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I’m sure that many of us rarely think about the source of the foods we buy in the supermarket. In recognition of National Potato Week, Delia Online Editor Jo Hill went to Sussex to visit one of the country’s leading potato suppliers.

Nick Baird’s father, Basil, ventured south from Scotland in the 1960 to establish a farm that was then just 100 acres but now produces 18000 tonnes of potatoes per year, grown on 1000 acres. Despite such large-scale production, New Barn in Funtington, West Sussex also prioritises animal welfare and has made great strides in creating a wildlife friendly environment.

“As well as potatoes, we have 2600 Large White/Duroc/LandRace sows, producing 1000 piglets per week all year round. The pigs spend 18 weeks on straw with ad lib food and water, and we are part of the RSPCA’s Freedom Food scheme.”

Another 1000 acres of the farm is given over to combinable crops of wheat and barley, and Nick has make huge efforts to make his farm sustainable, qualifying for the Leafmark scheme and Waitrose assured produce. This means, among other things, that crops are sprayed only within the recommended limits. Barn owl boxes have been installed and the farm boasts 4km of hedging which encourages rodents, grey partridge and lapwing.

But it’s the farm’s 13 varieties of potato that is the reason for my visit on a glorious late-September morning. New Barn supplies all the major supermarkets (including 63 Waitrose stores) as well as local farm shops and markets – and last year even exported 4500 tonnes of potatoes to Russia when they had a shortage. Stored at the optimum temperature of 2 degrees Celsius in large refrigerated sheds, the potatoes are kept in prime condition, allowing the Bairds to supply them all year round.

As with all farming, New Barn is at the mercy of our fickle climate. “If it’s too wet, the potatoes rot; too dry and they can get scab. So we have to irrigate our crops to avoid losing any. Judicious spraying keeps slugs, aphids, wireworm at bay, but potato blight is always a threat, with the wind capable of carrying the spores up to 20 miles.”

Technology has a huge role to play in the success of this grower. The large harvesting machines – which follow a tractor, and take the potatoes out of the ground before shaking them to remove excess soil – cost £150,000each but take away much of the backbreaking labour of bygone years; machines grade and sort the potatoes too, although workers are on hand to keep an eye on the process. Even the bagging is automatic.

Keeping the soil in tip-top condition is state-of-the-art too, using GPS to map each field, with different coloured patches showing up where an area may be deficient in, say, potash or magnesium. This prevents the farmer having to fertilise the whole field which may not be needed.

Nick is, not surprisingly, a huge fan of the humble spud. “They are the perfect carbohydrate – nutritious and low in fat. Unlike pasta and rice, they do not bring a carbon footprint with them, and potatoes need much less water to cook.”

Nick’s advice:
Keep your potatoes in a breathable bag under the stairs or in the garage. It’s exposure to light that makes them go green, and if they can’t ‘breathe’ they’ll sprout.

If you’re keen on chipping, try to buy potatoes that have been kept at 8 degrees Celsius. If they’ve been stored at 2 degrees Celsius they will go black during cooking. So it’s best to buy a big sack of them now, while they’re fresh, rather than in the spring or summer months.

White potatoes (such as Saxon, Estima, Melody and Marfona) are good all-purpose baking potatoes.

Maris Piper, King Edward and a new variety, Bluebell, are all brilliant for chips, mash or roasting. When roasting, Nick recommends parboiling the potatoes for 12 minutes, draining them, giving the pan a good shake, then roasting them in lots of oil, with salt and pepper for about 45 mins.

Salad potatoes are quite waxy in texture. We grow Maris Peer, Charlotte, Exquisa, Juliette, Jempson (a new variety), Piccolo and Luciole. With salad potatoes, I’d keep the skin on, boil them, then serve with lots of butter and fresh herbs such as mint.

For more potato facts and recipes visit www.manyfacesofpotatoes.co.uk

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