Bakers seek protected status for Forfar bridie Published duration 5 September 2015

image copyright James McLaren and Son

Bakers have launched a bid for the Forfar bridie to be given the same protected status as champagne.

Two bakers in the Angus town have teamed up in a bid to secure protected food name 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 the status, including Stornoway black pudding , Arbroath smokies and Ayrshire Dunlop cheese.

Forfar bridies are a solid horseshoe or D-shaped pastry, with a savoury beef and sometimes onion filling in a shortcrust pastry case.

The application for Protected Food Name (PFN) status is being made by the Forfar Bridie Producers Association - a joint venture between McLaren and Son Bakers and Saddler's of Forfar.

'Delicious snack'

Food Secretary Richard Lochhead 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."

Karen Murray, from McLaren and Son, 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.