'Nice Baps' bakery owner defends shop name

Published Mar 31 2011, 18:55 BST  |  By Mayer Nissim

A businessman has brushed off a letter of complaint and petition after locals criticised his Nice Baps bakery.

Proprietor John O'Toole, 42, claimed that the name for the shop in the Bedfordshire village of Henlow came from his wife, The Comet reports.

Of the complaints, O'Toole said: "A little petition was handed in and I had a letter from one of the local schools who said they thought the name was trashy.

"So I tried to explain to them that I do small baps and big baps and they're nice and firm!"

The letter from a teacher at the nearby Raynsford VC Lower School expressed concern that the name of the shop would have a negative effect on young people.

However, chairman of Henlow Parish Council Tim Wiles countered: "Henlow Parish Council is keen to support local businesses and welcome the fact that the shop in the High Street is being used rather than standing empty or being converted to housing.

"To date we have received one letter from a local resident expressing some concern over the name of the shop, plus a couple of verbal comments about the colour scheme. The letter will, as per normal procedure, be considered at the next full council meeting."

Last year, Channel 4 defended the producers of Countdown for featuring 'LARGEBAPS' as an anagram for "graspable" as the final conundrum on an episode of the show.