Kitchen Garden Forum

After eating our first early potatoes 'Ulster Sceptre' and not being impressed with the taste, we dug some 'Rocket' today (from a potato bag) and those tasted much more like real early potatoes!

Dear Monika, i'm glad something has gone right for you. You do seem to be having one of those years that we all seem to get once in a while.

Lets hope it's the start of better things to come.

The 'Ulster Sceptre' seed potatoes were a free gift, so nothing was lost. But I wouldn't buy them.

I dug my first ulster sceptre today, also a free gift from t&m, i thought they were delicious, am i missing something better!

I'm also having a problem with the taste of my potatoes. We've had some Rocket which were lovely, but the Kestrel leave a burning sensation in the mouth. Having searched on the net, I'm sure it must be increased levels of the toxic substance solanine.

I didn't earth up hugely, so a few of the potatoes had very small patches of green on them, but we cut these out if they were tiny and chucked very bad ones. All of the potatoes have this taste, not just the ones with green on them. My daughter and I could taste it really strongly, but my husband couldn't. Are we just particularly sensitive to the taste?

Have been eating Dunluce for about a month now.
The first few pickings were watery,no great taste, but now they really taste like "new potatoes".
It is to be expected that the first lot were not so good.

Last year, I managed to order some "Cherie" (a red skinned salad potato) by mistake. We were very impressed by the taste & keeping qualities so ordered it again.

We had to go to a different supplier this year and they look a slightly different shade of red. However the taste is again superb.

Do remember that the same variety of potato grown in a different soil can taste entirely different. So there are going to be differences all over the country.
I believe that it was Alan Roman who said that a particular variety grown in this country tasted awful but grown in Australia they were superb.
This is why although International Kidney grown on the mainland are never the same taste as those grown in Jersey (Jersey Royal).
Whatever they are do enjoy them!
JB.

I had the free Ulster Sceptre which grew pretty well. And I have to be very grateful to T+M for a free gift.
I thought the texture, particularly of the very earliest was wonderful (a soft, creamy texture) when they come straight out of the pot onto the plate.
Not so good for salads once cooled.
Grew Estima as the alternative which are firmer but tastier and I think better for salad use.