – and Traditional Grimsby Smoked Haddock also has a PDO.

So what else does Sarah have in her sights?

"I think we need to take a close look at Yorkshire parkin," she said. "There is a very good case for the bakers of Yorkshire to get together and see whether they could apply to get a PDO."

She also said that newer products, such as Mrs Bell's Yorkshire Blue, made by Shepherd's Purse, near Thirsk, could well qualify.

"It isn't just about heritage," she explained. "That is a pretty subjective thing, but it is also about provenance and authenticity."

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