Gingerbread '˜men' row takes biscuit...

A customer at a bakers in Cleveleys thought the shop was really taking the biscuit after she asked for a simple gingerbread man.
Paul and Charmaine Lewis of JL Bean in Cleveleys  PIC BY ROB LOCKPaul and Charmaine Lewis of JL Bean in Cleveleys  PIC BY ROB LOCK
Paul and Charmaine Lewis of JL Bean in Cleveleys PIC BY ROB LOCK

She was told by JL Bean on Victoria Road West that it wasn’t a gingerbread man – it was, in fact, a gingerbread person and that was how they had to be advertised.

The shopper’s exasperation boiled up on social media, with Facebook users blasting seemingly yet another case of political correctness gone mad.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A post on Thornton Cleveleys Chat by the woman’s husband, Jeff Dugdale, led to more than 100 reactions, some of them expressing indignation at how far such restrictions had gone.

Gingerbread man - or person?Gingerbread man - or person?
Gingerbread man - or person?

Jeff said in his post: “Seemingly now you have to call gingerbread men ‘gingerbread persons’ when ordering. As far as I can see there is no law in place for this type of PC nonsense.”

But Paul Lewis, boss of the long-established bakers, one of the oldest businesses on Cleveleys high street, says it is no more than a storm in a teacup because it was nothing to do with political correctness.

He said: “My wife just put this little ‘gingerbread persons’ label on them as a whim, and that was last year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It was never anything to do with political correctness and we’ve not really had any comeback until now.

“I noticed the comments on Facebook and most of them were quite jokey but I was surprised at how seriously some of the people were taking things. I think maybe there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding.”