There goes grandmum's pie crust ...

Great Britain's flaky-crust aficionados face a holiday nightmare: a shortage of lard.

LONDON - Bakers of mince pies, Christmas puddings and other traditional British treats have been warned that they might be facing a lard-free Christmas.

Supermarkets say stocks of the shortening, made from rendered pig fat, were running low due to surging demand from new members of the European Union.

Jamie Sitzia, spokeswoman for the Somerfield supermarket chain, said the admission of 10 new EU countries in May had been followed by "unprecedented demand from Eastern European countries such as Poland and Hungary for the cheapest cuts of pork to meet their demand for sausages, salamis and pies."

The countries are buying EU-bred pork to avoid tariffs on imports from outside the union. The result, Sitzia said, was "a serious shortfall in lard production throughout the European Union."

A spokeswoman for Sainsbury's, another large supermarket chain, said the company had seen a reduced supply of lard in stores and was advising customers to switch to butter or margarine where possible.

Despite Britain's reputation for stodgy food, lard is increasingly shunned by health-conscious cooks. Consumption fell from 2 ounces per person per week in 1971 to 0.3 ounces per person per week in 1998, according to government statistics.

But many still swear by it as the secret to light, flaky pie crust and delicious roast potatoes.

Somerfield spokeswoman Sitzia told lard lovers not to panic.

"We are now getting more volume through from suppliers, and if customers do not panic buy we should have enough for everyone," she said.

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