“We all realised this was a classic British food that needed to be safeguarded for the future. Just like the French with their champagne or the Italians with Parma ham.”
However, this wasn’t the end of the battle. A legal tussle ensued with a large national pie maker that claimed the pie was generic and, regarding the protected area boundary, involved a visit to the High Court followed by the Appeal Court. This led eventually, in 2008, to the Melton Mowbray pork pie achieving EU Protected Geographic Indication (PGI) status. After Brexit this protection has been continued with the UK’s new Geographical Indication (GI) scheme. The future It may be more than 170 years old, but the Melton Mowbray pork pie continues to be a contemporary hit. The Dickinson & Morris brand has all-year-round listings in Harrods, Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges and recently launched its “For Impeccably Good Taste” campaign, appearing on TV and digital channels across the nation. Younger consumers love products such as D&M’s Melton Mowbray Sharing Pie and the highly popular Mini Melton Mowbray pork pies. In 2024 Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe in Melton Mowbray underwent a major refurbishment which added a new tasting room and the world’s first ever pork pie museum. For Samworth Brothers’ Chairman Mark Samworth, the march of the Melton Mowbray pork pie continues.
“We are proud to support British food and farming.”
“One of the reasons we have heavily invested in both Leicestershire and Cornwall is because of the food heritage of these counties. It is not just about protecting and preserving these food traditions, but also making them relevant and exciting to new consumers.”
www.familybusinessuk.org 29
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online