MBM has followed up its successful launch of the Potato Lovers brand with a new four-pronged concept for its customers.
On show for the first time at last week's Chef's Connection open day, MBM had the first samples of its ‘Potatoes for…’ range of fit-for-purpose potatoes - for the chipping, mashing, baking and roasting markets.
The sacks at NCG contained Desiree for mashing, Maris Piper for roasting and chipping, and Yukon Gold for baking, but the variety will change according to what MBM decides is best for each style of cooking at any particular point in the year. MBM's food innovation manager Claire Harrison said the new range will make life easier for chefs: "These really are potatoes sold for a specific purpose. It is not going to be easy, but under the Potato Lovers brand, we only want to offer the best potatoes for the job in hand."
Neil Beeton, MBM’s sales director, said: ‘We know that when you choose the right potato for the right dish something magical happens. The wrong potato and you can be very disappointed. There is though much confusion on what variety is best for which purpose, what is the optimum dry matter, and so on. Chefs have long been asking for potatoes that they can rely on to produce the best results.’
The company’s Peter Cocks added: "There are millions of tonnes of potatoes, but only a small percentage of those will be suitable for the Potato Lovers brand. What is right for mashing at one time of year, for instance, will not be right at another. Chefs have often complained that the potatoes they are provided with do not produce the results they desire. They want perfection every time and we are using our years of experience to find the potatoes that provide the taste and consistent performance they are looking for."
He said that the foodservice sector needs a different approach than the supermarket job. "Maincrop sales in supermarkets are down seven per cent year-on-year and I'm not surprised looking at the varieties that dominate. There is a need to go back to what it's all about and concentrate on eating quality. The foodservice sector could lead the way in this and show consumers what potatoes can taste like if they are given the right varieties in the right forms at the right times."
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