Latest News from The Mighty Spud

Find out about The Mighty Spud’s latest outings and recent updates on his campaign to restore the potato as the king of the table.
All hail The Mighty Spud.

 Tis’ the season

Date: 14th  December 2016

The spud is a festive favourite, which is why I went down a treat at this year’s Belfast Christmas market. Last week I took time out of my busy schedule to mingle with the revelers, pose for many ‘selfies’ and of-course impart some tips for the perfect roastie when the big day arrives on the 25th!

Roast potatoes
Christmas dinner just wouldn’t be the same without those crispy skins bursting with moreish soft potato. Admittedly, they aren’t the healthiest offering at the festive feast but roast potatoes do offer some nutrients. As well as being packed with carbohydrates, they offer vitamin C, calcium, magnesium and potassium. After scoffing roast potatoes on Christmas Day, why not use leftovers for a tasty Boxing Day frittata!

Bung any  leftovers into this frittata for a super speedy meal. It’s probably the easiest way to use up all your festive vegetables (even the sprouts!) and after tucking into this meal your body will be prepped for all those television re-runs.

Preparation time: 35 mins
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients
500g Christmas leftovers chopped into smaller pieces: cold roast potatoes, peas, sprouts, carrots, stuffing or parsnips
1 tsp cranberry sauce (optional)
50g cheese cut into bitesize pieces
8 large free-range eggs, beaten
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Method
1 Pre-heat oven to 200C/Gas mark 6 and line a flan dish with grease-proof paper.
2 Arrange the Christmas leftovers and cheese evenly into the flan dish.
3 Beat the eggs, add the chopped rosemary, then pour over the vegetables.
4 Season with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the eggs are thoroughly cooked.

 I am not high maintenance

Date: 10th  September 2016

Students will soon be returning to University as fresher’s week is nearly upon us. Make sure to stock up on lots of scrumptious (and cheap) taters to fuel you through term time.

There is a common misconception that spuds take a long time to prepare and cook, resulting in young people switching to other starchy carbohydrates such as pasta or rice. This is not the case – it takes 10 minutes to boil a potato. And to top it off, these strapping young men and women are missing out on many of the vital nutrients found potatoes.

As one of the most versatile, economic and easily available whole-foods, surely the spud should be staple meal-time favourite in all student households? Potatoes are often more economical than other carbohydrates too, which means more money in your pocket for ‘University essentials’.

Last year, I teamed up with Queen’s University to ‘feed a student house for a week’ as part of the college’s healthy eating programme. The initiative promoted the ‘spud’ as a cost effective and nutrient rich meal option for the money conscious students.

I plan to make a visit again this year so keep your eyes ‘peeled’.

NI Potato Festival Launch

Date: 6th  September 2016

The NI Potato Festival is a celebration of The Mighty Spud! The one day event showcases all that is local, fresh and seasonal, and brings together members of the public and the farming community in celebration of the local potato industry. Following the launch of the festival in 2013, the event has continued to draw in crowds of up to 7,000.

The Potato Festival is held at The Giant’s Causeway, a region known and respected for the strength of the local agri-food industry and beautiful scenery, not to mention it is free to members of the public.

So come along and meet me in person – I’m a big fan of selfies! There will be something for everyone to enjoy including food tasting, face painting, games and lots more.

See you on the 1st October!

Grow Make Eat Drink Awards 2016

Date: 10th  August 2016

I always knew I was award worthy but it’s great to get the bling to prove it, right? The Mighty Spud and team is thrilled that our potato crusade has been nominated for Best Food/Drink Marketing Campaign in the inaugural 2016 Grow Make Eat Drink awards.

The awards dinner is tonight (I hope potatoes are on the menu) and I’m feeling pretty confident (obviously) – I’ve even gone and got my crown polished so that it’s extra sparkly and bought myself a new bow tie.

So I’m suited and booted and ready to take home the prize.

All Hail The Mighty Spud

It’s what’s underneath that counts

Date: 1th  July 2016

You should think twice before you judge a spud by its skin. Some potatoes may be less fortunate than others in the looks department, but just because they aren’t easy on the eye, doesn’t mean they aren’t equally as good to eat.

Potato processors and growers struggle to meet the criteria set out by supermarkets when it comes to veggies. And it’s been great to see a number of ‘wonky veg’ campaigns from leading retailers, who recognise the wastage in the industry.

So remember what your mother told you – beauty is only skin deep.

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