Lab Log

Hello Magazine loves our Celeb-Hangout Recipes

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Hello Magazine Online is featuring our yummy celeb-hangout recipes.

They agree that if you want to be on-trend in the kitchen this autumn, you can give your friends the star treatment - or just treat yourself - by preparing one of our quick and easy potato recipes inspired by the stars' favourite restaurants such as the Ivy, the Wolseley and Scott's.

Potatoes are this Season’s ‘Must-Have’ in Celeb Hangouts

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Glance at the menu in restaurants frequented by the likes of Cheryl Cole, Lady Gaga, Jude Law or the Beckham’s – and potatoes reign supreme. From Italian-style gnocchi to French dauphinoise, from salads to tapas, and from mash to chips - potatoes are in vogue and unlike pasta or rice, they’re naturally fat free.

Restaurant expert, Richard Harden, founder of Harden’s the definitive pocket-sized guide to restaurants in London and the UK said: “We’ve visited over a hundred restaurants for the latest Harden’s Guide and I’m not surprised to see that many celebrity hotspots have potatoes at the heart of their menus. Potatoes are universally popular whether they’re served as Lyonnais potatoes at The Wolseley, Castilian potatoes at Scott’s, in Sherpherd’s Pie at The Ivy or fat chips at Lounge 10.”

“In the restaurant business, many styles come and go but people will always go back to food that they know and love which is why potatoes are a true winner with chefs and diners. You just have to take a look at the Top 20 Most Mentioned Restaurants in our latest guide and potatoes are featured prominently on almost all of their menus. Celebrities are just like the rest of us and expect a menu to offer lots of choice with well cooked, feel-good food that can be dressed up or down to suit the occasion. The versatility and ease of cooking potatoes mean they fit the bill perfectly.”

Come dine with me
If you want to be on-trend in the kitchen this autumn without breaking the bank, you can give your friends the star treatment - or just treat yourself - by preparing a quick and easy potato-packed menu to impress: Dress potatoes up French-style, like The Wolseley’s sophisticated Lyonnais potatoes (thinly sliced and pan fried) or go for something classic, like the Ivy’s traditional Shepherd’s Pie, topped with soft, creamy mash.

Star-style potato recipes made simple:

• Shepherd’s Pie, inspired by The Ivy’s Shepherd’s Pie
• Landaise Chicken with Oven Lyonnaise-Style potatoes, inspired by The Wolseley’s, Roast Landaise Chicken with Lyonnais Potatoes
• Roasted Cod With Castilian Potatoes, inspired by Scott’s Cornish Hake with Seared Squid and Castilian Potatoes
• Smoked Haddock Fishcakes with Garlic Mayo, inspired by Lounge 10’s, Spiced Haddock Fish Cakes with Saffron and Garlic Alioli

Dieting mums being misled

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0100

For years British mums have tried diet after diet, searching the world for the perfect solution to shift those extra pounds. But as new research* by Potato Council reveals that 75% of diets are doomed to fail, could myths surrounding potatoes be partly to blame? A survey of more than 1,500 mums reveals that many wrongly believe potatoes to be fattening, and are clueless about how low in calories they actually are**.

Nearly two thirds of those questioned did not know that a new potato contains just 26kcals. Nutritionist Fiona Hunter believes misunderstanding like this, coupled with misleading advice, plays a major part in mums' failure to achieve their target weight loss: "Many of these diets are too restrictive, cutting out major foods and are actually quite boring. The research shows that mums aren't seeing these diets through, which really isn't surprising - after all, who wants to eat a meal replacement drink or cabbage soup for most of the day?

"The beauty of potatoes is that they can be used in so many ways, from the traditional methods like boiled or mashed, right through to stir fries or salsa. So instead of a boring repetitive diet that may not work, mums can actually manage their weight, and add to their meal repertoire at the same time. Many diets reinforce the view that there is a need to reduce potato consumption. In fact the opposite is true - potatoes can actually help with weight management. They are virtually fat free, low in calories and contain a range of vitamins and minerals in a nutrient dense form."

The Potato Council research found that yo-yo dieting is common amongst mums - 29% diet once a year, 20% go on two diets and a quarter go on more than three diets a year. Only one in ten mums say they have stayed the full course to reach their target weight and most stick to their diet for less than three months***.

Fiona Hunter offers the following advice to mums wishing to manage their weight:

Three weight-watching ways to enjoy potatoes

1. Add a sprig of mint in the last few minutes when boiling fresh new potatoes
2. Fill a jacket with a low fat filling like tuna in spring water with lime and coriander
3. Mash potatoes with hot skimmed milk for a light fluffy mash without butter

How to spot a 'fad' diet

- It excludes a major food group like potatoes
- If it sounds too good to be true it probably is
- If it offers rapid weight loss - the ideal of rate of weight loss is 0.5-1kg /wk

If you're looking for weight watching recipes that will keep the calories down AND taste great, why not try our Summer Chicken, Orange and Potato Salad or Mediterranean Chicken and Potato Stir Fry? For more healthy recipes and healthy cooking tips click here.

New film examines why 43% of mums don’t serve fresh potatoes!

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0100

43% of mums don’t serve fresh potatoes as they take too long to prepare and cook. New film examines why.

When a recent survey revealed that mother’s aged 25-45 are the lowest consumers of potatoes, the Potato Council realised that it had to find out why.

However it decided to take a rather unconventional approach using a ground breaking study where a farmer swaps jobs with a mum and her young family, which it captured for a new, vibrant online film campaign.

The Potato Council’s pioneering initiative aims to help farmers gain a closer understanding of their key consumers, young families, and encourage growers to develop products that respond better to their lifestyle needs.

The Farmer: Farm manager Matt Spanton (31) was born into farming and following agricultural college joined T.G. Redsell in Faversham, Kent. He now runs a 3,000 acre farm supplying all the major supermarkets with local produce. Brought up on potatoes he couldn’t understand why families are not eating as many as they used to which is why he volunteered for the project.

The Family: The Havers of Kingston upon Thames (Dad - Steve, Mum - Catherine, Monty – nearly six, Charlie just three and Daisy – two going on princess) were chosen from hundreds of families who registered to take part via the online parenting website www.netmums.com. Catherine had found a bag of potatoes that she hadn’t used for at least three weeks (actually dated Best Before: February 2009) and thought to herself ‘Wow! I don’t really use them for family meals anymore.’

The Swap: In June the Havers joined Matt on his farm where he put them to work in the vast fields to tend and learn all about the skills and passion he feels are needed to grow potatoes. At the end of a long but rewarding day, Catherine threw down the challenge – could Matt spend a day looking after her family to see if he could do everything needed to keep the kids and the household running as well as prepare and cook the family’s tea? See if Matt can make it as ‘mum for a day’; view the full film here.

The engaging and informative film will also be featured on www.netmums.com. The Potato Council is now rolling out the project across the UK including Wales, Scotland, Yorkshire, the North West, the Midlands and the South of England. To take part click here

Notes to Editors

Matt’s Favourite Recipe: Mediterranean Potato & Chicken Stir-Fry – cooked fresh in record time by Matt for Monty, Charlie and Daisy’s tea, so no need for Catherine’s microwave pasta back-up!

Prep time: 10 mins    Cook time: 10 mins    Cost: less than £5 for 4

• 350g new potatoes thickly sliced
• 1 tbsp oil
• 400g chicken breast cut into thin strips
• 500g pack of pre-sliced vegetables
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste

1.    Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5-6 minutes until tender. Drain.
2.    Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the chicken for 5 minutes, add the vegetables and potatoes and fry for a further 2-3 minutes.
3.   Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste and stir-fry for 1 minute before
      serving.

Catherine’s Take Home Tips

1. New or salad potatoes take little or no preparation time and cook in just 10 minutes.
2. Use leftover salad or new potatoes cold for lunch the next day.
3. You can use potatoes in any way that you would cooked pasta
4. You get a lot of potatoes for your money!

Potato Council is part of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board www.ahdb.org.uk working on behalf of British potato growers and purchasers to promote potatoes. Potato Council is funded through a statutory levy on 3,000 potato growers and potato trade purchasers and aims to support the British potato industry.

Potatoes – a food for today’s consumer

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0100

A Potato Summit held this week (Wednesday 17th September) in London, demonstrated just how much potatoes have to offer today’s consumer. With the credit crunch showing no signs of abating, potatoes are really coming into their own against both pasta and rice. For versatility, convenience, value and nutritional content potatoes are extremely hard to beat.

Kathryn Race, Marketing Director from Potato Council, opened the summit by revealing new research which shows that 40%* of consumers believe that using more fresh potatoes in their cooking will help reduce their weekly shopping bill. Kathryn commented that: “Although it is good to know that nearly half* of consumers believe that potatoes offer more versatility than other carbohydrates, we need to remind everyone that potatoes are very much a food for today. Delivering more nutrients for your money against pasta or rice and infinitely more versatile, potatoes should be an essential item on any weekly menu planner.”

The event was hosted by world-renowned chef, TV presenter and food archaeologist Alan Coxon. Alan demonstrated a range of deliciously simple potato dishes, using just a handful of store cupboard ingredients, and each costing less than £1.50 a head. Making a tasty meal with potatoes is very easy, as Alan showed - his recipes for Smoked Haddock and Potato Chowder and Chicken and Potato Curry take just 10 minutes to prepare.

Alan commented on the relevance of potatoes for today’s consumer: “With the credit crunch looking like it is here for a while longer, there has never been a better time to raise the profile of such a wonderful home-grown food like potatoes. There are so many healthy meals and snacks we can make using potatoes – from casseroles and jacket potatoes, to omelettes and roasts, today’s shoppers should take advantage by including more potatoes in their weekly meals. Not only are potatoes quick to prepare, but they are unbelievably good value too!”

Convenience and versatility are only part of what today’s consumers look for. Serving up healthy, balanced meals is also very important which, as nutritionist Fiona Hunter explained, is another reason to choose potatoes: “Potatoes are full of a wide variety of nutrients from potassium and iron to vitamin C and folate. No wonder then that research shows that 82%** of consumers think potatoes are healthy. Many consumers though may be surprised to learn that a jacket potato will contain three times more iron than a portion of rice and 20 times more potassium than a bowl of pasta”.

For more information on potatoes, including recipes and nutritional information, please visit www.britishpotatoes.co.uk

For further information or images please contact:

David Gough Lisa Woodman

Ceres Partnership Ceres Partnership

Tel: 0118 947 5956 Tel: 0118 947 5956

E: david.gough@ceres-pr.co.uk E: lisa.woodman@ceres-pr.co.uk

*Potatoes in an economic downturn, Oxford Partnership on behalf of Potato Council, July 2008

**Potato Awareness, Oxford Partnership on behalf of Potato Council, July 2008

• Potato Council is part of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board www.ahdb.org.uk working on behalf of British potato growers and purchasers to promote potatoes. Potato Council is funded through a statutory levy on 3,000 potato growers and potato trade purchasers and aims to support the British potato industry

• Potato Council has pledged its support for the year-long International Year of the Potato (IYP) event. Launched at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York, IYP will focus on the importance of the potato in providing food security and alleviating poverty. Further information is available at http://www.britishpotatoes.co.uk/year-of-the-potato

Potatoes - A Natural Pick Me Up

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100

The nation’s potato farmers have decided its time to take action, as
research shows that the younger generation are forsaking potatoes for
pasta, yet consuming well below the recommended daily intake of vital
nutrients contained in potatoes, such as iron.

Iron is one of those nutrients that most of us know we need. Without it
we can become tired and lethargic. Women have a higher iron requirement
than men yet according to the latest NDNS survey around 40% of women
under 50, are consuming well below the recommended daily intake of this
vital nutrient.[i] Meanwhile research from Potato Council shows
that many 19 - 35 year olds are forsaking potatoes for pasta[ii]
- when just one portion of potatoes can provide up to 19% of
the recommended daily amount[iii], and pasta only 7%.

Iron is found naturally in a variety of foods from liver and red meat to
dark green leafy vegetables like spinach. But potatoes are seemingly
being overlooked as possibly one of the most natural and economic
sources of iron - and many other important nutrients too including
potassium and vitamin C.

Although, overall potato sales are on the increase, just 2 out of 10
meals prepared by 19-35 year olds contain potatoes, compared to 8 of 10
meals served by the older generation.[iv] So starting this
week potato farmers will be launching a nationwide campaign to remind us
to ‘love potatoes’

As nutritionist Fiona Hunter explains: "Many people may be surprised to
know that potatoes offer more nutrients for your money compared to rice
or pasta. Aside from iron, potatoes are also packed with potassium which
may help to lower blood pressure and is necessary in helping to control
the balance of fluids in the body. Although technically not a
vegetable, a portion of potatoes also contains more vitamin C than an
apple and vitamins B6 and B1 plus folate."

"Something for the Weekend’s" chef, Simon Rimmer is supporting the
farmers, and is keen to demonstrate that potatoes are one of the most
versatile and convenient foods available. "With the current credit
crunch, a staple home-grown crop like potatoes is, as it was to our
grandparents, so important. A bag of potatoes offers such tremendous
value and so many options!

"From melt in the mouth mash with sausages, to summer salads, potatoes
make great accompaniments but also are an ideal meal solution. Fill a
jacket potato with bolognaise sauce or curry, roast chicken drumsticks
with potato wedges - the choice is endless. Potatoes are a really fast
food - but good for you too!"

Simon will be joining farmers at Exeter Farmers Market on 19th June,
Manchester Farmers and Producer’s Market on 27th June, Ipswich General
Market on 1st July and Shrewsbury Food and Drink Fair on 4th July.

The Love Potatoes campaign also has the support of potato fan Nell
McAndrew who says "for all those busy mums out there, there is no better
time to love potatoes. As well as being great value for money,
especially when budgets are stretched, potatoes are packed full of
nutrients, are naturally fat free, low in calories and contain a host of
nutrients - there’s nothing quite like the British potato and I’m
thrilled to join Simon and be on board"

For further information or images please contact:

David Gough
Ceres Partnership
Tel: 0118 947 5956
E: david.gough@ceres-pr.co.uk <mailto:david.gough@ceres-pr.co.uk>

Lisa Woodman
Ceres Partnership
Tel: 0118 947 5956
E: david.gough@ceres-pr.co.uk <mailto:david.gough@ceres-pr.co.uk>

*Editors Notes*

- For more information on the Love Potatoes campaign visit
www.britishpotatoes.co.uk <http://www.britishpotatoes.co.uk/>

- The Potato Council, supporting the British potato industry, is
funded by potato growers and potato trade purchasers and is part of the
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (www.ahdb.org.uk
<http://www.ahdb.org.uk/>).

- Potato Council has pledged its support for the year-long
International Year of the Potato (IYP) event. Launched at the United
Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York, IYP will focus on the importance
of the potato in providing food security and alleviating poverty.
Further information is available at
http://www.britishpotatoes.co.uk/year-of-the-potato

- Iron is an essential part of haemoglobin, the red pigment in
our blood that allows it to carry oxygen around the body. Low iron
stores can cause problems like excessive tiredness and lethargy. Other
symptoms include shortness of breath, particularly after exertion, poor
concentration, poor appetite muscle weakness and increased
susceptibility to colds and infections.

- Potassium helps control blood pressure. Studies show that
people who get plenty of potassium in their diet are less likely to
suffer from high blood pressure and this will help reduce the risk of
heart disease and stroke. One study found that men who ate the least
amount of potassium were two and half times more likely to die from a
stroke than those who had a high intake.

- A serving of potatoes contains just 116kcals* but a host of
nutrients including vitamins B1 and B6 and folate - compared with a
portion of rice** which contains 248kcals and a portion of pasta***
which contains 228kcals.

- A 175g portion of new potatoes contains 2.8 mg iron, while a
portion of rice contains just 0.36 mg and a portion of pasta contains
just 1.1mg

- A 175g portion of new potatoes contains 752.5mg potassium,
while a portion of rice contains just 97.2 mg and a portion of pasta
contains just 52.8mg

------------------------------------------------------------------------

[i] The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) revealed
that 40% of women aged 19-35 yrs had iron intakes below the Lower
Recommended Nutritional Intake (LRNI), and 30% of women age 19-35 yrs
had potassium intakes below the LRNI. Meanwhile the Low Income Diet and
Nutrition Survey revealed that a high proportion of low income women in
the 19-34 age group had iron (almost in 1 in 2) and potassium intakes
(almost 1 in 3) below the LRNI.

[ii] Qualitative and quantitative research carried out by
the Oxford partnership, February 2008, showed that pre-families (19-35
year olds living together) are 27% less likely to use potatoes when
cooking simple adult meals, and 17% less likely to use potatoes when
cooking healthy meals, than the GB average.

Fresh potatoes are used for 43% of all meals cooked by pre-families, the
lowest of any lifestage. Meanwhile, rice, pasta and noodles - which
contain significantly less iron and potassium - are used for 40% of
meals, the highest of any lifestage.

[iii] Recommended Daily Amount (RDA): The amount of a
nutrient that is enough to meet the dietary needs of about 97% of a
group of people. The RDA for women for iron is 14.8mg.

[iv] Consumer lifestages identified how often meals are
served where potatoes are the carbohydrate component. The younger
lifestages were the lowest consumers of potatoes - March 2006

International Year of the Potato

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Britain celebrates United Nations’ International Year of the Potato 2008. Launched at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York, the International Year of the Potato (IYP) will focus on the importance of the potato in providing food security and alleviating poverty.

The International Year of the Potato was initially declared by the government of Peru and motioned by the UN. The year-long event will focus on the importance of the potato in providing food security and alleviating poverty.

The British Potato Council has pledged its support to IYP and is planning a series of activities to celebrate this unique event.

BPC Activities to Celebrate IYP

These will include the highly successful Grow Your Own Potatoes project. Now in its third year this fun, hands-on activity helps primary school children learn about potatoes; how they grow, where they come from and their role in a healthy balanced diet. The project is already supported by a wealth of educational resources for teachers but to celebrate the International Year of the Potato the BPC is developing some more worksheets that link subjects such as geography and history, as well as encouraging awareness of the need for other nations to grow potatoes. Grow Your Own has been so successful that the UN has launched its own version, based on the BPC’s. For more information click here.

Facts & Figures

Where in the world…?

• The potato (Solanum tuberosum) originated in the Andes of South America, 8000 years ago. Today, potatoes are grown on an estimated 19,500,000 hectares around the world.

• The word ‘potato’ known in Spanish as ‘patata’ is derived from the word ‘batata’

• Asia and Europe are the world's major potato producing regions, accounting for more than 80 percent of world production in 2006. While harvests in Africa and Latin America were far smaller, production was at record levels. North America was the clear leader in yields, at more than 40 tonnes per hectare.

• China is now the biggest potato producer, and almost a third of all potatoes are harvested in China and India alone.

• Asia consumes almost half of the world's potato supply, but its huge population means that consumption per person was a modest 25 kg in 2005. The heartiest potato eaters are Europeans. Per capita consumption is lowest, but increasing, in Africa and Latin America.

• Potatoes are so rich in starch that it ranks as the world's fourth most important food crop, after maize, wheat and rice.

National Chip Week 2008 - Keith Chegwin and the Chip Inspector

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Celebrate National Chip Week 2008 & nominate your Favourite Chips for the National Golden Chip Award.

Thick or thin, straight cut or crinkly, saucy or au natural, whatever tickles your taste buds, cheeky Cheggers wants you to show your love for chips by telling him where you get your tastiest chips from!

Celebrity chip connoisseur Keith Chegwin and the Potato Council’s Chip Inspector today launched the search for Britain’s best chips. “Britain! Cherish your chips!” chimes Cheggers. “Come on, it’s time to stand up and show your love for the nation’s tastiest dish - skinny, chunky, curly - I love ‘em all. I’m hungry to hear about your prize fries so get voting - everyone can chip in!”

It could be your local chippie or perhaps a posh gastro pub, restaurant, tempting takeaway or even a mobile snack van. Nominate your favourite chips by visiting www.lovechips.co.uk and filling in the simple entry form. The outlet that receives the most votes will receive the prestigious National Golden Chip Award.

It’s all to celebrate the 17th annual National Chip Week (11th-17th February 2008) which gives people across country the opportunity to enjoy one of the nation’s tastiest treasures, the chip.

And this year National Chip Week will be even more chiptastic, as Cheggers and the Chip Inspector will be hitting the road, touring the country, tasting and testing to reveal the Chip Inspector’s Choice – top awards for regional chip-excellence. The chippy contenders must not only face Keith’s tough taste test, they’ll also have to pass the Chip Inspector’s exacting examination for prize winning crispiness, colour and fluffiness.

The Chip Inspector, Britain’s top chip-ologist, takes his work very seriously; “It’s only fitting that the nation celebrates its favourite tasty treasure by letting the people decide who is worthy of the National Golden Chip Award. It’s going to be tough but with the help of the great British public, I’m sure we’ll unearth the perfect specimen.”

Whether they are fresh cooked at home, from the chip shop, frozen or microwaveable, we just can’t resist chips. So come on Britain, show your love for chips and get voting! It couldn’t be easier just visit www.lovechips.co.uk and let Keith and the Chip Inspector know the name and location of where you get your favourite chips from as well as why they’re the best chips in the country. Voting closes at 6pm on 17th February 2008.

- ENDS -

For more information, photography or interview opportunities with Keith Chegwin and the Chip Inspector please contact Symbiosis:

Vanessa Okell  0207 039 0101 vanessa@symbiosis.co.uk
Paul Hamilton  0207 039 0105 paul@symbiosis.co.uk
James King  0207 039 0102 james@symbiosis.co.uk

Chegger’s Cheeky Chip Facts
• 1 out of every 4 British potatoes are made into chips – that’s approximately 1 ¼ million tonnes every year.
• If you laid all the chips eaten in Great Britain each year end to end they would stretch around the world 76 times!
• It would take an area the size of 56,000 Wembley Stadium football pitches to grow all the potatoes needed for the chips consumed in Great Britain each year.
• Each 1kg bag of oven chips is, on average, made from a weighty 16 medium-sized potatoes.
• 8 out of 10 households buy frozen chips each year, so most of us have a bag in the freezer!
• 10% of the entire British potato crop is needed to supply all the fish and chip shops.

The Chip Inspector's Home Made Tasty Oven Chips

Ingredients: 700g / 1 ½ lb potatoes Olive oil

• Cut the unpeeled potatoes into 1cm thick chip wedges
• Wash and dry well on kitchen paper
• Place on a non-stick baking tray and drizzle with olive oil, season to taste
• Bake in a pre-heated oven for 40 mins at 200oC/Gas Mark 6, turn after 20 mins

Tip: Spice up your chips by adding cayenne pepper when you season.

For more recipes visit www.lovechips.co.uk

Notes to Editor:

The Potato Council is a non-departmental public body working on behalf of potato growers and purchasers to promote British potatoes. It is funded through a statutory levy on 3,400 growers and potato purchasers and aims to stimulate, develop and promote the GB industry to consumers and customers.

The aim of the organisation is to increase usage of GB potatoes and ensure the GB industry remains competitive.

Changing shape of microwave usage is lead by jacket potatoes

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Despite the strong ready meal culture in Britain, the humble jacket potato is the top food cooked in the microwave, reveals a survey of over 1,300 adults conducted for the British Potato Council.

Twenty six per cent of those with access to a microwave at home or work named the jacket potato as the food they are most likely to use it for, compared to 18 per cent who use their microwave for ready meals, 9 per cent who use it for baked beans, 8 per cent for porridge and 5 per cent who use it for reheating or warming foods.

For those that use the microwave for cooking jacket potatoes nearly a third do so once a week or more, with 10 per cent doing so 2-3 times a week and 20 per cent once a week. This is compared to just 11 per cent who use it once a week to cook other vegetables

Aside from jacket potatoes, other carbohydrate foods were almost absent from the list of nominated foods cooked in the microwave – pasta and rice are only cooked in the microwave by two per cent.

When microwave ovens first appeared forty years ago this year, they were hailed as the quick solution for freezer-to-table cooking, yet only five per cent of those surveyed said they use the microwave to cook frozen vegetables and two per cent for defrosting food.

The results would suggest that today’s user is looking for easy cook solutions and time saving is a key factor. A jacket potato cooked in the microwave only takes eight minutes, compared to over an hour in a conventional oven.

Rising electricity and gas prices can make the microwave a more efficient way of cooking single portion meals, as they use around a third of the energy used in a conventional oven. Yet, the benefits of cooking by microwave can reach beyond the household as twenty four per cent of those questioned said that they had access to a microwave both at home and at work, yet usage at work tends to be limited to heating up soup.

Kathryn Race, marketing director at the British Potato Council said: “Those who have access to a microwave at work are missing a trick. Jacket potatoes can provide a speedy, healthy and tasty lunchtime meal in less than eight minutes but the benefits can last right through the whole afternoon. Potatoes are a good source of energy and many other nutrients including vitamin C and folate. Simply combine with chicken, fish, beans or cheese and a salad or green vegetables, for a complete meal on a plate.”

The survey revealed that the favourite toppings of choice for men are grated cheese (27 per cent), butter (15 per cent) and baked beans and cheese (12 per cent) and for women, grated cheese (31 per cent), tuna and sweetcorn (16 per cent) and baked beans and cheese (11 per cent)

For tips on potato varieties to use for baking and great autumn jacket potato recipes visit HYPERLINK "http://www.britishpotatoes.co.uk" www.britishpotatoes.co.uk.
-ends-
David Gough and Lisa Woodman
Ceres Partnership
Tel: 0118 947 5956
E: david.gough@ceres-pr.co.uk
E: lisa.woodman@ceres-pr.co.uk

Editors notes

The British Potato Council is a non-departmental public body working on behalf of potato growers and purchasers to promote British potatoes. It is funded through a statutory levy on 3,400 growers and potato purchasers and aims to stimulate, develop and promote the GB industry to consumers and customers.

The aim of the organisation is to increase usage of GB potatoes and ensure the GB industry remains competitive.

For more information on BPC visit www.potato.org.uk

A total of 1472 principal shoppers were interviewed across Great Britain between 12th and 16th October 2007 by the Oxford Partnership

Potato facts
With 3,000 potato farmers in Great Britain, you are never very far from a local home grown source
The maincrop potato season starts in August and runs through to the spring which is when British new potatoes start being harvested
Potatoes are the single largest source of Vitamin C in the British diet.   A medium portion of new potatoes contains more vitamin C than an apple.
The average 175g portion of boiled potatoes contains only 126 calories, that’s 112.4 calories less than a 180g portion of easy cook white rice or 102.8 calories less than a 220g portion of cooked spaghetti.
Plus a portion of cooked spaghetti contains more than six times the amount of fat than boiled potatoes
Serving roast potatoes gives you a natural source of folate (important for teenage girls and pregnant mums)
There is more fibre in a jacket potato than a bowl of bran flakes