Potatoes

We are growing 70 hectares of salad potatoes and 100 hectares of maincrop potatoes for the 2026/27 season. The majority of the crop is destined for the major supermarkets.

Varieties include:

Salad potatoes: Alexia, Peter Pan, Levante, Venezia and Jacky.

Maincrop potatoes: Lady Balfour, Valor, Acoustic, Twister, Twinner and Alouette.

We are also trialling a number of processing varieties.

Our focus is on varieties with natural resistance to blight. We are always keen to trial new varieties on a field-scale basis, despite the risk of crop failure — something we have experienced on more than one occasion!

Our supply of loose-skin potatoes starts in mid-June, with set-skin potatoes available from early August. We also have storage facilities that allow us to extend our supply window through to the spring.

Storage and grading facilities:

One of our most recent investments has been an on-site potato store with a high-humidity system, helping to facilitate year-round supply.

After 10 successful years of potato storage, we have recently upgraded our grading system. The DOWNS CropVision is a new-generation optical sorter for unwashed potatoes. Fitted with the latest technological innovations, it enables high-speed, accurate sorting of potatoes.

This investment will help us manage the significant labour shortages currently affecting the food and farming sector, while also allowing us to meet precise customer size specifications. It will also help us make better use of the crop, reducing waste and increasing efficiency.

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