Ayrshire Potatoes

[veggie perin]

Hi Folks, I'm new to allotments and to the forum, here is my first question;
In Scotland the first new potatoes in the shops are usually named as Ayrshire's, I think that they were originally grown on the Ayrshire coast and were feed with local seaweed to give them their fantastic flavour, however they are grown all over now and although the flavour and texture have changed a little over the years, they are still a nice tattie,
could anyone identify this variety, it could possibly be Epicure, the outer skin just rubs off when cleaning.....
Wishing you all a very happy new year and a great growing season to come....... ::)

[veggie perin]

[tim]

Don't know, but do know that seaweed is great for potatoes, that Epicure is a delicious variety & that all new pot skins rub off with a gardener's hand.

[Wicker]

Hi Veggie, welcome to the site.

Potato Growers at www.greenvale.co.uk were asked a similar question on their site and as part of their answer they said

The varieties we used were Epicure, followed by Maris Peer.

Won't quote all the answer as it referred to supermarkets and might be construed as advertising  ;) :D

[redimp]

Article on the history of the Ayrshire potato here.  Haven't read it yet to see what it says.

Have now.

In 1897 an English firm from Reading introduced a new variety commercially called the Epicure. This variety was soon taken up throughout Ayrshire, due to the heavy crop produced, its low dependency and rich flavour, and indeed today the terms ‘epicure’ and ‘Ayrshire Early’ have become synonymous.

Although there are now many varieties grown in Ayrshire, including Rocket and Premier, it is the first lifting of the Epicure that is most widely anticipated by locals and tourists alike.

[veggie perin]

Thanks Guys for your help...decided that epicure will be my very first crop,will keep you posted as to how they perform and compare to the
'Ayrshires' of old...can't wait to get planting, mouth's watering already........Veggie ;)

[boris]

Don't know about Ayrshires (or much else really) but every seed potato I've ever grown seems to have come from Scotland (is that near Ayrshire? :))

welcome to the site and lottie life.
Have fun,
Boris.

[harrisonw]

how do you use seaweed to fertilise potatoes? i use potato bags, do have to rot it down first? if so can i use compost activator? should i put it at bottom of bags? on top of compost, once seed potatoes are planted do i apply more as i shore them up. Any other tips i haven thought about. looking forward to responses. thank you.