WARBURTONS bakery has hinted at a dramatic change to its packaging following The Bolton News’ barm cake debate last month.

The bakers featured in a full-page advert in Friday’s paper entitled “We’ve been barmy since 1876”, with the traditional “eight white rolls” logo scribbled off in favour of “eight barm cakes”.

The move is likely to delight the bakery’s home town after readers made it quite clear in an internet debate that barm or barm cake was their preference.

The debate began after Warburtons posted a light-hearted quiz on its Facebook page asking what people call their favourite bread-based product — but missed out “barm” as an answer in favour of rolls, cobs, baps or “other”.

Following our story on January 23, more than 700 people took to our Facebook page to join in with the heated discussion — and the resounding answer from the borough was that barm cake was the preferred term.

The name barm cake arose from the use of barm — the foam formed on the top of beer — to make bread dough rise.

In the middle of the debate, John Carr, at Carrs Pasties, said: “Back in my day we called them flour cakes, but nowadays the most popular term around Bolton and parts of the North West is barm cake.”

Tearmh France, who is Warburtons’ corporate communications manager, said: “The debate has been a great fun for us and it shows that we have got a good sense of humour.

“I would say that we do know what our consumers want from Lancashire — particularly Bolton — but the debate did turn our attention to it a bit more.”

So are Warburtons about to go totally “barmy” over barm cakes? “Watch this space”, said Tearmh.