National Potato Day – 19th August 2022

The humble potato is a staple of the UK diet, and for good reason. These tasty tubers are versatile, easy to cook and a good source of iron, potassium, and vitamin C.

Whether mashed, boiled, baked, fried, chipped or roasted; potatoes can be eaten with just about every meal, or as a meal.

National Potato Day is an opportunity to show your spuds the love they deserve, and it’s desperately needed;

• Potatoes are in short supply owing to the recent drought affecting the UK and Europe. The shortage promises to push up the price of potatoes and potato based foods (e.g. chips and crisps).
• Potato growers are warning that those potatoes that are available in the shops are likely to be smaller and slightly more wonky than usual, but they will still taste good.
• On average, 4.4 million whole potatoes are wasted every day in UK homes, making potato the most commonly wasted item of food in the UK. That adds up to 714,000 tonnes of potatoes wasted every year in our homes. These abandoned potatoes, whether it’s a whole potato, potato peel, or leftover mash, add up to generate 326,000 tonnes of CO2e every year too, thanks to all the energy and resources that go into growing them and getting them to your home. Without these wasted potatoes, we could have the same impact as planting 5.4 million trees every year.
• Buying food that we waste at home costs UK consumers up to £60 per month. Making the most of your potatoes can help to reduce your food shopping bills.

With that in mind, our friends at Love Food Hate Waste have a selection of top tips to make the most of any potatoes you’ve got lurking in your cupboards:

• If you don’t think you’re going to get through all your potatoes in time, boil them for 5 minutes, portion them up and freeze them
• Use a portion planner to make sure you only cook what you need
• Green or sprouty spuds are still good to eat – chop off those bits and enjoy what’s left
• Your potato peelings can be easily turned into tasty crisps – really!

Read more, including how best to reheat chip-shop chips at: lovefoodhatewaste.com