THE ‘king’ of the Lancashire hotpot has backed a campaign to stop cooks from outside the county copying the world-famous dish.

The proposal would see the Lancashire hotpot afforded ‘protected geographical indication’ (PGI) status.

It would mean only cooks who make the dish in the county, and in accordance with the age-old recipe, would be able to sell it as a genuine Lancashire hotpot.

Celebrity chef Nigel Haworth, co-patron of the Michelin-starred Northcote and Ribble Valley Inns, won the honour of cooking the dish at a homecoming banquet for servicemen and women returning from Afghanistan in 2009.

The event was televised as part of BBC Two’s Great British Menu series.

He said: “There should be a much more protective arm put around dishes to ensure they are done properly and to project the right image.

“When people are using all sorts of ingredients it doesn’t project the right image to our European partners.

“We have to say that we do have dishes that are as good those from anywhere else, and Lancashire hotpot is one of those dishes that stands up.

"It has the heritage and it should be protected for posterity.”

Traditionally, a Lancashire hotpot consists of a mix made up of lamb and vegetables including carrots, turnips, potatoes and onions, which is then topped with sliced potatoes.

The ingredients are usually covered with stock and cooked in a casserole dish, on a low heat in the oven.

Within Lancashire, local variations include using lamb’s kidneys, beef, a pastry top and oysters.

Paul Nuttall, a UKIP MEP for Lancashire, launched the PGI campaign after seeing the Cumberland sausage and Cornish pasty afforded the status.

He said: “There are now a thousand food products in the EU which have protected geographical status (PGS) and 43 of them are British.

“I am pressing the EU Parliament to ensure Lancashire hotpot becomes the 44th and must only be made in the county.

“Following PG status being granted any other stew produced in future must be called stew or casserole but never Lancashire hotpot.”