12 Makers of Christmas - Andrew Skea – Roast Potatoes

The Roasties with the most-ies

Everybody knows that the feast of the year is buttressed by the best Christmas roast potatoes. Each family has their own secret to spud success, but one thing we can all agree on, is that it’s important to start with the best possible ingredients.

That’s where Andrew Skea comes in. He’s our man in the tattie fields north of the border, and to some he’s known as Mr Organic. He has a truly encyclopaedic knowledge of the humble potato, and chatting with him, it’s clear he was a spud-ing entrepreneur from a young age:

 “My earliest memories are of picking potatoes by hand when I was six or eight years old and waiting for the wages for my work.”

Victory is sweet
In all that time, he’s never abandoned his roots, and these days he’s got his own farm to look after, just north of Dundee.

Andrew’s one of the few people in the world who could claim a love of potatoes quite like ours, so we’re inclined to listen when he offers his sage wisdom on the subject:

“People talk about goose-fat, duck fat and all the rest, but for me, a lovely loury tattie makes for perfect Christmas roast potatoes. At this time of the year time, I’ll be having Arran Victory.” But what makes them so special?

Well, they take their name from the island on the west coast of Scotland where they were initially bred way back in 1918, with the victory part added to toast the end of the First World War. Arran Victories taste all the better for that heritage if you ask us, but they’ve got more than history on their side.

They come equipped with a distinctive violet skin, slightly sweet flavour and a sallow, fluffy flesh which gives that soft edge after par-boiling. Funnily enough, that’s just what’s needed for those- ‘crisp on the outside, pillow-y soft on the inside,’ perfect Christmas roast potatoes.

The feast of the year, wrapped up

With his (let’s go with ‘many’) years of experience in the potato field, we’re going all in with Andrew this Christmas, and his Arran Victories can be found in all our special festive boxes. There’s the whole Feast Boxes (available with organic turkey, beef or veggie-friendly main course) and the All Organic Christmas Veg Box for those who already have their main taken care of. Whichever you choose, we’ll deliver a little bit of magic to your doorstep and save you from having to dash through the snow to the supermarket this year.