melton mowbery pies win protection

Spalding firm George Adams is among a number of county butchers hoping to get European Commission protected geographical status for the good old Lincolnshire sausage.
This would stop butchers outside the county borders from marketing their bangers as "Lincolnshire sausages".
Their hopes have been increased after Leicestershire pork pie makers were given the nod to apply for protected status following an unsuccessful challenge in the High Court by Leeds-based firm Northern Foods, which is now appealing.
Technical Executive at George Adams Graham Booth said that the decision will be an advantage to the banger campaign providing Northern Foods' appeal is not successful.
Mr Booth said: "I think it has been a boost in terms of the verdict.
"It makes it somewhat easier to make these things happen in the future as long as it does not get reversed.
"The court of appeal could decide that the judge got it wrong."
Interested butchers will be meeting on Monday, January 16, in the hopes of forming an independent association to move the campaign forward.
But a sticking point for the application is the lack of historical information available on the sausage.
In appealing for help Mr Booth said: "The big thing holding us back is that we can't get enough historical information, recipes or records to say that it is a traditional old English recipe.
"A lot of the butchers have said they have got recipes and, while it seems to be George Adams leading the campaign, they don't want to give up their recipes."
"That is one of the reasons why we need an independently led association with officers who can take ownership of the evidence and keep it confidential if necessary.
"We have to have that sort of information before the European Union."
The campaign to give the sausage protected status has been running since 2004.
If status is granted the Lincolnshire sausage will be placed in the same bracket as French champagne, Parma ham and Stilton cheese.

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