Lab Log

Potatoes, the ultimate Wonderfuel

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Research released by Potato Council highlights that children get more Vitamin C, B1, B6, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Potassium from potatoes than from the 5 superfoods beetroot, bananas, nuts, broccoli and avocado combined. All the nuts, seeds and nut products eaten by children (including peanut butter) provide 4 – 10 year olds in the UK with less Selenium than potatoes.

It seems the potato bursting full of goodness and packed full of essential nutrients can play a major role in ensuring children get the balanced diet essential if they are going to develop and grow into healthy adults. Potato Council worked with Sigrid Gibson, an independent registered nutritionist and data analyst, to analyse original data files from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS), a programme of surveys designed to assess the diet, nutrient intake and nutritional status of children and adults in the UK. “We looked in detail at all the food intake records of 876 children and 948 adults. Some superfoods are not very popular and the nutritional value is obviously zero if they are not eaten! Broccoli is a good source of Folate, the data shows potatoes still provide more of this vitamin to the diet overall and also the important minerals Iron and Magnesium some children lack” said Sigrid. “Similarly we think of bananas as being a good source of Potassium, and they are, but potatoes make a more significant contribution in the diet”.

To empower mums to navigate the superfood maze for themselves Potato Council has developed a new app that enables mums to pick from a selection of foods with a healthy reputation to find out how much their children would need to eat to get the same amount of key nutrients that potatoes provide. The new app reveals just how nutrient dense potatoes are; for example, did you know that just one medium jacket potato contains the same amount of fibre as five and a half bananas and more Vitamin C than 3 avocados! Plus, of course, potatoes can be adapted to any form of cooking, from mashed and boiled to fried and roasted.

Sian Porter, Consultant Dietician to Potato Council, said: "It is important to have a wide variety of foods in your diet and to include at least five different portions of fruit and veg a day, but sometimes our heads are turned by new things and we underestimate old favourites like potatoes and how they compare to other, often more expensive, 'superfoods'. This new app aims to surprise or remind families of some of the nutritional benefits potatoes offer them including Fibre, Vitamin C, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Folate and Potassium. For example, only a fifth* of UK adults think of potatoes as a good source of Vitamin C, despite the fact that 15% of our Vitamin C intake comes from them**."

The NDNS is jointly funded by the Department of Health in England and the UK Food Standards Agency and carried out by a consortium of three organisations: National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), MRC Human Nutrition Research (HNR) and the University College London Medical School (UCL).

The Wonderfuel Nutrient Calculator is free to download on iTunes now.

* Statistic taken from One Poll survey of 2,000 respondents conducted online June 2010.

** The SACN has identified 14 micronutrients where there is evidence of low intakes and/or low nutritional status in the UK population (SACN 2008). Potatoes contribute 10% or more of intakes of many of these micronutrients in the UK, namely vitamin B6 (19%), potassium (18%), vitamin C (15%), thiamine (13%), folate (12%) and magnesium (10%) (Henderson et al. 2002). Source: 2010 British Nutrition Foundation Nutrition Bulletin, 35, pg 326

New PressPage

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Nutrition Tour with the Small Potatoes

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Due to unforeseen circumstances the Glasgow Road Show on Friday 4th November has been cancelled.

However, we have added an extra date in Edinburgh. We will be at Castle Street Edinburgh on both Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th November so do please come along.

Potato Council Teams up with 'Small Potatoes'

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Potato Council and TV production company Little Airplane Productions, the team behind 3^rd & Bird and The Wonder Pets, have joined forces to take ‘Small Potatoes’ on an interactive tour of the country, and introduce children and their parents to the enjoyment of potatoes this autumn. The ‘Small Potatoes’ series, which is shown on CBeebies, features four adorable animated spud stars who travel the world and sing about different topics in each episode. The programme takes young viewers on an exploration of imaginative play and builds an appreciation of a variety of music genres.

Recognising that the small potato characters held a real affinity with its young audience, Potato Council reached an agreement with Little Airplane Productions for them to be a part of its consumer roadshow and family focused activity. While parents will be invited to join a registered dietician for sessions including meal demonstrations and sampling, Ten Top Tips for happy and healthy eating, quick fire Q&As and advice. The children will get to meet two of the ‘Small Potatoes’ characters ‘Ruby’ and ‘Nate’. Here they will be encouraged to take part in sing-a-longs, games and colouring competitions. The winners will receive a specially customised ‘Photato’ image.

The costume characters and Potato Council promotional vehicle will be stopping at venues across England, Wales and Scotland during October. Fully equipped with a kitchen, classroom facilities and seating, the unit will be fully branded with a mix of ‘Small Potatoes’ and healthy eating message boards.

Caroline Evans, Potato Council Head of Marketing and Corporate Affairs, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have the stars of ‘Small Potatoes’ joining our autumn roadshow. As parents are educated about the health benefits of fresh potatoes and inspired with tasty recipes, pre-school children will be entertained by the fun characters – after all it’s never too early to be introduced to the delights of potatoes!”

"We are thrilled to be joining forces with Potato Council by taking our Small Potatoes' stars Ruby and Nate out on the road to help encourage families to eat healthily," said Josh Selig, President of Little Airplane Productions. “Any friend of the potato is a friend of mine."

The roadshow dates are:

13th October: West Quay Retail Park, Southampton

14th October: Gun Wharf Quay, Portsmouth

20th October: Fort Shopping Park, Birmingham

21st October: Chapelfields Shopping Park, Norwich

27th October: White Rose Centre, Leeds

28th October: Monks Cross Shopping Park, York

3rd November: Castle Street, Edinburgh

4th November: Castle Street, Edinburgh*

*Please note due to unforeseen circumstances the Glasgow Road Show has been cancelled, however we will be at Castle Street Edinburgh on both the 3rd and the 4th November instead.

Meet our Master Spud winners

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Recently we launched a competition to find Master Spud 2011. Contestants were required to submit their favourite potato recipes on Many Faces of Potatoes, those who had their potato recipes selected then had to battle it out with other contestants at a regional roadshows, and finally only five were selected.

Here are the lucky five winners who have not only had the pleasure of cooking for Jean-Christophe, but are currently starring in a TV advertisement with him too!

DANIEL TURNER - Duchess Potatoes

Daniel lives in Chichester and enjoys playing sports and socialising. He entered his recipe, 'Duchess Potatoes', into the Master Spud competition and was the winning contestant from the Lakeside show. Daniel finds potatoes a good source of energy before playing sport and his recipe is an ideal quick mid-week meal option; which is always a hit with his girlfriend!

FI SCIOLTI - Mashed Potato with Pesto and Mackerel Fillets

Fi lives in North Lincolnshire with her husband and four children. She entered her recipe, 'Mashed potatoes with Pesto & Fresh Mackerel' into the Master Spud competition and not only won the Manchester roadshow, but she went onto win the overall competition! She was chosen by Jean-Christophe Novelli at the end of the Potato Council's national TV advert. Potatoes are very popular in her household and are something she includes on her family's menus at least four times a week.

Fi says, “With such a large family, who all have their own busy lives, I like to ensure we all sit down together to eat our evening meal. With six different people to please, potatoes are a firm base to a huge menu of quick and easy mid-week meals. I loved taking part in the TV ad, the whole day was fantastic and to go away as the overall winner, was an absolute dream come true”.

FIONA SUTHERLAND - Creamy Cheesy Bake

Fiona lives in Newbridge, Edinburgh with her husband and two children. Her hobbies include cooking, line dancing and growing her own herbs. She entered the Master Spud competition with her recipe, ‘Creamy Cheesy Bake’ and won the Glasgow roadshow.

She’s a big fan of cooking with natural ingredients and she likes to use potatoes because they are so versatile and can accompany most dishes.

Fiona says, “I am a busy working mum, and I am always looking for new and exciting recipes to create mid-week. The great thing about potatoes is that they don’t take very long to cook and go with just about everything. I’m was so excited to make it through to the final stage of Master Spud 2011 and filming the TV ad was an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience!”.

ANITA SHARMA-JAMES - Vegetable Pakora

Anita is a busy working mum from Hereford and Worcester, who lives with her husband and daughter. She entered the Master Spud competition with a traditional Indian recipe, ‘Delicately Spiced Pakora’ and won the Cardiff regional roadshow.

Anita says, “Potatoes are used every day in Indian Cooking, and the Delicately Spiced Pakoras are perfect straight from the oven, or even re-heated as a snack in between meals. I really want to encourage people to try cooking traditional Indian dishes from home and not just using ready-made sauces.

“Starring in the TV ad with Jean-Christophe was brilliant, I enjoyed every moment and hope that the viewers will see how simple my Delicately Spiced Pakora’s are to make and that it inspires many more home cooks to have a go themselves.”

JULIAN ROGERS - Spanish Omelette

Julian, from Northamptonshire, lives with his wife and two children and enjoys cooking and playing golf. He entered the Master Spud competition with his recipe, ‘Spanish Omelette’ and won the Birmingham roadshow.

He is passionate about cooking with fresh and natural ingredients, and wants to pass this onto his children. His recipe is a real winner with the kids, not only is it delicious straight from the pan, but any left-overs can be included into next day’s school lunch box.

Julian says, “I am a firm advocate of cooking from scratch, but I also believe that enjoyable recipes don’t necessarily need to be complicated ones. My Spanish omelette is very versatile as the ingredients can be made up from any left-overs in the fridge, and it is still ready and on the table in a flash.”

To view the Master Spud TV advert CLICK HERE

Visit the Many Faces of Potatoes website for more delicious recipes

Sing for your supper with Chip Factor!

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Win a plate of chips anywhere in the world to celebrate National Chip Week 2011! The phrase ‘singing for your supper’ is going to become a reality for one lucky chip lover who is going to be munching a plate of chips at their dream destination somewhere in the world - thanks to the launch of... (dry ice and drumroll please...) ‘Chip Factor’ by X-Factor’s ‘singing dustman’, Andy Abraham.

We want people to literally sing for their chip supper and celebrate their love of chips by belting out a chip-themed song in their local chippie.

All chip lovers will have to do is sing one of Andy’s chip-themed songs in a style that is worthy of ‘Chip Factor’!
The winning entry, voted for by the public, will win the chance to eat a plate of chips anywhere in the world... all they have to do is choose their favourite chip ditty, capture it on film and then upload it onto www.lovechips.co.uk.

Chippies around the country will be hosting ‘auditions’ to encourage people to sing for their chip suppers whilst queuing for their chips. Find out where your nearest ‘audition centre’ chip shop is.

Here’s how to take part:

For chip lovers to win the chance to eat chips absolutely anywhere in the world all you have to do is:
   •   Choose your favourite chip-related song
   •   Check where your nearest participating chippie is or decide to film yourself at home
   •   Get a mate to film you singing your song
   •   Upload it onto www.lovechips.co.uk with your entry detail
   •   Get ready to pack your salt ‘n’ vinegar in your suitcase because your could be eating a plate of chips anywhere in the world!

BECOME A MASTER SPUD

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Star with Jean Christophe Novelli on the Telly!

We’ve teamed up with French Fancy Jean Christophe Novelli, who has launched a competition to star along side him on national TV!

Find out more

Impress at the check out: Women size up men by their shopping

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Women have come clean and confessed to a guilty shopping secret. A new survey reveals that nearly nine out of ten women in the UK judge their fellow shoppers on the contents of their shopping basket. When it comes to sizing up men, it seems that nothing impresses women more than a man who buys red wine and potatoes.

These findings lift the lid on just how far women go when eyeing up men at the checkout, revealing that they decide what their income is, what kind of lifestyle they lead and whether they’d make a good partner or even father, all based upon the contents of their shopping.

A bottle of red wine (95%) and new potatoes (93%) top the list of grocery items which women associate with a man who has a good job, beating other everyday purchases such as mince, soup, fish and ketchup. Fresh fruit and vegetables in the basket are good sign too – so say 87% of women who named new potatoes, joint with apples, as the top items that show a man would make a good partner or husband. Likewise, apples, cucumbers (both 88%) and new potatoes (86%) top the list of items women associate with a man who would make a good father.

The big basket turn-offs for women include cans of lager with more than eight in ten women associating them with a man who leads an unhealthy lifestyle. Instant soup convinces 86% of women that a man is lazy and 80% that he has a poor job and salary.

In less time than it can take a man to decide between a shopping basket and a shopping trolley, women have sized men up and come to some big conclusions. In under 10 seconds, two thirds of women will have checked out his shopping and decided if a man leads a healthy lifestyle, 62% will have determined if he takes care of himself and six in ten whether he has a lot of money.

Relationship expert Kate Taylor comments:

“Women are trained to spot suitable mates, and have many unconscious ways of assessing a man’s partnership potential – including his height, the symmetry of his features and even his smell. Secretly snooping at a man’s shopping is just the modern way of seeing what kind of provider he would be.

Some shopping basket items clearly have more “attractive” associations for women than others. As most “attractive” qualities are actually signs of fertility – like healthy skin tone or an inverse V shaped male torso – men should not overlook the pulling power of certain foods such as potatoes and apples. Women subconsciously want good fathers for their kids. New potatoes probably rank highly because they are healthy and take little time to prepare – a good father doesn’t lock himself in the kitchen for hours to try to escape from his other domestic duties.

Seeing fresh fruit and veg in a man’s shopping basket also inspires women to think he takes good care of himself. This personality trait is amazingly attractive, especially to modern women who know they won’t have time to nag a partner about his health or take on the overhauling of his diet like a big project. As women constantly stretch themselves to improve, they want men who can keep up. So potatoes, apples and other healthy fruit and veg say ‘You won’t have to mother me’ which is highly desirable.”

When it comes to the foods that a man needs to buy in order for a woman to want him to cook for her, new potatoes top the list (two thirds of respondents) followed by onions (61%), other potatoes (e.g. baking or roasting potatoes) and a bottle of red wine (both with 55% of the vote).

The survey also reveals that nearly two thirds of women will decide that a man buying potatoes or new potatoes is interested in cooking, 58% will assume that he is healthy and 54% will deem that he is practical - proving he can look after himself.

Men in the South West should be particularly wary of what they put in their shopping baskets as more women (91%) judge others on what they buy than any other region. If they want to impress women, men should also ensure that they put new potatoes in their baskets as they are the top item that women in the region associate with a healthy lifestyle (98%) and good partner material (92%).

Join Dawn and save hours of time in the kitchen!

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Wholesome, balanced diets and the hectic schedules of today’s time-poor women don’t usually go hand-in-hand but celeb fan, Dawn Porter, has taken up the potato healthy eating plan to show the nation just how easily potatoes can fit in to a busy lifestyle.

Starting next week, Dawn Porter, international journalist and TV presenter will be following the time-saving eating plan to illustrate how well this naturally healthy but often overlooked vegetable can compliment a hectic lifestyle. She will be sharing every step of the experience with us through her video blog and Tweets and is looking for others to take part in the potato challenge with her!

Watch this Space! If you want to take part in the 2010 healthy eating plan with Dawn, sign up for your weekly plan update and bookmark www.lovepotatoes.co.uk for regular updates and news from Dawn herself.

Potatoes: Know the Truth

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Watch Sanjay in action!

Potato experts separate fact from fiction at the 2010 Potato Masterclass as they revealed the real truths about the nation’s favourite vegetable.

The ‘Potato Masterclass’ was held in London to celebrate the start of the British new potato season, and to launch a new campaign that will highlight to consumers just how tasty, versatile, sustainable and healthy potatoes really are. Potato Council research identified that people don’t know that potatoes are a good source of vitamin C, and that they are in fact they are 99.9% fat free.

A new team of Potato Ambassadors that will be working to bust these potato myths was introduced. These include the star of Iron Chef UK Sanjay Dwivedi, leading Consultant Dietitian Sian Porter, and a team of British potato growers – the real face of farming.

A recent Potato Council survey revealed that only 7%* of adults would choose potatoes as their carbohydrate of choice for international cuisine, compared with 85%* who would use potatoes for a more traditional British meal. Sanjay Dwivedi, who is passionate about potatoes, both at home and at his Kensington restaurant, Zaika said: “Potatoes shouldn’t be associated with purely British or European cuisines, because they are ideal for so many dishes from around the world. From Bombay potatoes, to fresh Thai salads or Jamaican Jerk stir fries, potatoes are a fantastic foundation for an unlimited number of tasty and exciting meals.”