A London MP is spearheading a campaign to save the Chelsea bun from being driven to extinction by competition from foreign imports such as the French pain aux raisins and the Portuguese pastel de nata. Greg Hands, who represents, of course, Chelsea & Fulham and is Minister for London, says the teatime favourite, once on display in virtually every bakery window in the capital, is becoming increasingly hard to find. The bun is one of London’s oldest culinary treats, tracing its roots back to the early 18th century, when it was said to have been first baked at a property later known as the Chelsea Bun House, near where Royal Hospital Road runs today, which was popular with Hanoverian royalty. According to legend, an estimated 50,000 queued to buy them on one Good Friday such was the popularity of a delight written about by Jonathan Swift, Charles Dickens and Lewis Carroll. They are made from egg-enriched yeast dough that is flavoured with lemon peel, cinnamon or mixed spice and spread with a mixture of currants, brown sugar and butter. After being baked, they are brushed with a cold-water sugar syrup while still hot to leave a sweet, sticky glaze. The Minister for London has teamed up with Partridges, an independent food shop on Duke of York Square, King’s Road, which launched the World Chelsea Bun Awards in 2019 to bring attention to its decline. Read more: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/chelsea-bun-awards-campaign-greg-hands-b1144778.html Subscribe to the Evening Standard: https://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-Evening-Standard for latest breaking news from the UK, US and around the world, plus podcasts and features. Evening Standard on socials: Check out our full video catalog: null Videos, daily editorial and more: https://www.standard.co.uk/ Like us on Facebook: https://www.fb.com/eveningstandard Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/eveningstandard and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evening.standard