Potatoes Sybil Kapoor Aficionados will be happy to learn that the great British tattie is enjoying a renaissance, turning up in new colours and in an ever-wider variety of flavours and textures.

In this article

Know your potatoes Potato styles

New developments Old favourites

Spud seasons Recipes

British cuisine would be unimaginable without the potato. Yet, despite this humble tuber's popularity, shoppers have generally been offered very little choice about what types of potato to choose from. Now supermarkets and some farmers' markets are increasing their range of old and new potato varieties, making it a great time to explore the potato's myriad tastes and textures.

There are some 700 varieties grown in a reference collection run by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, which acts as a genetic plant resource for breeders. Yet it was not until the early 1970s that it became a legal requirement for sellers to name the variety being sold. Even chefs used to order boxes of what were simply termed 'large whites'. They had no way of knowing whether they would get a moist, firm Estima (introduced in Britain in 1973) ideal for mashing or a fluffy Maris Piper (1963) better suited to chips.

In the early 1990s some of the older varieties, such as the waxy, yellow-fleshed Pink Fir Apple (pre-1850) and the strong-flavoured, floury, white-fleshed Golden Wonder (1906) started turning up in shops and on restaurant menus, reigniting interest for specific varieties.

The range of potatoes now sold is inspiring. Sainsbury's include Skerry Blue (1846), Kepplestone Kidney (1919) and Vivaldi (a new high-fibre, 'healthy' variety); Tesco's include King Edward (1952), Charlotte (1981) and another new introduction called Mayan Gold; Booth's include Sharpe's Express (1901), Dunbar Rover (1936) and Epicure; and Waitrose sell, among others, Arran Victory (1918), Fortyfold (1836) and Shetland Black (1923). The rarer varieties, grown in relatively small quantities, have short seasons, so may not be available all year round.

Potatoes are commonly categorised according to when they're harvested (early, mid-season and late) as well as their characteristics once cooked, such as appearance and flavour.

The British tend to prefer white-fleshed tatties, whereas the Dutch and Spanish like yellow-fleshed potatoes, but colour makes little difference to the taste. Once cooked the texture of potatoes can range from smooth, waxy-textured flesh perfect for salads to floury-textured flesh ideal for fluffy mashed potato, so it's important to know what type of potato you've bought before you decide how to cook them.

Here's a quick round-up of which varieties to choose:

• All-rounders King Edward, Maris Piper, Romano and Desirée potatoes are suitable for every type of cooking except for salads and steaming
• Baking Cara, Golden Wonder, Marfona, Estima
• Boiling Cara, Estima, Pink Fir Apple, Saxon, Nadine, Vivaldi, Yukon Gold
• Chips Estima, Maris Piper, Pentland Dell, Sante, King Edward, Golden Wonder
• Mashing King Edward, Pentland Squire, Pentland Dell
• Roasting Cara, Wilja, Pentland Dell
• Salad Charlotte, Ratte, Jersey Royal, Pink Fir Apple, Vales Emerald

Every year new varieties become available. Some become firm favourites, such as the red-skinned all purpose Desirée (1961) or the tubular shaped Anya (1995), which is perfect for nutty-tasting salads.

In the last couple of years there have been significant developments, particularly in the form of a variety called Mayan Gold. Unlike other potatoes, which belong to the Solanum tuberosum (European potato) family, Mayan Gold has been bred from the indigenous South American Solanum phureja, which grows in the foothills of the Andes. It has an intense flavour and buttery golden flesh.

Mayan Gold cooks more quickly than other types of potato and is best cooked in its skin, regardless of whether you sauté or steam it. According to Debbie Winstanley, product technologist at Sainsbury's, "Mayan Gold is just the start of a new group of fantastic-tasting, short-seasoned potatoes being bred in Britain from the phureja strain." Currently, it's only available in November and December.

It's difficult to gauge what makes a potato variety stand the test of time. Jersey Royals (c1879), for example, have proved so successful that they now have EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status.

Some superb-flavoured potatoes, such as Skerry Blue and Shetland Black, have fallen from favour simply because their deep eyes or small, knobbly shapes make them harder to peel

Some superb-flavoured potatoes, such as Skerry Blue and Shetland Black, have fallen from favour simply because their deep eyes or small, knobbly shapes make them harder to peel. Others, such as the fine-tasting fluffy British Queen (1894) have been replaced by more prolific and disease-resistant varieties.

Happily, farms such as Carroll's Heritage Potatoes in Northumberland are specialising in growing some of the rarer potato varieties, including British Queen, fine-tasting Arran Victory (1918), red-fleshed Highland Burgundy (1936) and floury white Epicure (1897). These are being sold in some of the major supermarkets such as Booths and Sainsbury's.

It's worth researching which cooking techniques best suit these older varieties. Arran Victory, for example, has a tendency to disintegrate when boiled but is perfect steamed, while British Queen makes an excellent boiled potato or a fluffy mash.

Baked Shetland Blacks are incredibly aromatic; the thick crisp skin releases superb flavours when eaten with its butter-soaked flesh. Golden Wonder, which has a lot of what spud experts call 'dry matter', makes superlative chips and crisps.

The British potato season begins in April with waxy Jersey Royals, which continue into June. Other early potatoes, including waxy salad varieties, start to appear in May. Duke of York (1942) come into season in September and last through to April, but the main potato season begins in October. These potatoes are available until early spring - but beware that, towards the end of storage in March, the starch in potatoes turns to sugar, so chips made from stored varieties will tend to be soggy but sweeter.

Whatever the time of year, scan shop shelves and farmers' market stalls for unfamiliar varieties and experiment when you cook with them. You'll be rewarded by an incredible diversity of wonderful-tasting potatoes.

Classic potato recipes

• Mashed potatoes by Mike Robinson (VIDEO RECIPE)
• Roast beef with Yorkshires and roast potatoes by Mike Robinson (VIDEO RECIPE)
• Dauphinoise potatoes by Mike Robinson (VIDEO RECIPE)
• Sirloin steak with chunky chips by Paul Merrett (VIDEO RECIPE)
• Pomme purée by Heston Blumenthal
• Chips by Heston Blumenthal
• Tortilla by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

More ideas

• Hot new potato and dandelion salad with bacon and shallots by Rick Stein
• Seared hake with crab crushed potatoes and smoked shrimp sauce by James Tanner
• Hot smoked eel with lentils, sauerkraut and Pink Fir Apple potatoes by Rick Stein
• Warm potato salad with shallot dressing by Bryn Williams
• Smoked cheese and potato cakes by Simon Rimmer
• Roast potatoes with chilli by Roopa Gulati
• Bubble and squeak with poached egg and hollandaise sauce by James Martin
• Purple potato gratin by Kaia England
• Jersey Royal stack by Mike Robinson