Why can’t I find ‘Lady Christl’ seed potatoes?
Mrs Williams, by email
Stefan says: I can understand why you want ‘Lady Christl’, which is one of the finest early potatoes I have grown. It has yellow flesh and is full of flavour, whether boiled or steamed. The tubers are of a manageable size, uniform, smooth skinned and waxy. With good reason, it has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit. So far, so good; but you cannot find any.
I haven’t seen it among the varieties routinely sold by the majority of garden centres and most, if not all, of the large online suppliers don’t have any because I’m told there was a seed crop failure this year. However, I’ve spoken to Carroll’s Heritage Potatoes (www.heritage-potatoes. co.uk; 01890 883060) who say they have plenty of stock.