While regionally sourced products are seeing a dramatic boost in sales across the country, Pembrokeshire has been particularly healthy with volumes up by around 78 per cent year-on-year, according to Asda’s local produce marketing manager, Mary Ling.

Puffin Produce has been keenly involved in promoting Welsh potatoes, the majority of which are grown in Pembrokeshire, says company store liaison, Bev Homphreys. “I go around the stores in South Wales in the last week of May and first week of June promoting Pembrokeshire potatoes, and anytime the stores are having a ‘Welsh-themed’ week they ask me to come down with the van and I hand out samples of potatoes.”

Homphreys is often accompanied by her niece dressed up as Thomos Tatws, a name chosen for the Welsh spud last year by the company’s competition winner, Laura Harris, a youngster from Llanelli.

Homphreys will shortly be visiting three stores in North Wales to mark the beginning of the Welsh bakers season.

GIRVAN THRIVES ON SCOTTISH PRIDE

Scotland has always been proud of its assets and these include Ayrshire potatoes, says Alex Kyle, director of Girvan Early Growers. Girvan is a co-operative of six growers which together operates an area of 800 acres, amounting to half of the region’s potatoes.

The market has become fairly static, with all the major retailers stocking to full capacity, however, promotion is still crucial, says Kyle. “At the start of the season it is important to make a fuss to try and stress the fact that these Epicures in the stores are Scottish.”

While Girvan accommodates local customers through all of the major retailers, Kyle regrets that a company of its size is not able to get closer to shoppers by attending farmer’s markets. “It would be nice to try and gain extra following but it’s not possible for people who grow on the scale that we do.”

Support for local produce has grown significantly in the 45 years that Kyle has been in the industry, he says. “We try to push to get Scottish labelling on all the produce going south and there has been a huge improvement in this. Our potatoes have a reputation for being almost organic because they are not as intensively farmed, so we want them to be recognisable as Ayrshire potatoes.”

While Cornish Earlies do not generally pose a threat to Ayrshire potatoes in terms of their window of availability, if Jersey’s are a week or two late, it can significantly affect the price of Scottish potatoes, says Kyle. However, this does not seem to affect sales, he claims. “Consumers are generally not motivated by price. For every person looking, there is another person just putting things in their basket. They are more concerned about quality and availability than the actual price.”

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