Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2008/C 85/11)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months from the date of this publication.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘MELTON MOWBRAY PORK PIE’

EC No: UK/PGI/005/0335/13.02.2004

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

This summary sets out the main elements of the product specification for information purposes.

1.   Responsible department in the Member State:

2.   Group:

3.   Type of product:

Class 1.2: Meat products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)

4.   Specification:

(Summary of requirements under Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

4.1.   Name: ‘Melton Mowbray Pork Pie’

4.2.   Description: Melton Mowbray Pork Pies have a bow walled pastry case giving them their characteristic bow shape. The pastry is golden brown in colour with a rich texture. The pork filling is uncured and therefore grey in colour — the colour of roast pork. The texture filling is moist and particulate. The meat content of the whole product must be at least 30 %. Between the filling and the pastry wall is a layer of jelly.

In flavour, the pastry has a rich, baked taste while the filling is full of meaty flavour and seasoned in particular with pepper.

The pies must be free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. They are sold in a variety of sizes and weights and through a range of outlets including traditional butchers' shops, supermarkets, delicatessens and food service outlets.

4.3.   Geographical area: The town of Melton Mowbray and its surrounding region bounded as follows:

to the North, by the A52 from the M1 and the A1 and including the city of Nottingham,

to the East, by the A1 from the A52 to the A605 and including the towns of Grantham and Stamford,

to the West, by the M1 from the A52 to the A45,

to the South, by the A45 and A605 from the M1 to the A1 and including the town of Northampton.

Extensive research by a local historian has demonstrated that during the early and middle 19th century when the pies were first being produced on a commercial basis geographical and economic barriers would have limited production of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie to the town of Melton Mowbray and its surrounding district.

The geographical area described above is larger than the original area of production. This takes account of the fact that over time those barriers became less significant and recognises that production of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie in accordance with the method of production described below has taken place for 100 years in the wider area surrounding Melton Mowbray.

4.4.   Proof of origin: Proof that the product is manufactured in the designated area can be demonstrated by reference to the records maintained by the producers and by reference to the traceability systems which are in place. The nominated inspection body will conduct annual checks on each producer to ensure that they are complying with the specification.

Each member will receive their own Certification number provided by the inspection body to display on packaging and any other point of sale material when selling Melton Mowbray Pork Pies. This unique number will trace each pie sold directly back to the producer. In the case of the small-scale producers, some of the products produced are only sold through their own retail outlets, whilst other larger members sell products through the major retailers.

Producers are issued a Health Mark from the Food Standards Agency and this combined with the use of a date code provides full traceability of a product from point of sale, to production batch, through to the approved supplier of each of the component ingredients.

The Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association will police the use of its own authentication stamp, granted to each of its members. The stamp will again be used on all packaging and point of sale material.

4.5.   Method of production: The following raw materials only must be used in the manufacture of Melton Mowbray Pork Pies:

The method of production is as follows:

The pastry ingredients are mixed together, formed into billets and lids, then rested prior to pie manufacture.

The pork meat is diced or minced and mixed with filling ingredients to form the pie filling.

The pastry billets are either blocked in hoops or raised round a dolly or similar supports.

The pie filling is divided into billets and placed into the pie base and the pre-cut or sheeted pastry lid is placed over the pie and crimped to seal. Some pies are hand raised and some pies are finished off with a decorative hand crimp.

They are then ejected from their hoops and placed on to a baking tray without support. Some pies may be frozen in this state and stored to be baked later, or sold frozen to be baked at home.

The pies are then baked to a golden brown pastry colour, allowed to cool and jellied.

The pies are then cooled to below 8 °C.

The pies may then be wrapped and date coded for retail sale, or left unwrapped. The pies may be placed into a chill cabinet to await purchase. Some pies are sold warm within 4 hours of jellying.

The pies are sold in a wide variety of retail outlets ranging from the major supermarkets to the producers own shop.

4.6.   Link: From the sixteenth century onwards considerable land enclosure took place around the town of Melton Mowbray. These land clearances removed the open fields from the landscape and the enclosed hedge fields so indicative of East Midland farmland were developed. As a result the principal farming activity changed from raising sheep on the open fields to controlled cattle husbandry. The surplus milk from the cows was converted to cheese particularly Blue Stilton. A by-product of cheese production is whey. Whey when mixed with bran is an excellent pig food. Dairy farmers built pigsties and raised the farm animals to eat the surplus that accrued because of their cheese production activities.

Enclosed fields are made in Leicestershire by planting quick thorn (Hawthorn) along the headlands (field boundaries). When the hedge has grown approximately two metres in height, it is layered, so forming an impenetrable barrier, along the side of boundary ditches, ideal tracks for foxes. This, in turn, led to an increase in the fox population. In order to check this growth in fox numbers packs of hounds were used to hunt down the fox. These hounds were controlled by riders on horseback which led to the development of fox hunting as an autumn/winter sport. From the middle of the eighteenth century seasonal foxhunters began to centre their hunting activities on the town of Melton Mowbray. During the autumn and winter months, pigs were slaughtered, pork pies were made. These pies were carried in the pockets of the hunt servants to be eaten as snacks as they moved the horses around the villages at the convenience of the wealthy foxhunter. These delicious simple peasant pies soon came to the notice of the hard riding fox hunter who then began to carry them in pouches and pockets to eat while involved in the chase.

These wealthy seasonal hunters took such a liking to the splendid pies that were served on their breakfast table that they expected them to be served at their London clubs. In 1831, Edward Adcock commenced exporting pork pies from Melton Mowbray to London using the daily Leeds to London stagecoach. So the commercialisation and promotion of the Melton Mowbray pork pie began.

The railway age transformed the industry. Instead of using the daily horse-drawn stagecoaches to transport pies to London and other major cities, special carriages were commissioned on the railway system. Bakehouses were built close to Melton Mowbray station and the pies were transported across the United Kingdom and even to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa within the refrigerated holds of cargo ships returning to those countries. The fame of the pie spread and from the 1870's until the turn of the century the industry enjoyed a boom. As a result of the growing reputation of the product some of the leading manufacturers made an aborted attempt to protect the name against imitations.

The First World War killed off the export trade and marked the beginning of the decline of the industry. However, within the last 20 years there has been a revival with the industry again expanding to meet a growing demand for this versatile food stuff. Melton Mowbray pork pies made in the designated area are now on sale in many of the large supermarkets and are also being exported abroad again.

In more recent times, Melton Mowbray Pork Pies have attracted attention from various areas. The international travel guide book ‘Lonely Planet’ makes reference to the town of Melton Mowbray by describing it as the town ‘which gave the world the best pork pies under the sun’. The product's renewed popularity was demonstrated in 1996 when the Duke of Gloucester attracted some publicity during a visit to a producers shop and was captured in a newspaper article sampling Melton Mowbray pork pies. The BBC also ran a feature on Melton Mowbray pork pies as part of their popular prime time ‘Food and Drink’ television programme.

Melton Mowbray Pork Pies are clearly distinct from other pork pies in their packaging, design and marketing at point of sale. They carry a price premium compared to other pork pies on the market place of 10-15 % because they have a specific reputation that sets them apart as different and worth paying for. The Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association was set up in 1998 to bring together all the producers in the designated area with the aim of ensuring the protection of the authentic Melton Mowbray Pork Pie and of raising awareness about the origin of the product.

4.7.   Inspection body:

4.8.   Labelling: Following successful registration of this product a PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) symbol will be used in close proximity to the registered name.

(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.