POTATO COUNCIL

www.potato.org.uk
www.britishpotatoes.co.uk
www.potatoesforcaterers.co.uk
www.potatoesforschools.org.uk
www.lovechips.co.uk
www.potatoposters.co.uk

One potato, two potato, three potato, four, five potato, six potato. Six potato websites. The Potato Council have got six different websites. Six official potato websites.

In the current issue of The Grocer, there's a story with the headline POTATO INDUSTRY 'MUST PULL IN YOUNG PEOPLE' based on a report, due to be published by the Potato Council next month, called "Potatoes - A Choice For Life". Apparently, younger consumers are turning to rice and pasta, rather than potatoes, as their main source of carbohydrate:

Consumption under-indexed significantly among younger age groups and was highest among the retired, according to the report. Only 63% of individuals in the "pre-family" demographic ate potatoes as their carbohydrate of choice, compared with 21% for pasta and 16% for rice. However, 86% of the retired consumed potatoes as their carbohydrate of choice.

I didn't know everyone was meant to have a carbohydrate of choice. Do you have to have one? I guess mine would be potatoes, but I don't know, now I feel pressured. What if I choose the wrong carbohydrate of choice? If I pick potatoes, what does that say about me? I'm in the pre-family demographic, does choosing potatoes make me uncool? Pasta and rice seem edgier choices.

According to the Potato Council, "time, convenience and money" are the reasons people are choosing rice and pasta instead of potatoes. As Kathryn Race of the Potato Council explains, “for generations, family meals have included potato favourites such as Shepherd’s Pie and fishcakes. But our research reveals that the younger generation are now unable to make a meal using one of the most important staples – the potato, without being shown how":

When asked which they would know how to cook from scratch:

• only 65 per cent of 19-21 year olds, 65 per cent of 22-25 year olds and 67 per cent of 26-30 year olds know how to cook roast potatoes


• just 66 per cent of 19-21 year olds, 69 per cent of 22-25 year olds and 66 per cent of 26-30 year olds know how to cook jacket potatoes

What? How can anyone not know how to cook a jacket potato? Isn't the recipe just "put potato in oven"?

When asked which dishes they would know how to cook from scratch without help/guidance:

• only 17 per cent of 19-21 year olds, 25 per cent of 22-25 year olds and 22 per cent of 26-30 year olds know how to cook fishcakes


• just 14 per cent of 19-21 year olds, 22 per cent of 22-25 year olds and 20 per cent of 26-30 year olds know how to cook Potato Gratin/Bake


• just 22 per cent of 19-21 year olds, 24 per cent of 22-25 year olds and 28 per cent of 26-30 year olds know how to cook Leek and Potato Soup


• just 38 per cent of 19-21 year olds, 46 per cent of 22-25 year olds and 48 per cent of 26-30 year olds know how to cook Shepherd’s Pie.

I'm not entirely sure if I could make all those dishes without any help or guidance. I could probably produce something which would be edible, but I wouldn't be entirely sure of quantities and cooking times. But why do you need to be able to cook leek and potato soup without any help or guidance? Google exists. BBC Recipe Search exists. There's no shame in checking how to make something if you've never made it before. And I doubt I'd ever make fishcakes from scratch anyway. To make fishcakes, the first stage is to make mash and if I've made mash, I'd probably just eat the mash. Leave me alone, Potato Council. I'm happy to eat mash. Isn't that enough for you?

I love mash. Mash is one of the best things you can make with potatoes. Chips are good too. I lovechips. How many people do you think the Potato Council approached to front their Love Chips campaign before finally admitting defeat and asking Keith Chegwin?

This is just mental:



Fennell19900's comment is a bit harsh:

This really isnt catching on the way he hoped would boost his career. Probly cos the song is SHIT

Harsh but fair.