The bagel/beigel debate rages on with a very British institution putting in a vote for the former.

Piccadilly department store, Fortnum and Mason has jumped into the hotly contested issue with both feet — going full New York bagel and schmear in its food studio.

Radlett bakery, Bagels + Schmear, which launched just over a year ago, will be supplying F&M with their huge, chewy, savoury-tasting bagels (a personal favourite) . Owner and chief baker, Francesca Goldhill announced this week on her bakery’s Instagram that they’d be launching with a special event this weekend.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cxn1goRMPfa/

She wrote: "From a home kitchen to Fortnum & Mason in less than 3 years of trading. I’ve never been more proud.

"This is just the beginning.

Not only will she be baking six different types of bagels, but also supplying a special range of her signature schmears. The eleven flavours that will be on offer in SW1 include the intriguingly named ‘Toffolossus’ as well as coffee, and jalapeño.

Ms Goldhill developed her basic bagel recipe during lockdown after returning from working in the Big Apple. The former JFS pupil and international business graduate missed the chewy breakfast snack so much that she set about developing her own. The self-taught baker, who skilled up via YouTube, Google and trial and error told the JC “it became my lockdown project”.

Clearly worth the six months she spent developing the perfect chew as her Hertfordshire bakery has been a huge success and now Central Londoners will get to taste what she hopes is a flavour of New York.