Ayr we go! Ayr we go! The best spuds are local
AYRSHIRE tatties so freshly lifted that the skin just rubs off with your thumb. Boiled, drained and with a wee dod o’ butter, maybe even a wee sprinkling of oatmeal.
A feast in itself – but enough to turn any meal into one fit for a king.
New tatties are always a treat so I was surprised when a Sunday Post reader contacted me to say they couldn’t find any Ayrshires in the shops or supermarket.
A couple of phone calls put me on to a chap from the group of growers based near Girvan who still produce around threequarters of the Ayrshire earlies and he assured me they were still being grown and were available in most of the supermarkets, often only 24 hours after they’d been lifted.
He did admit they probably weren’t there in quite the same quantities as the ubiquitous Jersey Royals, but to my mind they’re well worth seeking out. Not that there’s anything wrong with the Jersey spuds, it’s just nice to support local producers who grow something so tasty.
The season got under way a bit earlier this year and lifting started in the last week of May. By using different varieties the new season tatties are in the shops until about the third week in August – so there’s plenty of time to track them down.
But while the Ayrshires are still available in most Scottish supermarkets there’s not quite as many acres of them grown in the warm west of the country as there used to be – only about half as many fields grown compared to the crops’ heyday of 40 years ago.
However, better varieties, improved growing techniques and the use of irrigation mean the tonnage of spuds produced hasn’t fallen by the same amount.
I also learned Ayrshire’s buried treasures could be set to join some of the swankiest foods and drinks in the world such as Champagne, Parma ham and, of course, Scotch beef and Arbroath smokies, by being awarded Protected Geographical Indication status.
This is like a trademark for food produced in specific regions and stops others using the name for similar goods from outside the area which may not meet the same standards.
But if you want to see good local produce on supermarket shelves the message, which is the same for beef, lamb, pork bacon and any other food produced in Scotland, is clear. If you don’t see what you’re looking for on the supermarket shelves, make a point of asking for it by name – and make sure the manager gets the message.