It’s June, summer is here and we’ve even seen the sunshine to prove it!

09 June 2021

The next few weeks of summer will help nurture the next harvest of UK potatoes, which comes in September. But while we wait, don’t worry. Just a single plant will grow three or four pounds of potatoes as a minimum, and a single seed potato – which Scotland is world-renowned for growing – will produce four or five plants. There will be plenty to go around.

Did you know that UK farmers grow many tonnes of potatoes per acre?

In the first year of cultivating potatoes, a good yield is around 10 tonnes per acre (that’s equal to 25 tonnes per hectare). But after years of practice, experienced farmers boost that to anywhere from 16 to 28 tons per acre.

That helps us make a lot of chips.

Even in an average UK back garden, sowing some potatoes should guarantee a healthy crop for either summer salads or some home-cooked chips. (But check out our previous blog to find out how to cook them to perfection.)

So come September, there will be plenty of potatoes delivered to us from our UK supplier, Isle of Ely Produce, as always.

What about supply over the next few weeks?

Don’t worry. While stocks of UK potatoes do dip in the summer months, we can continue to ensure our customers get the quality chips they rely on year-round, by using Spanish grown potatoes for just a few weeks.

Spain has grown potatoes for centuries since the first plants were brought back from Peru and Bolivia. The quality is excellent, and only those in the know could tell the difference between chips made using our UK supply and those using the potatoes from Spain.

The true difference is the cost, reflecting the distance they travel. But with our policy of fixed prices for our customers, you won’t notice any difference at all. So relax, and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!

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