The pasty has long been a staple of the English culinary canon, but last week this cherished buttery treat was elevated to an altogether new status: a potential money-spinner.

Few people watching Chancellor George Osborne' speech on Wednesday 21 would have imagined that the humble pasty would come to dominate the post-Budget debate, but the Chancellor of the Exchequer's attempt to impose an additional stealth tax on a selection of hot, takeaway foods achieved just this.