Potatoes: select your variety carefully

British potato varieties

A guide to the characteristics of the main potato varieties growing in Britain and what they're good for.

Reproduced with permission of the Potato Council.

Key: The numbers 1-9 represent the texture scale of the potato varieties, with 1 being the those with the most waxy texture and 9 those with the most floury texture.

Waxy potatoes are firmer and hold their shape. Floury potatoes are softer and break up more easily. Recommended uses are highlighted.

Cara (3)

White skin with pink eyes, cream flesh. Soft, moist, waxy texture.

This is a Main Crop variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling
• Wedges
• Baking
• Chipping

Carlingford (3)

Round to oval, white skin, cream flesh, smooth skin with medium eye depth.

This is a second early variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling
• Salads

Charlotte (4)

Pale yellow skin, yellow flesh. Firm texure.

This is a Speciality/ Salad Potato variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling
• Salad Use

Colmo (5)
Round oval, white skin, pale yellow flesh, with shallow to medium eyes.

This is a first early variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling
• Salads

Desiree (5)

Red skin and light yellow flesh. Firm texture.

This is a Main Crop variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling
• Wedges
• Baking
• Chipping
• Roasting
• Mashing

Estima (4)

Light yellow skin, light yellow flesh. Firm, moist texture.

This is a Second Early variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling/mashing
• Wedges
• Baking

King Edward (6)

White skin with pink colouration, cream to pale yellow flesh. Floury texture.

This is a Main Crop variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Baking
• Chipping
• Roasting
• Mashing

Marfona (3)

Light yellow skin, light yellow flesh. Smooth, waxy texture.

This is a Second Early variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling
• Wedges
• Baking

Maris Bard (5)

Oval, medium size, white skin, white flesh, shallow eyes.

This is a first early variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling
• Early Chipping

Maris Peer (5)

Cream skin and cream flesh, eyes shallow to medium. Firm, cooked texture.

This is a Second Early variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling
• Wedges
• Chipping
• Salad Use

Maris Piper (5)

Cream skin, cream flesh. Pleasant, floury texture.

This is a Main Crop variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling
• Wedges
• Baking
• Chipping
• Roasting

Nadine (2)

Cream skin, cream flesh. Firm, waxy texture.

This is a Second Early variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling/mashing
• Wedges
• Roasting

Nicola (4)

Firm cooked texture. Long oval shape, yellow skin, light yellow flesh.

This variety is excellent for:

• Salad Use

Pentland Dell (5)

Long oval, medium to large, white skin, cream flesh with shallow eyes.

This is a main crop variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling
• Wedges
• Baking
• Chipping
• Mashing

Pentland Javlin (4)

Short oval, medium size, white skin, white flesh, smooth skin with shallow eyes.

This is a first early variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling

Romano (5)

Red skin, cream flesh. Soft, dry texture.

This is a Main Crop variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling
• Baking
• Roasting
• Mashing

Sante (6)

Light yellow skin and flesh. Dry, firm texture.

This is a Main Crop variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling
• Wedges
• Chipping
• Roasting

Saxon (4)

White skin and white flesh. Firm, moist texture.

This is a Second Early variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling/mashing
• Baking
• Chipping

Wilja (4)

Yellow skin, light yellow flesh. Moderately firm, slightly dry texture.

This is a Second Early variety.

This variety is excellent for:

• Boiling
• Chipping
• Roasting
• Mashing

Potato Season

There are around 80 varieties of potato grown commercially in the UK offering an extraordinary range of textures, colours and shapes. Each variety has characteristics that make them perfect for some types of cooking and preparation but not for others.

Potatoes are grown from seed tubers, which must be free from viruses and other diseases. Whilst the crops are growing they need to be protected from pest and diseases, by the use of good farming practice. In dry years the crops also need irrigating. A harvesting machine does the job of lifting and separating the potato from the soil. Some potatoes will be sold immediately and others will be stored so they are available all year round.

British potatoes fall into three main seasonal groups: Earlies (available from May to July), Second Earlies (available from July to March) and Maincrop (available from September to May). Across these groups they are two main categories which are determined by texture: waxy and floury. Maincrop potatoes can have a waxy or floury texture; but Earlies (new potatoes) are virtually always waxy in texture.

Once they are cooked, potatoes have different textures. This is due to changes which happen to potato cells during cooking. Floury potatoes are softer and tend to break up easily so are generally used for chipping, roasting and mashing. Waxy potatoes are better for boiling and salads as they are firmer and hold their shape during cooking. For more information on appropriate varieties you can refer to our variety chart.

Source: Potato Council