Small potatoes

I found the same but I think it's the time of year.

Our supermarket (Tesco) sells several sizes and varieties of potato.

Small "new" potatoes are so young their tender skin doesn't need peeling. Just wash then steam or boil.

If you want potatoes to peel or for roasting, buy big ones sold for baking.

Last week's Riverford newsletter warned that the potato harvest has been hit by the recent drought.

It's the drought. My OH grows potatoes every year and this year they are small and also poor yield. Couldn't water them due to hosepipe ban.

Just give them a good scrub and don't peel them.

Not only are they smaller but we are warned there will be a shortage of supply, all due to the drought.

Expected after this summer, I imagine a lot of veg will be smaller, possibly scarce or pricier.

I think the supermarkets may get the smaller ones after the better sizes have gone to chippies/caterers etc.

We buy ours by the 25kg bag from local sellers usually, although at the moment I am using a 10kg bag from Montgomeries (known more for their cheese) and they are a good mix of sizes. They grow for McCains.
A neighbour bought a 25kg bag from a local farm a couple days ago and they are very big.

Asda has no shortage of large potatoes. I buy either a bag of baking ones or select loose ones to suit. Some are even too big for jackets.

Our allotment potatoes are quite small due to the lack of rain. Self watering doesn’t makeup for consistent rainfall, but they’re still delicious.

I only buy King Edwards or Maris Pipers for roasting or oven chips and there are very few big ones in a bag now. Large baking potatoes don't work so well.

I nearly posted this last week but thought I would be derided for the worrying about the size of roasting potatoes with all the rest of the things going on in the world.

Quite honestly kitty I think you are eminently sensible worrying about small things.

The big things are so massive that there seems to be little as an individual you can do about it.

Potatoes

Don’t forget that high end restaurants always use teeny tiny potatoes. Perhaps we should all adopt haute cuisine.

That's sadly a step too far for my abilities WWM2. And I do love a good roast potato.

And me😊.

Another one here for a good crunchy roast potato!
Strangely have just had a food delivery and the man said his local fish and chip shop owner said he was running out of potatoes.

kittylester

I only buy King Edwards or Maris Pipers for roasting or oven chips and there are very few big ones in a bag now. Large baking potatoes don't work so well.

I nearly posted this last week but thought I would be derided for the worrying about the size of roasting potatoes with all the rest of the things going on in the world.

You're right to be concerned, though, kittylester because this is probably the result of the poor harvest following the exceptionally dry summer. Yes, they do tend to be smaller this autumn.

Years ago there were never small bags of 'baby potatoes' for sale either. They are not new potatoes so presumably we're being sold potatoes that are too small to make the grade, but at a premium price.

It’s the lack of rain. My SIL farms. Some Scottish farmers are lucky to be in the position of their harvests not being too bad this summer so they’re getting good prices for the larger potatoes that Scotland’s wetter climate has produced.

JenniRen those small potatoes used to either be ploughed back into the ground or used as cattle feed as no one wanted them. Canny marketing means they’re now sold instead.

I assumed that was the case re the small potatoes, SueDonim 🙂

This country really has to get a grip and quickly on the water industry. We do usually get sufficient water over the winter to be able to conserve much more so that farmers are not restricted with irrigating their crops.

Last year there was a glut of potatoes and farmers lost a lot of money, many gave up the crop this year a smaller area and low yields restricts supply. My small potatoes from the garden dont get peeled they get baked in the microwave 2 or 3 instead of one large one

Small potatoes taste nice just washed and boiled.
Serve with a blob of butter ,Hellmans's mayonnaise and sour cream to which you've added a little Dijon mustard .
Chop a little dill and sprinkle on top .

They are not quite the same as roast though, Esmay

I love baby poratoes in the right meal but.....

Kitty- I always finish my potatoes in a frying pan-one trick that I learnt from my Mother in law.
It works on big potatoes which are cut up and it works on small potatoes as well .
I don't start them in the oven , but after dusting with flour I put them in sone hot oil in a frying pan .
They just cook quicker.
They don't taste quite the same ,but are acceptable with roasts.

I’ve noticed the small potatoes in supermarkets too, I wanted to buy some for jacket potatoes and they only have small ones so you need two each.Just as tasty tho and took less time to cook.

Sorry, Esmay, they wouldn't go down well here. Roast potatoes are sacrosanct.