Crafty Cornish get to protect their pasties
Barry Gregory ponders the merits of providing protected geographical status to the humble Cornish pasty.
So, the Cornish pasty is now protected by the EU. Excellent news, for the Cornish. For many of us however, the whole episode risks seeming a little bit daft and pointless.
In securing the coveted Protected Geographical Status, the humble Cornish pasty joins such luminaries as Champagne, Parma Ham and even Melton Mowbray pork pies.
Now, I'm no foodie and the various Greek and Turkish blokes who serve me items in plastic cartons on the way home from the pub on a Friday night can certainly testify to that. Yet, I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that Cornish pasties are, on the whole, a little bit minging.
A big slab of largely indifferent but highly fattening pastry wrapped around some indistinguishable sludge warmed up to half a degree short of nuclear. When compared to the gentle aroma and bubbles of Champagne or the robust, meaty textures of Parma Ham, it frankly pales.
Or maybe I'm wrong and maybe that's the whole point.
It's a fair bet that the vast majority of "Cornish pasties" to which I have thus far been exposed are not, in fact, Cornish pasties. It's probably also fair to suggest that if I had have eaten a bonafide, made-in-Truro Cornish delight, my feelings towards such fayre might be very different.
This is where the importance of brand protection comes in. While the cynical among us can envisage a greedy group of Cornish bakers sat around hatching an evil plot to extort a 25% mark-up on all future pasty sales, perhaps the truth is a lot more palatable.
Perhaps the truth is that after years of watching their treasured product mimicked, bastardised and tarnished, the good baking folk of Cornwall felt the need to act and protect the true virtues of their delicacy.
On that basis, I hope it works, because a brand is nothing without borders - in this case, geographical ones. Image is everything in food retail and consumer choices are driven by taste and past experience, meaning consistency and quality are crucial.
The flaw to Geographical Protection Status appears to be that, in contrast to trademarks or patents, the rights of exclusivity do not rest in the hands of one person or organisation.
So, does that mean I could spend a few weeks driving around Cornwall, buy some pastry at Asda in St Ives and knock up a few "authentic" Cornish pasties?
Maybe, although it's unlikely you'd ever find me trying - these proud Cornish types can be pretty scary with a rolling pin and pastry knife.
I'll stick to beers and kebabs - I just hope the Greeks don't starting getting all precious about those or the taxi could start getting very expensive.
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