Potato Week 1-7 October 2012

1st to 7th October 2012 is Potato Week. To celebrate, manyfacesofpotatoes.co.uk is on a mission to show Brits how to get the best out of the potato and, from this October, is launching a new classification system, set to change the way we eat and cook them forever. It is designed to be simple to read and easy to understand.

The chart below shows how the new classification works – there are only three:

Typical Varieties:	Desiree	Charlotte or Maris Peer	Maris Piper or King Edward
When cooked it feels:	A nice smooth texture	Firm to the bite	Fluffy in the middle
Try as:	Cooked in a sauce, mash, wedges and boiled	Salads or served as an accompaniment	Family favourites such as roasties, jackets or chips
When cooked it:	Holds its shape when boiled or cooked in a sauce. Also makes a nice smooth mash	Tastes great boiled, steamed or roasted whole in its skin	Becomes fluffy in the middle

Caroline Evans of Potato Council, said: “Potatoes remain one of the nation’s favourite ingredients – they can be used to create so many tasty dishes and being naturally fat free, they’re a nutritious base for lots of meals too. Because they’re so versatile, we have developed this new classification system to make it even easier for you to pick the potato that’s right for your dish every time.

“We understand it comes down to a matter of individual taste but our new guide simply acts as a starting point and suggests how you can try cooking all of the different varieties, saving you lots of time in the kitchen! Once you’ve decided on your favourite for a particular dish, make sure you keep choosing this variety and you’ll never again have to wonder why your roasties did not have that delicious fluffy centre or your mash was not as scrumptiously smooth as it should have been.”

In the UK there are around 3,000 potato growers, all passionate about providing you the best, most nutritious crop they can for your healthy meals. Each of these growers want to share the lengths to which they go to produce the perfect potato and why the different types of potato make different taste and textures.

To celebrate Potato Week, double Michelin Starred restaurant L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon and manyfacesofpotatoes.co.uk have created the world’s first potato tasting menu. Sitting on the award-winning restaurant’s carte du jour for the duration of Potato Week, the menu comprises eight delicious courses using potatoes, from a salt and vinegar crisp cocktail and potato petit fours to the world’s most decadent bangers and mash.

Olivier Limousin, Head Chef at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon said: “We’re always excited to create something truly inspirational and unique. Potatoes can be cooked in so many different ways and the tasting menu we’ve developed with manyfacesofpotatoes.co.uk not only highlights their versatility, it’s also been carefully crafted to show how using the right variety of potatoes with the right ingredients is key to complementing any dish.”