Eccles cakes could get trademark

The simple eccles cake could soon be trademarked

A campaign is under way to protect the future of the humble Eccles cake and Cheshire cheese.

The Northwest Fantastic Foods Partnership wants the local dishes to be protected by trademark under European guidelines.

It could eventually mean restrictions on labelling in restaurants, cafes and by food producers.

They would only be able to refer to the products as Eccles cake and Cheshire cheese if made in a certain way.

Puritan ban

This is not the first time the EU has tried to protect regional products.

International guidelines are already in place to protect such terms as Scotch whisky, Champagne and Parma ham.

Eccles cakes became famous in the early 19th century when they were first sold in Eccles which was then part of Lancashire.

The word 'Eccles' means church and is derived from the Greek word 'Ecclesia' which means an assembly.

In the middle ages an annual service, 'Eccles Wakes', took place at the church in Eccles and afterwards there was a fair at which food and drink were sold, including the now famous cakes.

The cakes were later banned by the Puritans and it was another two centuries before they became widely eaten again.