A Government minister is helping to spearhead a campaign attempting to ‘Save the Chelsea Bun‘.
Greg Hands, the MP for Chelsea and Fulham and Minister for London has joined up with Partridges, an independent food shop in Duke of York Square on King’s Road, into trying to help revive the bun back to its former glory.
The bun was once a popular treat with members of high society including Kings George II and III that dates back to the 18th century but Hands fears that in recent times, it has gone extinct in favour of other treats.
Hands said: “It is time to revive the historic British pastry – the Chelsea Bun with a 250-year-old tradition that is now unfortunately rarely seen and get it back into bakeries across south west London.
“It is one of Britain’s oldest recipes and it is a great thing to revive and for people to take pride in their local sweet treat.
“Ask people in your local bakery for a Chelsea bun and if they say ‘we don’t have any’, then press them to sell Chelsea Buns.
“If people don’t ask for them, bakeries are less likely to stock them.”
The original recipe of a Chelsea Bun typically consists of yeast dough topped with currants, brown sugar and butter before being coiled into a square or round-shape.
Once baked, they are then coated in a sugar glaze.
It sometimes contains lemon peel, cinnamon or mixed spices and are a lot sweeter and sticker than hot-cross buns.
Partridges’ owner John Shepherd said: “We are pleased that Greg has joined the campaign, we welcome all support offered in campaigning to bring the Chelsea Bun back to the Chelsea area in particular.”
Another way in which people can support the campaign, according to Shepherd, is by getting involved with the World Chelsea Bun Awards, an annual competition dating back to 2019.
Its aim is to celebrate the traditional Chelsea Bun and its original recipe whilst exploring new flavours to cater to modern tastes.
This year’s theme for the awards is ‘floral feasts’.
The awards will have two different competitions, the first is on Instagram where people can create floral-themed Chelsea Buns with the hashtag #worldchelseabunawards before sending the picture to @world.chelsea.bun.awards stating which category they are entering.
Deadlines for entry is Friday 17th May at 5pm.
The next day, a tasting competition will be held at Partridges’ Sloane Square store where entrants have to arrive by 9:30am.
Judges this year include Lady Frederick Windsor aka actress Sophie Winkleman and actress and cake expert Jane Asher.
Both are patrons of The Children’s Surgery Foundation, the award’s chosen charity.
The Buns get their name from the original Chelsea Bun House which opened in the early 1700s of which the location is thought to have been located between Pimlico Green and Royal Hospital Road.
The Bun House was originally owned by Captain Richard Hand and his wife Margaret before passing through four generations before closing in 1839.
The treat was so popular 50,000 customers queued on one Good Friday according to the 19th century historian Timbs.
For more details about the World Chelsea Bun Awards and how to enter this year’s competition, visit their website.
Featured Image Credit: Julia Page, via Partridges
