Cheshire new potatoes hit the shops promising foodies a local treat

Sure, new season asparagus might be where it’s at for pure glamour, but it doesn’t compare to the sheer satisfaction you get from the first new potatoes of the year.

Jersey Royals seem to dominate in supermarkets around now, and for good reason: they’re early, thanks to the clement Channel Island climate, and their waxiness and flavour, especially if left to cool after cooking, is second to none.

Jersey Royals is also a marketing name for the variety called 'International Kidney' (Image: Newsquest)

But those who visit the county’s farm shops and quality grocers around now will realise, around these parts, the Cheshire new potato is what it’s all about.

Cheshires is the marketing name for number of first-early type new potatoes grown here abouts which thrive in the mild, semi-coastal climate and rich, loamy, well drained soils.

Varieties include Ulster Sceptre, Ulster Prince, and Rocket, and all have wonderful eating qualities, especially if eaten shortly after picking.

Cheshire and Jerseys can be on a par pricewise in grocers, but go to a local retailing farm or farm shop and you're more likely to get a bargain (Image: Newsquest)

The same varieties are grown up on the Lancashire Mosses, sold under the name ‘Ormskirk potatoes’, which the Hairy Bikers dubbed ‘a revelation’ in their BBC series, Food Tour of Britain.  

Like Jersey’s, they’re thin skinned and waxy, and while on a bad day may lack a tiny bit of the flavour of their regal southern cousins, if you buy in bulk from a local farm, they can come in at around a third of the price.  

It's signs like this one at Leigh Hall Farm, Little Leigh, you want to be looking out for (Image: Newsquest)

George Horton, who owns Leigh Hall Farm in Little Lee, has been growing first-early spuds in Cheshire all his life.

The 81-year-old said: “We’ve been growing them here for 80 years, and my dad before me.

“They’re brilliant for us as they’re the fastest growing early potato. This year, we put ours in on February 6, and we started picking on May 3.

Now's the time to pick up a bargain (Image: Newsquest)

“I eat them every single day. They’re very cheap for me.

“I’ve never had a Jersey Royal, as far as I know. I might have on holiday in Tenerife I suppose, but if I did, I didn’t know about it.

“Cheshire people love them because they can get them so fresh.

“We pick ours every day between 8am and 9am, and 1pm and 2pm.

“If you want the very fullest flavour out of them, they should be picked and eaten the very same day.”

So, next time you pass a farm with a chalk board outside advertising New Season Cheshire Potatoes, be sure to pull in.

If you've never tried them, you really don't know what your missing.