You may have seen the recent kerfuffle about the price of butter. Our favourite fat, it seems, is at a record high price – $5.39 for a 500g block, up significantly from previous years. This was part of Statistics New Zealand’s Food Price Index, which tracks the price of food from month to month. The information they…
Did you know that Kiwis spend $150 million a year on potato crisps? That’s a lot of crunching and rustling… and a lot of potatoes. Last month was quite potato-centric for me, including as it did my role as head judge in the inaugural Best Crisp Competition, and my attendance and speaking at the Potatoes…
There are many great potato dishes in the world. Most potato-eating countries would have more than one favourite, probably. Sometimes they’re incredible side dishes, such as pommes dauphinoise, patatas bravas and various kinds of mashed and chipped things. And sometimes potatoes are elevated to the realm of the main event. Such is the case with…
It is with great excitement that we announce the 7 Regional Winners for the Best Chip Shop Competition 2017… Northland & North Shore: Northcross Takeaways, Browns Bay Auckland: Oceanz Seafood Botany, Auckland Waikato/Bay of Plenty: Welcome Bay Takeaways, Tauranga Central Regions: Okato Takeaways, New Plymouth Greater Wellington: So Fine Seafoods, Lower Hutt Lower South Island: The Naked Chip, Waimate Upper South Island: Gourmet…
Potatoes are the perfect side for every meal, every day. They can be served boiled, mashed, roasted, baked or in a stew. Potatoes are great in salads, stuffed for a more substantial side and made into gnocchi, chips, wedges and hashbrowns/rostis. Potatoes are easy to prepare and are very versatile. Leftover potatoes can easily be…
In her latest blog Niki Bezzant encourages us to look at the bigger picture when considering potatoes and carbs… The launch of a new lower-carb potato recently has got me thinking about potatoes and carbs. If media reports are to be believed, every second person is cutting carbs, going paleo or embracing a vegan lifestyle. It…
Maximising the value of soil water – Findings from a potato bed trial… Key points: Trials investigated water storage capacity of flat versus raised potato beds and the effects of mulching on potato crop yield. Soil cultivation and bed architecture influenced the proportion of plant available water storage. Mulches were beneficial in increasing yields, reducing…
Niki Bezzant discusses her quest to make the perfect roast potatoes… Perfect roast potatoes. Few food topics I’ve posted on my Facebook page have elicited such adamant and varying opinions. It occurred to me during recent heated discussions on this that I was lucky my Facebook friends were not all in one place; people were really very exercised. I wonder:…
The first reading of the Consumers’ Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill was passed in Parliament yesterday (12 April). “Given our recent survey showed that more than 70 percent of New Zealanders want mandatory Country of Origin Labelling (CoOL) for fresh fruit and vegetables, it is great to see the Government listened to…
Potatoes New Zealand Inc. (PNZ) is delighted to announce that we have been successful in our Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) application for research funding into improving the quality of seed potatoes using precision agriculture. Control of plant disease is critical for improving yields and grower returns. Potatoes New Zealand’s strategic plan has defined pest and…