This year’s National Chip Week will run from February 12-18 and according to organiser the British Potato Council, 2007 will be the year we proclaim chips as one of our national treasures.
National Chip Week 2007 is hoping to build on the success of last year’s event which generated £2.8 million of positive coverage, says Caroline Evans, marketing executive of the British Potato Council.
Coverage is already expected in 20 top magazines this February and celebrity chef Ed Baines will produce three new chip recipes, including one for chocolate chips, encouraging people to try something new this Chip Week.
National Chip Week 2007 will also link up with the Guinness Book of Records and there will be attempts to set five chip records in five days during the week. The attempts will be held in five different locations in England, Scotland and Wales.
“The BPC aims to increase demand for potatoes and National Chip Week is one of the campaigns that the BPC runs to accomplish this,” says Evans. “National Chip Week 2006 got 133 per cent more main shoppers thinking about chips. A number of major companies within the industry are funding activity themselves during the week, which indicates that they believe National Chip Week will help increase sales of potatoes.”
A whopping one third of the UK’s potato crop is made into chips and Evans says Chip Week helps the industry by reminding the nation they love chips and by reassuring consumers that chips can be eaten as part of a healthy balanced diet.
Foodservice supplier Pauleys is launching a new fresh chip during National Chip Week. Named the Fresh British Chunky Chip, the company is hoping to see the chip being sold in pubs, restaurants, hotels and “anywhere where the customer might like British home-cooked fresh chips”.
“These chips are not par-fried like chilled or frozen chips,” explains Pauleys’ Claire Power. “They are literally fresh-cut potatoes, which are ready to be blanched and cooked.”
The chunky chip is supplied as a prepared, uncooked product and is available in small 5kg bags to minimise waste, storage and unnecessary cost issues for caterers.
Catering supplier and Pauleys’ parent company Brakes will offer the chip in April. “Pauleys and Brakes are significant suppliers of both frozen and chilled chips and fresh potatoes to the foodservice market,” says Power. “We have identified increased customer demand for freshly cooked, home-made looking produce and our new fresh product will offer huge menu appeal to caterers and consumers alike. Ultimately, this new product will build on Brakes’ aim to provide our customers with choice in all ranges.”
Pauleys and Brakes continue to see growth within the chip category and have witnessed a trend towards chunkier chips. Power says: “Our most popular chips are the thicker cut varieties, although beefsteak and chunky chips have become more popular in the last year. In other produce categories, we are seeing greater growth in fresh versus frozen, and we expect to see the same in our chip category.”
As supporters of National Chip Week, Brakes and Pauleys will run a number of promotions to raise customer awareness. They will also be highlighting the best potato variety for different cooking occasions. “We will always look to purchase British potatoes for Pauleys,” says Power.
Indeed, when questioned about the anticipated Europe-wide potato shortage, Pauleys was not unduly concerned. “On a general note, it’s fair to say that Britain did not suffer quite as badly from last summer’s hot weather and dryness. It was much more extreme in some European countries where there was less irrigation than the UK,” says Power. “We have worked closely with our growers and processor to ensure that our raw material has been covered.”
Aviko is one of the leading manufacturers of chilled chips and potato products in Europe and sources its potatoes from several producing areas. It should not be affected if there is a tightening of potato supplies, says brand manager Manfred Keizer, although he concedes that the year ahead may be challenging due to the uncertainties of how potato crops will perform this year.
“However, we go to great lengths to maintain the high quality of our products and meet delivery dates,” he adds.
In these health conscious times, producers recognise that chips need to be developed into healthier products but still maintain their tastiness. Aviko says its Fri’deal Chips, which contain at least 30 per cent less fat than regular deep-fried chips, have been well received by caterers and consumers.
“The unique pre-frying process ensures that Fri’deal Chips absorb less fat during deep-frying and seal the moisture inside the chip,” Keizer explains. “Fri’deal Chips save 30 per cent on oil consumption due to their special coating which means they absorb less oil during the cooking process.”
Aviko says schools represent a stable sector even though the number of times chips are served on school menus has been reduced to twice a week.
However, some of the company’s other products, including its Steam and Fresh range represent an alternative, healthier potato option and are making in-roads. “We have had a fantastic response to this range especially in light of the government school meal guidelines and the health trends,” Keizer tells FPJ. “In response to the popularity of the range, we are delighted to announce further expansion with our new Steam and Fresh wedges in skin offering both convenience and nutrition.”
Aviko says its new product offers a healthy alternative to chips and deep-fried potato products and has a 75 per cent shorter preparation time than other wedges.
“The pre-cut and fully prepared pre-steamed wedges can be cooked straight from frozen in minutes and have a long shelf life,” Aviko adds.
When it comes to marketing, companies have done much to improve the image of chips in recent years - a prime example being the McCain television advert where men, women and children spin around proclaiming the gloriousness of chips.
The frozen food giant has also introduced its Rustic oven chip. This so-called healthy chip, which contains no cholesterol, has been given the thumbs up and has been awarded four green lights in the new traffic light labelling scheme promoted by the Food Standards Agency.
Chips remain a popular choice across all foodservice channels, although the sector is not growing as fast as mash and jacket potatoes, says Farm Frites’ Coral Rose.
Similarly to other producers, Farm Frites has developed a healthy range of potato products such as chips, mash and skin-on wedges under the Nature’s Goodness brand. This range contains 70 per cent less saturated fat and 30 per cent fewer calories than standard product.
“We plan to extend this range through 2007 and have put together a support pack for junior and secondary schools to help educate about healthy eating,” Rose tells FPJ. “For pubs we have created a complete healthy snacking menu to help them tap into the growing snack market whilst capitalising on the healthy eating trends.”
Of course, we couldn’t have chips without the raw material and Chippies Choice and Potato Lovers’ Potatoes for Chipping are MBMG’s two chipping potato brands. Maris Piper is the main variety used for both brands but other potatoes including Victoria are also chopped up. “The difference between the brands is that the Potatoes for Chipping pack contains larger potatoes for those chefs looking to produce uniformly long chips,” explains Steve Morton, MBMG’s chipping potato expert.
As convenience becomes increasingly important to chefs and chip shops, MBMG is also producing prepared chips from its newly opened potato preparation plant in March, Cambridgeshire.
“At this time of year the number of enquiries we receive on the phone or via our Potato Lovers website, on how to stop chips cooking brown, increases significantly,” Morton tells FPJ. “Chippies and chefs alike are all experiencing the same problem and the answer is simple, if the right potatoes are used then chips won’t go brown.”
Morton has been buying and selling chipping potatoes for more than 20 years and deals with fish and chip shop wholesalers on a daily basis. “It is not only the variety that dictates whether a potato will produce good chips,” he says. “How the potato is stored is also vital, particularly at this time of the year. The amount of dry matter the potato has also makes a difference when it comes to whether the chips have a light, crispy outside with a fluffy centre or are just a soggy mess.”
An increasing amount of potatoes now in the wholesale markets have been cold stored to ensure their skins look bright and attractive. However, storing potatoes at this temperature turns the starch into sugar which in turn caramelises when the chips are cooked, producing brown-coloured chips.
To minimise the conversion of starch into sugar, potatoes need to be stored at a higher temperature. The downside to this is that the skins don’t look so perfect, although as the skin is removed when making chips, this is not such an issue.
“Too often we find that chippies and chefs are using bags of general white potatoes which have been cold stored and then being disappointed with the results,” Morton says. “Although chipping potatoes are more expensive, you do get what you pay for.”
MBMG has seen a fall in demand for the higher value chipping potatoes. Not only have potato prices risen, but fish prices are also high. “For the first time, fish and chips are struggling to compete in terms of price with other fast-food options and in a bid to keep prices low, more chippies are opting for the cheaper, general white potatoes,” Morton says.
However, he thinks that trade in terms of chipping potatoes should pick up by the middle of February, as the difference between chipping and general potatoes becomes very apparent in terms of fry colour. “With growers in no hurry to sell chipping potatoes at the moment, we should be in a good position to meet this demand,” Morton says.
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