The EU’s Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) scheme appears to have finally caught the imaginination in the UK.

Last year, Yorkshire’s Wensleydale cheese began a campaign for the recognition the likes of champagne, parma ham, roquefort and Gorgonzola have already won.

Earlier this month Wensleydale progressed to the next stage of their campaign by taking 14,000 signatures of support (including mine) to the House of Commons in a bid to win the backing it needs from Defra before taking its case to Europe.

Now Yorkshire’s famous rhubarb triangle is aiming for PDO status. The area between Leeds, Pontefract and Wakefield was once responsible for over 90% of the world's rhubarb, which is renown for its forced growth in the dark and its subsequent sweeter, longer stalks (for more on how the rhubarb is grown click here and here).

Both rhubarb and Wensleydale cheese fully deserve to be recognised with a PDO, as they are unique products that only specific parts of Yorkshire can produce and should be protected from poor quality imitators.

Readers with a good memory might remember that the manafacturers of Yorkshire Feta, had to change their name after Greek feta was awarded a PDO. Shepherds Purse have settled on a new name, Fine Fettle Yorkshire, which will be available again from May.