For the second year running, Lancashire potato grower Sean Mallinson has been burning the midnight oil to guarantee Booths customers the freshest locally-grown new potatoes.
Mallinson and his small team have worked through the night over the last couple of weeks to provide freshly dug spuds exclusively to Booths chain of stores by as early as 8.30am. For the first time, he has also supplied his Maris Bards to leading restaurant, the Fence Gate Inn, near Burnley in Lancashire.
The new potatoes are grown under a breathable fleece in a special area of sandy soil in Mere Brow, South West Lancashire. The light soil and sheltered nature of the fields provides a warm micro-climate that allows very early harvesting.
Chris Treble, Booths fresh produce buyer, said: “As with many good ideas, this started in the pub when we were discussing why we couldn’t sell new potatoes that taste as good as if you had grown them yourself. With the help of Sean and our distributor Sharrocks we found we could.
“We work closely with our suppliers to create a unique relationship and last year’s success means that Sean is going to grow more for us this year,” he added.
Re:fresh Independent Retailer of the Year for the last two years, Booths is committed, he said, to sourcing local products that are fresh from the region it serves - Lancashire, Cheshire, Cumbria and Yorkshire. The new potatoes are priced at £1.99 per kilo and available in all Booths stores.
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