You could never accuse us of not taking our veg seriously. Perhaps a little too seriously when it comes to potatoes? Certain co-op members in particular could certainly be described as potato ‘enthusiasts’.
But honestly, a spud isn’t just a spud, so here we make an attempt to turn our obsession into a useful guide for choosing a potato.
Of course, we don’t carry all these varieties at the same time! But we generally have at least 8 varieties to choose from.
Bear in mind, a potato’s characteristics can change quite a lot from when it’s new – with a flaky skin, waxy flesh and fresh buttery taste. As they mature, skins set and they become more versatile. So for the types of spuds that we get as ‘earlies’ (new potatoes) and also sell later in the year, these descriptions refer to the characteristics that emerge once they have been stored for a little while, aka through autumn and winter, the bulk of spud season.
If you’re looking to create the perfect chip, check out the round-up of the most suitable varieties at Unicorn’s chip night (yes, really).
Acoustic: A waxy ALL ROUNDER. Good BOILED and for CHIPS and BAKING too.
Alouette: Decent ALL ROUNDER with a good flavour, works well BAKED and ROASTED and MASHED.
Alexia: Excellent SALADS, almost new potato like sweet buttery waxiness.
Ambo: Good ALL ROUND, Irish bred potato, BOIL, BAKE, and ROAST.
Arran Victory: Purple skinned heritage variety with floury flesh. Great taste. Perfect ROASTIES.
Bambino: Small, firm potato with a fresh flavoured, waxy texture. Suitable for BOILING.
Bluebelle: High dry matter content means good frying properties & crisp roasties. Recommended for chips (joint winner at one chip night)
British Queen: Flavoursome heritage variety with floury flesh.
Calendonian Rose: Great tasting Scottish bred ALL ROUNDER.
Cara: Excellent chip shop style CHIPS, moist but slightly fluffy which is the same that can be said for it ROASTED and it crisps up well too. A good ALL ROUNDER.
Casablanca: An ALL ROUNDER that CHIPS well and produces a lovely moist light fleshed ROASTER.
Carolus: Floury texture means they make a lovely crispy yet light fluffy centred ROASTER. Makes a nice moist BAKED potato.
Charlotte: Flavoursome waxy salad potato. Excellent in curries too. Staff favourite.
Colleen: Classic first early. Waxy firm flesh holds shape when cooked, boils well, and a good salad option.
Cosmos: Flavoursome, waxy all-rounder. Bakes particularly well.
Desiree: Crumbly texture… boil, mash or chip.
Ditta: Waxy, firm flesh. Holds it’s shape well. Good for boiling, soups and stews
Estima: Light, earthy and sweet. Well suited to wedges or jacket potatoes, but also a nice light roaster.
Foxton: Red skinned variety with pale yellow flesh. A good ALL ROUNDER
Gatsby: Versatile ALL ROUNDER well suited to BOILING and BAKING.
Gladstone: Floury and flavoursome heritage variety. Excellent for roasting.
Jersey Royal: One of the earliest UK spuds, the trade name for the variety ‘International kidney’. Small, firm and waxy.
Kestrel: Sweet, creamy, and slightly floury all-rounder. Mashes well.
Lady Balfour: Dense and waxy with a sweet flesh. Makes moist ROASTIES and fantastic BAKERS.
Lady Crystal: Buttery and flavoursome first early.
Marfona: Nice firm texture when BOILED, so waxy it resists over boiling to a certain extent.
A firm customer favourite ALL ROUND and a great BAKER.
Manitou: One of the best CHIPS in our test, great moist and soft textured innards, crisp outside. A good ALL ROUNDER that BOILS and BAKES well.
Maris Bard: Buttery and flavoursome SALAD spud. Everything you could ask for in a new potato!
Maris Peer: Firm and flavoursome SALAD potato that retains its shape well
Nicola: Flavoursome waxy yellow fleshed spud. Excellent BOILED for stews, curries and SALADS.
Orla: Smooth, sweet, and slightly earthy. A flavoursome, waxy ALL ROUNDER
Picasso: Great ALL ROUNDER. Makes a really nice moist ROASTER and lovely CHIPS.
Pink Fir Apples: Novelty knobbly salad spud. Delicious, slightly sweet, nutty earthy flavour.
Pink Gypsy: Attractive skin and sweet, floury flesh. Best suited for MASHING, and ROASTING.
Record: Yellow fleshed floury variety good for CHIPPING and ROASTING.
Red Cara: Very similar to Cara, red skinned, sweet, soft, waxy flesh. Boils, bakes and stores well.
Robinta: Red-skinned ALL-ROUNDER with a good flavour.
Rocket: White fleshed waxy SALAD spud, great for BAKING
Romano: Soft, dry texture. Recommended for mash and roasties.
Rudolph: White fleshed smooth and creamy light textured ROASTER that crisps up well. Good BAKING too.
Sante: Dry firm texture suited to chips, wedges and roasting.
Setanta: Floury red-skinned spud excellent for ROASTING and CHIPPING
Stroma: Firm flesh that holds its shape well. Good for boiling & stews etc.
Sunita: Waxy yet delicately soft with a delicious buttery flavour. BOILER and BAKER.
Swift: An exceptionally early new potato, soft, delicate and waxy
Twinner: One of the best MASHERS in our tests, excellent texture, light and fluffy but not dry. Good ROASTING and BAKING too.
Twister: Firm yellow flesh good for BAKING, BOILING and MASH.
Ulster Prince: Classic 1st early traditionally grown in Lancashire. Firm and waxy BOILED new potato.
Ulster Sceptre: Like the Ulster Prince, but slightly more delicate.
Valor: Great flavour and texture CHIPS, all round good cooking potential, BOILS and BAKES well. Light, silky yet fluffy MASH. Good ROASTERS too.
Vitabella: A waxy, versatile spud, best suited for BOILING but has ALL ROUND uses.
Wilja: Waxy without being too dense and firm, smooth and light. Boils & bakes well.
