Celery from the Cambridgeshire Fens has joined Parma Ham and Melton Mowbray pork pies in winning special protection under EU labelling laws.
Fenland Celery, a gourmet variety, is the 55th British food product to earn recognition for its quality, history and links to a specific local area.
It is the first English vegetable to be given a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status under the European Protected Food Names (PFN) scheme.
This means other celery producers in Britain and around the world will not be allowed to promote their own produce as ‘Fenland Celery’.
The product gets its unique nutty-sweet flavour from the deep peaty soils it is grown in, which are found in small pockets in the Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk.
Traditionally a Victorian artisan crop grown from October to December for the Christmas market, it has been revived by fresh produce experts ‘G’s Fresh’, who have grown celery in Ely for more than half a century.
Food Minister George Eustice, said: 'Earning a protected food name for Fenland Celery is a real boost for East of England growers.
'They will now be able to trade the product with an authenticity guarantee that sets it apart from its competitors.'
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