New potatoes like they used to be?

[smallblueplanet]

Just answering a post about International Kidney spuds and that made me think back to when I was younger (much!) and new potatoes used to come into the shops after winter.

It used to be Jersey Royals (aka International Kidney under license) and ones from Egypt. Plus I think some from Cyprus? Thing is they all had lovely flaky skins that you gently rubbed off before cooking. Why do the first early spuds I grow not look like those? I figure the shop bought ones are washed within an inch of their lives, but home-grown?

[Mr H]

I remember this too. I'm sure someone will turn up with the answer

[Snoop Puss]

You have to pick them young for the flaky skin effect (rather than waiting for them to grow bigger). That and pick and wash them straight away for immediate use rather than store them.

That's my experience, anyway.

I've never had that effect with shop-bought potatoes.

[Bonjour]

Some varieties, International Kidney included, have naturally thinner skins.

I don't know how the ones from Cyprus and Egypt, which I remember too, kept their thin, peeling skins in transit. My experience with home-grown has been that the skins become more firmly attached after a few days out of the ground.

[Thelma Sanders]

Plus I think some from Cyprus?

https://famouspotato.eu/index.php/en/home-6/home-8

The ones I remember were probably Spunta, which you can get in the UK here

https://www.bridgendgardencentre.co....tatoes-1-kilo/

I've grown them a few times, and have got seed chitting for this year They don't look quite the same without the red earth clinging to them haha but I do still like the taste.

[smallblueplanet]

I've grown them a few times, and have got seed chitting for this year They don't look quite the same without the red earth clinging to them haha but I do still like the taste.

Oooh I'd like to try some, get a load of how they look!

[Snadger]

International kidney if grown on to maturity make massive tasteless tatties. I know, I've tried them one year. One year was enough though.

[ameno]

International kidney if grown on to maturity make massive tasteless tatties. I know, I've tried them one year. One year was enough though.

I've found mature International Kidney make pretty good roasters. They go lovely and crispy.

[veggiechicken]

Pembrokeshire potatoes are our earlies
According to this article they're planted late Feb and harvested by hand in late May to protect the delicate skins and sold with the soil on the skins https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/fe...early-potatoes

[Can the Man]

I remember well those Cyprus spuds with the thin flaky skin and red soil, they were superb. But I remember we used get British Queens that were grown on the east coast seaside areas like Rush, Skerries and Lusk in north county Dublin, then there were Wexford queens from Carne, Lady’s island and around that area. They were superb spuds, boiled in their skin which you ate with lots of salty butter. I’ve given up trying to grow queens, they are very susceptible to blithe and just not suited to my bog locality too much water.