Bakers have launched a bid for Forfar bridies to be given the same protected status as champagne.
Two bakers in the Angus town have teamed up in a bid to win protected food name (PFN) status for the savoury snack.
If the application is successful, Forfar bridies would be granted legal protection against imitation
A number of Scottish foods have already been awarded this special status, including Stornoway black pudding, Arbroath smokies and Ayrshire dunlop cheese.
This latest application is being made by the Forfar Bridie Producers Association – a joint venture between McLaren and Son Bakers and Saddlers of Forfar.
Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead backed the bid and said: “Achieving protected status for Forfar Bridies will ensure that consumers at home and across the EU have a 100% guarantee of the product’s authenticity.”
He described the Bridie as a “delicious, traditional savoury Scottish snack” and added: “We already have other great Scottish foods, such as Stornoway black pudding, Scotch beef and traditional Ayrshire dunlop, which have European protected status and are free from imitation. It guarantees the food’s provenance and supports local producers, like the Forfar bridie Producers Association.”
Forfar bridies are a solid horseshoe or D shaped pastry, with a savoury beef and onion filling in a shortcrust pastry case.
Karen Murray is the fifth generation of bakers at McLaren & Son in Forfar. She said: “We’ve been making Forfar bridies at McLaren’s the Bakers since 1893, and applying for Protected Food Name status will ensure that we protect the heritage of a real Forfar bridie and that customers can be assured that what they’re eating the real thing.
“Applying for PFN status will also help us raise awareness of the history behind a real Forfar bridie, as well as giving a boost to the town and local food and drink in Angus.”
Angus Provost Helen Oswald said: “The Forfar bridie holds a unique place in the town’s heritage and is popular with tourists and visitors to the area. It is one of the county’s most famous produce and an important part of our history. It’s only right that we work towards protected status for the Forfar bridie.