Students – presumably with too much time on their hands – reckon they have come up with the best way to cook the humble bacon bap.

It resembles an Einstein formula – but this list of letters is apparently the foolproof method to dish up rasher heaven.

But happy munchers in one Blackpool cafe said the winning formula didn’t cut much mustard.

Punters at the Market Cafe in Abingdon Street market tried out the tastebud tickling formula for themselves when chef for the day Rob Ettridge took up the challenge.

Rob cooked three rashers of back bacon, cooked under a preheated oven grill for seven minutes at 240 Celsius before being packed into two slices of farmhouse bread – following the boffins’ chosen recipe to the letter.

Rob, who has run the market cafe for the past 13 years, said: “The bacon sandwiches we make here is one of the best sellers, and we have lots of regulars who keep coming back for more.

“We usually half cook the bacon and keep it warm before grilling it fully before serving to keep up with the crowds at busy times.

“But apart from that I’d say they way we cook bacon is pretty much the same as the formula.”

Four researchers at the Department of Food Science at Leeds University spent more than 1,000 hours testing 700 variations on the traditional bacon sandwich.

They tried different types and cuts of bacon, cooking techniques, types of oil and a range of cooking times at different temperatures.

A shortlist was then tested with computers to measure the texture of each sandwich.

Fifty volunteers also judged each sandwich according to its taste, texture and flavour.

Dr Graham Clayton, who led the research, said: “We often think it’s the taste and smell of bacon that consumers find most attractive.

“But our research proves that texture and the crunching sound is just – if not more - important.

“While there was much debate within our taste panels on the smoked or unsmoked decision, everyone agreed tough or chewy bacon is a turn-off.”

So will Rob, who has cooked up bacon butties for celebrities such as Melanie Sykes in the past, be changing his recipe?

“I don’t think so, everyone who comes here seems to enjoy the bacon sandwiches already so there doesn’t seem much need to change.”