I want to believe, so until someone comes along with evidence that it isn't right I'm still saying "well done Nick", and "Well done Pete", the right type of publicity for once.
I can honestly say I've only ever seen them in the south of England Steve, they are very common here though, a daily sight in fact, especially where there's Compositae (daisy type) flowers
They have very hairy leaves and wouldn't taste good even to a tortoise, also the name spinosa suggests it has spines or spikes, not that I've looked that close, most plants here seem to have a built in defence system.