List of United Kingdom food and drink products with protected status facts for kids

Jersey Royal potatoes were one of the first product names indicating the UK or the Crown dependencies to receive protected status, having been awarded the PDO designation in 1996

Meat from the Gloucester Old Spot is one of only two UK products holding TSG status

A number of United Kingdom food and drink products have been granted protected geographical status under United Kingdom law and European Union law. Protection of geographical indications is granted to names that indicate geographical origin both inside and outside the United Kingdom and the European Union. A number of geographical indications for food and drink products originating in the Crown dependencies, which are not part of the UK or the EU, are also protected under UK and EU law. These are also listed in this article.

The stated purpose of the quality schemes is to protect the reputation of regional products, promote traditional and agricultural activity and to eliminate non-genuine products, which may mislead consumers or be of inferior or different character; for example, producers cannot refer to their product as Scotch whisky unless it has been produced within Scotland, following particular methods. The quality schemes include two types of geographical indicators: "protected designation of origin" (PDO) (which are appellations of origin) and "protected geographical indication" (PGI) (which are geographical indications). These two types of designations are available for food, agricultural products and wines. For spirit drinks and aromatised wine, the equivalent designation to a PGI is called a "geographical indication" (GI). In addition, the quality schemes also include "traditional specialities guaranteed" (TSG), which are designed to promote and protect names of quality agricultural products and foodstuffs without requiring any reference to geographical origin.

The United Kingdom and the Crown dependencies together have a total of 65 products with protected status. This is relatively few when compared with Portugal (125 protected status products), France (217) and Italy (267). However, the UK and Crown dependencies have considerably more designations than many other countries, including Ireland (5), Sweden (6), Turkey (15), Austria (14), or (for example) the United States, Japan or Korea (none). Most of the products hold either PGI (38) or PDO (25) status, with only two products being designated as TSG.

This list, excepting "spirit drinks", is compiled according to the Database of Origin and Registration and E-Bacchus, European Commission databases of all registered products, as well as all products which were formerly registered or for which registration has been applied. The majority of products that hold protected status are foodstuffs fit for human consumption, including cheeses (15), fresh meat and offal (13), meat products (4), fish and molluscs (10), fruit and vegetables (6), wines (4) and spirit drinks (3). While other agricultural products can be included, native Shetland wool is the only non-edible UK product name to hold protected status in the UK and the EU.

Legislation
Products with protected status
Products which formerly had protected status
List by country

Legislation

The schemes were introduced by the European Union, while the United Kingdom was a member, in 1993. From 2012 they were governed by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council, in part to overhaul and regulate the protected status system. Spirits, fortified wines and aromatised wines, described by the European Commission as "spirit drinks", were governed by a separate regulation, Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

As a result of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union, the schemes are now governed by UK law, albeit that registration remained the responsibility of the EU until the end of the transition period on 1 January 2021.

The UK employs three different protected status schemes, which provide differing levels and types of protection:

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO): this designation covers products that are "produced, processed and prepared" in a specific area, using a particular, usually traditional, method.
Protected Geographical Indication (PGI): this designation covers products whose "production, processing or preparation" takes places in a specific area.
Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG): this designation covers products with a "traditional character" or "customary names", distinguishing them from similar products. Unlike PDO and PGI, these products do not need to be connected to a specific area or method of production. In order to be considered for TSG status, a product must demonstrate that the materials and methods used in its production has been consistent for a minimum of 30 years.

Products with protected status

The categorisation below is based on the format used in the Database of Origin and Registration and E-Bacchus databases.

Fresh meat (and offal)

Product	Designation	Year Awarded	Notes
Isle of Man Manx Loaghtan lamb	PDO	2008	Limited to products produced, processed and prepared on the Isle of Man, using traditional methods. Products should be produced from lambs grazed on unimproved land and if supplementary feed is needed this should be sourced from locally grown grain.
Lakeland Herdwick	PDO	2013	Limited to products produced, processed and prepared in Cumbria. Products must be produced from sheep grazed locally and any supplementary feed should be sourced in Cumbria. Lakeland Herdwick lamb must be slaughtered between 8 and 12 months of age.
Orkney beef	PDO	1996	Limited to products produced and reared on Orkney, using traditional methods. The cattle must be slaughtered and prepared on Orkney.
Orkney lamb	PDO	1996	Limited to products produced and reared on Orkney, using traditional methods. The lambs must be slaughtered and prepared on Orkney.
Scotch beef	PGI	2004	Limited to products produced in Scotland, including the Outer Hebrides, Shetland and Orkney. Products must be produced from cattle reared, slaughtered and dressed in Scotland.
Scotch lamb	PGI	2004	Limited to products produced in Scotland, including the Outer Hebrides, Shetland and Orkney. Products must be produced from sheep reared, slaughtered and dressed in Scotland.
Shetland lamb	PDO	1996	Limited to products produced, processed and prepared in Shetland, using traditional methods. Products must be produced from lambs no more than 12 months old at the time of slaughter.
Traditional farmfresh turkey	TSG	2000	The product is described as being superior in quality to standard turkeys.
Traditionally farmed Gloucestershire Old Spots pork	TSG	2010	In order to be designated as such the product should be from Gloucestershire Old Spots, described as "traditional unimproved breeds". The animals should be reared using traditional farming methods, including allowing the meat to mature on the bone for several days. The designation refers to all products of the pig, including bacon, gammon, sausages etc.
Welsh beef	PGI	2002	Limited to products from cattle that are born and reared in Wales. Products must come from cattle that have not bred.
Welsh lamb	PGI	2003	Limited to products that are produced from lambs born and reared in Wales.
West Country lamb	PGI	2014	Limited to products that are produced from lambs born and reared in the West Country (Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire). Products must be no more than 12 months old at the time of slaughter.
West Country beef	PGI	2014	Limited to products produced from cattle born, reared and processed in the West Country (Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire). Products must have a diet of at least 70% forage.

Meat products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)

Product	Designation	Year Awarded	Notes
Melton Mowbray pork pie	PGI	2008	Limited to products produced using a traditional recipe and within the vicinity of Melton Mowbray.
Newmarket sausage	PGI	2012	Limited to products produced within the vicinity of Newmarket. Products must have a meat content of at least 70% and be made from prime cuts of meat from the belly or shoulder.
Stornoway black pudding	PGI	2013	Limited to products produced using a traditional recipe with a prescribed ratio of ingredients and within the vicinity of Isle of Lewis and "the surrounding 'Stornoway Trust' area".
Traditional Cumberland sausage	PGI	2011	Limited to products produced in Cumbria. Products must have a meat content of at least 80% and be sold coiled, rather than linked.

Cheeses

Product	Designation	Year Awarded	Notes
Beacon Fell traditional Lancashire cheese	PDO	2007	Limited to cheese produced, processed and prepared in the Fylde area of Lancashire, including Preston and Blackpool. Products must be made from full fat cows milk and contain 48% butter fat, using traditional methods.
Bonchester cheese	PDO	1996	Limited to cheese produced, processed and prepared within a 90‑km radius of the summit of Peel Fell. Products must be made from full fat Jersey cow milk, with a minimum fat content of 20% and a maximum water content of 60%, using traditional methods.
Buxton Blue	PDO	1996	Limited to cheese processed and prepared within a 30‑km radius of Buxton and using milk from cows grazed in Derbyshire and the surrounding counties, using traditional methods.
Dorset Blue cheese	PGI	1998	Limited to cheese produced, processed and prepared in Dorset. The product must be made from unpasteurised, skimmed milk from cows grazed in the Blackmore Vale.
Dovedale cheese	PDO	1996	Limited to cheese produced, processed and prepared within an 80‑km radius from Dovedale, using whole milk from cows grazed in the surrounding counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire. The product must be produced using traditional methods.
Exmoor Jersey Blue	PGI	1999	Limited to cheese produced in west Somerset, using traditional methods. The product must be made using Jersey cow milk, with a typical composition of 49% water and 34% fat.
Orkney Scottish island cheddar	PGI	2013	Limited to cheese produced on Orkney, using milk from locally grazed cows.
Single Gloucester	PDO	1996	Limited to cheese produced, processed and prepared in Gloucestershire, using traditional methods. The product must normally be produced from either pasteurised or unpasteurised Gloucester cows' milk. However, when this is not possible, milk from other breeds grazed in Gloucestershire can be used.
Staffordshire cheese	PDO	2007	Limited to cheese produced, processed and prepared within the county of Staffordshire, using traditional methods. The product must be made from milk from cows grazed in Staffordshire or on silage sourced there.
Stilton — white cheese/Stilton — blue cheese	PDO	1996	Limited to cheese produced, processed and prepared in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, using traditional methods. The product must normally be made using full-fat pasteurised cows' milk from cows grazed in the designated area. However, if this is not readily available this may be sourced from the surrounding counties of Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Both cheeses must have a minimum fat content of 48%.
Swaledale cheese	PDO	1996	Limited to cheese produced, processed and prepared in the Swaledale Valley, North Yorkshire, using traditional methods. The product must be made from full fat cows' milk, from cows grazed in the designated area. The product must contain a minimum fat content of 48% and a maximum water content of 48%.
Swaledale Ewes cheese	PDO	1996	Limited to cheese produced, processed and prepared in the Swaledale Valley, North Yorkshire, using traditional methods. The product must be made from full fat ewe milk, from sheep grazed in the designated area.
Teviotdale cheese	PGI	1998	Limited to cheese produced within a 90‑km radius of the summit of Peel Fell. The product must be produced using unpasteurised whole milk from Jersey cows. The product must have a minimum fat content of 48% and a maximum water content of 48%.
West Country farmhouse Cheddar cheese	PDO	1996	Limited to cheese produced, processed and prepared in Dorset, Somerset, Cornwall and Devon, using traditional methods. The product must normally be made from pasteurised cows' milk from cows grazed in the designated area. However, when this is not readily available milk may be used from the bordering counties of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
Yorkshire Wensleydale	PGI	2013	Limited to cheese produced in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire. The product must be produced using whole milk from cows grazed in the designated area, which can be both pasteurised or unpasteurised.

Other products of animal origin (eggs, honey, various dairy products etc.)

Product	Designation	Year Awarded	Notes
Cornish clotted cream	PDO	1998	Limited to products produced, processed and prepared from milk produced in Cornwall and containing a minimum butterfat content of 55%.

Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed

Product	Designation	Year Awarded	Notes
Armagh bramley apples	PGI	2012	Limited to apples grown within the Archdiocese of Armagh, Northern Ireland (covering Counties Tyrone and Armagh and parts of County Londonderry). Products must be harvested between early September and late October.
Fenland celery	PGI	2013	Limited to celery that has been produced in prescribed parishes in The Fens. The product must be grown on the "Adventurers 1 and 2 soil series 'deep peat soil which is naturally very fertile, deriving partially decomposed plant remains that accumulated under waterlogged conditions'", using traditional or commercial methods.
Jersey royal potatoes	PDO	1996	Limited to potatoes grown, prepared and processed on the island of Jersey, using traditional methods.
New season Comber potatoes/Comber Earlies	PGI	2012	Limited to potatoes produced in an area bounded by Ardkeen in the south, Crossgar and Killyleagh in the west and Castlereagh, North Down and Belfast in the east. The product must be planted in January and harvested between early May and late July.
Pembrokeshire early potatoes/Pembrokeshire earlies	PGI	2013	Limited to potatoes grown in Pembrokeshire. The product must be planted in early February and harvested between May and late July.
Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb	PDO	2010	Limited to rhubarb produced within the Rhubarb Triangle (an area between Leeds, Wakefield and Bradford). Products must be produced using traditional methods.
Ayrshire New Potatoes / Ayrshire Earlies	PGI	2019	Limited to immature potatoes of the species Solanum tuberosum of the family Solanaceae grown in the county of Ayrshire, South West of Scotland. They must be planted, grown and harvested within the defined geographical area (the areas of North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire councils). Potatoes are harvested from the beginning of May until the end of July.

Fresh fish, molluscs, and crustaceans and derivative products

Product	Designation	Year Awarded	Notes
Arbroath smokies	PGI	2004	Limited to products produced within "a coastal corridor with an inland boundary 8 kilometres radius from Arbroath Town House and extending to the community of West Mains in the north and the community of East Haven in the south" and purchased at designated Scottish fish markets. Products must be produced using traditional methods.
Cornish sardines	PGI	2009	Limited to sardines that have been caught within an area no more than six miles off the Cornish coast. Products must be landed and processed within Cornwall.
Fal oysters	PDO	2013	Limited to oysters that have been caught within the Truro Port Fishery ("all those parts of the Truro and Falmouth Harbours and of the bed of the Truro, Fal and Tresillian rivers containing an area of 2721 acres") using traditional vessels. Products must be caught between October 1 and March 31.
Isle of Man queenies	PDO	2012	Limited to queen scallops that have been caught within the territorial waters of the Isle of Man.
Lough Neagh eel	PGI	2011	Limited to eels caught in Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland and the lower River Bann, using traditional methods. Yellow eels (immature Anguilla anguilla) must be caught between 1 May and 8 January. Silver eels (mature Anguilla anguilla) must be caught between 1 June and 28 February.
Scottish farmed salmon	PGI	2008	Limited to Atlantic salmon that have been "conventionally and organically" farmed on the west coast of Scotland, the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland.
Scottish wild salmon	PGI	2012	Limited to Atlantic salmon caught up to 1500 metres from the coast of Scotland, using prescribed methods.
Traditional Grimsby smoked fish	PGI	2009	Limited to fish that have been prepared and smoked in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, using a traditional method. Products must be either cod or haddock and weigh between 200g-700g.
West Wales coracle caught salmon	PGI	2013	Limited to Atlantic salmon that have been caught in specific tidal areas of the River Tywi, the River Taf and the River Teifi. Products must be caught using traditional coracle fishing methods.
Whitstable oysters	PGI	1997	Limited to oysters caught on oyster beds in the vicinity of Whitstable, Kent. The product can include both the species Ostrea edulis and Crassostrea gigas.

Other products (spices etc.)

Product	Designation	Year Awarded	Notes
Anglesey sea salt/Halen Môn	PDO	2014	Limited to sea salt prepared, processed and produced in the Menai Strait, using traditional methods.
East Kent goldings	PDO	2013	Limited to hops prepared, processed and produced in a specific area of Kent, which includes the settlements "Tonge, Lynsted, Norton, Teynham, Buckland, Stone, Ospringe, Faversham, Boughton-under-Blean, Selling, Chartham, Chilham, Harbledown, Canterbury, Bekesbourne, Bridge, Kent and Bishopsbourne", using traditional methods.
Gloucestershire cider/perry	PGI	1996	Limited to cider and perry produced in Gloucestershire, using locally grown varieties of perry pears and cider apples.
Herefordshire cider/perry	PGI	1996	Limited to cider and perry produced in Herefordshire, using locally grown varieties of perry pears and cider apples.
Worcestershire cider/perry	PGI	1996	Limited to products produced in Worcestershire, using locally grown varieties of perry pears and cider apples.

Beers

Product	Designation	Year Awarded	Notes
Kentish ale and Kentish strong ale	PGI	1996	Limited to ale produced within Kent using traditional methods. Products must have an abv between 3.5% and 6.0%.
Rutland bitter	PGI	1996	Limited to bitter produced, processed and prepared within Rutland and Leicestershire, although packaging can take place elsewhere.

Bread, pastry, cakes, confectionery, biscuits and other baker’s wares

Product	Designation	Year Awarded	Notes
Cornish pasty	PGI	2011	Limited to products produced in Cornwall using a traditional recipe, with at least 12.5% beef and 25% vegetable content. Products can still be finally baked outside of the designated production area.

Wool

Product	Designation	Year Awarded	Notes
Native Shetland wool	PDO	2011	Limited to products produced in Shetland, using traditional methods. Products must come from pure bred Shetland sheep who have been grazed organically in Shetland.

Wines

Product	Designation	Year Awarded	Notes
English wine	PDO	2011	Limited to wine produced in England from grapes grown in the designated area, using prescribed methods. Products must use grapes from vines growing at a height below 220 metres above sea level. The product may be vinified outside of the designated area provided it is contiguous to England and prior authorisation has been granted from the Food Standards Agency. The product must conform to restrictions regarding alcohol content, acidification and sweetening.
English regional wine	PGI	2011	Limited to wine produced from grapes grown in England, although production does not have to be within a certain area. The product must conform to restrictions regarding alcohol content, acidification and sweetening.
Welsh wine	PDO	2011	Limited to wine produced in Wales from grapes grown in the designated area, using prescribed methods. Products must use grapes from vines growing at a height below 220 metres above sea level. The product may be vinified outside of the designated area provided it is contiguous to Wales and prior authorisation has been granted from the Food Standards Agency. The product must conform to restrictions regarding alcohol content, acidification and sweetening.
Welsh regional wine	PGI	2011	Limited to wine produced from grapes grown in Wales, although production does not have to be within a certain area. The product must conform to restrictions regarding alcohol content, acidification and sweetening.

Spirit drinks

Product	Designation	Year Awarded	Notes
Irish whiskey/uisce beatha Eireannach/Irish whisky	PGI	2008	Limited to whisky that is produced on the island of Ireland. The final product must not be sweetened or flavoured, other than the addition of plain caramel as a colouring. The product must have an abv of at least 40%.
Plymouth gin	PGI	2008	Limited to gin that is produced in Plymouth. The product must have a minimum abv of 37.5%. and have a predominantly juniper flavour.
Scotch whisky	PGI	2008	Limited to whisky that is produced in Scotland. The final product must not be sweetened or flavoured, other than the addition of plain caramel as a colouring. The product must have an abv of at least 40%.
Somerset cider brandy	PGI	2009	Limited to apple brandy produced in the county of Somerset. The product must have an ABV of at least 40% and have been aged for at least three years.

Products which formerly had protected status

Product	Designation	Year Awarded	Notes
Newcastle Brown Ale	PGI	2000	Until 2007, limited to beer brewed within the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The restrictions were lifted on request of the sole producer, Scottish & Newcastle, when production was moved to Gateshead, outside of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

List by country

Country	No. of products	List
England	39	Lakeland Herdwick, traditional farmfresh turkey, Gloucestershire Old Spots, West Country lamb, West Country beef, Melton Mowbray pork pie, Newmarket sausage, Cumberland sausage, Beacon Fell Traditional Lancashire Cheese, Buxton Blue, Dorset Blue Vinney, Dovedale cheese, Exmoor Jersey Blue, Staffordshire cheese, Gloucester cheese, Swaledale Ewes cheese, Swaledale cheese, Stilton cheese, Teviotdale cheese, Cheddar cheese, Wensleydale cheese, Cornish clotted cream, Fenland celery, Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb, Cornish sardines, Fal oysters, traditional Grimsby smoked fish, Whitstable oysters, East Kent goldings, Gloucestershire cider/perry, Herefordshire cider/perry, Worcestershire cider/perry, Kentish ale and Kentish strong ale, Rutland bitter, Cornish pasty, English wine, English regional wine, Plymouth Gin, Somerset cider brandy
Isle of Man	2	Isle of Man Manx Loaghtan lamb, Isle of Man queenies
Jersey	1	Jersey royal potatoes
Northern Ireland	4	Armagh bramley apples, Irish whiskey, new season Comber potatoes/Comber Earlies, Lough Neagh eel
Scotland	14	Orkney beef, Orkney lamb, Scotch beef, Scotch lamb, Shetland lamb, Stornoway black pudding, Bonchester cheese, Orkney Scottish island cheddar, Arbroath smokie, Scottish farmed salmon, Scottish wild salmon, Ayrshire Earlies/Ayrshire Early Potatoes, Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop cheese, Scotch whisky, native Shetland wool
Wales	7	Welsh beef, Welsh lamb, West Wales coracle caught salmon, Anglesey sea salt/Halen Môn, Welsh wine, Welsh regional wine, Pembrokeshire early potatoes/Pembrokeshire earlies

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