Ireland's first crop of 'Queens' potatoes is two week later than usual this year, due to colder temperatures in the spring. As the new season potatoes start appearing on shelves this week, consumers in Ireland are expected to buy 20,000 tonnes of Queens over the coming months.
To mark the start of the new potato season, Bord Bia is launching 20 new summer recipes.
TV dietitian and nutritional expert, Aoife Hearne, is the newly-appointed potato ambassador for a Bord Bia-run campaign, aimed at encouraging more people to eat potatoes in Ireland. The initiative is called: ‘Potatoes – More Than A Bit On The Side’ and Hearne travelled to the Pettit farm in Wexford for the start of this year’s harvest, along with representatives from Bord Bia, the Irish Potato Federation and the Irish Farmers Association.
Speaking about the importance of potatoes to a healthy diet, Hearne said:
“The taste of new season Queens is one that brings back great childhood memories for many. Potatoes go hand in hand with healthy eating for adults and children alike as they are naturally fat free and gluten free and a great source of fibre, vitamin C and a variety of B vitamins. They also contain three times the amount of potassium of bananas.”
The Potato Sector Manager with Bord Bia, Lorcan Bourke, explained how potatoes are still a firm favourite at mealtimes. He said:
“1.65 million Irish households will buy 120 million packs of potatoes, spending an estimated €175 million on them this year. New season potatoes are the real taste of summer for many Irish people, so it’s an ideal time to highlight how versatile and nutritious they are. We have engaged Aoife Hearne as potato ambassador for the campaign to remind people of the health benefits of potatoes, as well as pointing out the many ways to use them. We are launching 20 family-friendly summer recipes on www.potato.ie, to show how convenient and versatile the potato is.”
According to Shay Phelan, a Crops Specialist with Teagasc, this year the potato crop in Ireland will be about 8,200ha, similar to last year, which he said was an indication that the decline is potato consumption was halting.
Potato consumption has been declining in recent years, with rice and pasta replacing the humble spud on many dinner plates, he said.
However, funding that Bord Bia, the Department of Agriculture and IFA recently secured from Europe, to promote potatoes would help curb this decline, he said.
Further details about the Bord Bia campaign and access to the full list of recipes can be found at www.potato.ie.