IMN Content - Lifestyle and Consumer Content

Some like it smooth, the rest can lump it: this Potato Week reveals 3,500 Unique Ways of Making Mash!

This Potato Week (1st-7th Oct) reveals that mash remains a classic British favourite, with 3,500 different ways of making the comforting dish!
Food & Drink - 5 October 2011   Download IconContent available for download:  
Audio | Interview with James Martin and Caroline Evans| Login to Download

You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
  News Hooks:

Whether your preference is fluffy, lumpy or with oodles of mustard, this Potato Week (1st – 7th October), research reveals everything about the nation’s mash eating habits! With nearly three and a half thousand different ways of making mash and the average Brit having 3.2 recipes of their own, every home cook has a unique way of turning the most humble dish into their own family favourite.

Its buttery taste and creamy consistency are what gives mash its classic comforting reputation and with 44% of us admitting we prefer ours ‘light and fluffy,’ this perfect consistency remains the nation’s favourite. However, more of a rustic style is favoured by almost a tenth of the population with 9% describing their ideal consistency as containing ‘a few lumps!’

With almost half of households enjoying potatoes three of four times a week as part of their evening meal, the new report indicates the nation is still firmly in love with the spud. The ‘Many Faces of Potatoes’ campaign allows home cooks to upload and share their favourite potato recipes with other spud lovers online - in search to find Britain's favourite potato dish.

. Introduction:

This Potato Week (1st – 7th October) research has revealed just how passionate the nation are about mash, with nearly three and a half thousand different variations of the great British favourite! From the obvious additions of butter and milk to more adventurous recipes containing soy sauce and pine nuts; every family has their own family favourite.

The ‘Many Faces of Potatoes’ campaign allows home cooks to upload and share their favourite potato recipes with other spud lovers online - in search to find Britain's favourite potato dish. So if you’ve got a recipe that you think deserves recognition, why not enter the competition for a chance of winning a fantastic prize?

Joining us to discuss this further and to share his signature mash recipe is celebrity chef James Martin, who is working with ‘Many Faces of Potatoes’ campaign – and Caroline Evans from ‘Many Faces of Potatoes’, a campaign that supports the British Potato Industry.

. Suggested Questions:

What has research revealed about peoples preferences of mash in our area?

Why has mash managed to remain such a classic British favourite?

What are some of the other preferred ways of eating mash across the nation?

James, do you have a favourite way of making mash that you can share with us?

How can people enter the competition to find Britain’s favourite potato dish and what can the winner expect to see?

Where can our listeners go to find out more information?