Is it a cob or a roll? I head to the heart of the West Midlands to find out

It is an age-old debate, especially since the advent of social media, but surely the answers I would get in the Black Country would be unanimous, right?

Armed with a burnt-top cob from Bake My Day in Tipton, I hit the streets to settle the question once and for all: is it a cob, a roll, a batch - or something else entirely?

Outside shops, at bus stops and between jobs at work, Tipton residents wasted little time giving their verdicts. For many, there was only one correct answer. “It’s a crusty cob — always has been,” laughed one local. Others insisted they had grown up calling it a roll, while a few proudly flew the flag for ‘bun,’ sparking fresh debate among passers-by.

There was perhaps more variety than I expected, but certainly no shortage of debate and interest from Black Country folk in the topic. After all, in this neck of the woods bread names are serious business.