Bakers in the town want the EU to place restrictions on use of ingredients in Bakewell puddings and where they can be made to prevent imitations carrying the name.

The EU's 'protected geographical indication' provides legal protection for regional foods against imitations.

Jemma Pheasey, business manager at The Old Original Pudding Company in Bakewell, said: "We want to protect the name and the history of the Bakewell pudding.

"If we get this passed then people can't sell a Bakewell pudding under that name if it isn't made to our recipe," she added.

"There's a lot of history behind the pudding and we want to safeguard that. People use so many different ingredients these days, different jams, different kinds of nuts, but our main ingredients are the jam, the almonds, the flour, sugar and butter and that's the way it should be.

"It's important that customers know they're getting the real thing."

It could be some time before a ruling is made however the company is confident of success.

Jemma said: "We've got all the paper work through to fill out.

"The process takes about two years to complete so we're only at the very start of it now but we hope to progress without any hiccups."

In the past the European Union has passed similar rulings on Greek Feta cheese and, after a ten year battle by people in Leicestershire, the Melton Mowbray pork pie.

A similar quest has been launched by the makers of Cumberland sausages.