Let's talk POTATOES! How much do you pay? Is Tesco the cheapest?

Did you know that there are over 40 different types of potato to choose from at Tesco? No wonder I feel ill whenever I go to a big supermarket, too much choice for me! I've analysed the cost of carrots before in this article & showed how expensive Sainbury's pre-packed pre-prepared carrots are & now its time to check out Tesco's potatoes.

I've chosen only some of the 42 different varieties available online at Tesco & all these costs are per kg;

Cheapest are 'Everyday value' potatoes at £0.69 per kg, with standard whites in a 2.5kg bag at £0.78, Maris Piper at £0.96, 'Rooster' reds at £1.25, Charlottes at £1.40 & Organic new at £1.54 (there are 15 uncooked options to choose from within this range).

Prepared potatoes with additions include 'wedges with parsley' at £1.77, 'core chunky chips' at £2.78 (with a coating), 'Easy steam new' at £3.48 (with herbs in a microwaveable bag), 'Crispy slices' at £4.55 (with batter coating), Dauphinoise at £5.50 (with cream, gruyere, etc), potato croquettes at £7.28 / kg (220g portion) & a 'Deli potato salad' with mayo, cheese, onion, cream & chives at £7.60 per kg in a 275g portion.

There is also an astonishingly priced pre-cooked 'baked potato & cheese' at £6.45 per kg (potato, 6% cheddar cheese, milk, butter, salt, pepper) Its a 450g portion and takes 5 mins to microwave. This is a whopping 827% of the price of standard white potatoes.

As for mash….. well that deserves a whole new article (to follow!)

Maris Piper mash is £2.95 / kg (85% potato, 425g), 'Fresh mash' is £3.20 / kg, 'Core fresh mash' is £4.17 / kg for 600g & 'Finest mash' is £5.00 / kg (or 641% of the cost of standard whites), with colcannon (with cabbage, milk, butter & onion) coming in at £4.50 / kg.

Roast potatoes start at £3.89 per kg (uncooked, with a 'coating' requiring 60 mins cooking), which is five times the cost of standard whites or you can buy 'Garlic roast' at £4.50 (35 mins cooking), Roast potatoes (cooked) at £5.00, 'Finest roast' cooked (with goose fat, oil & flour) are £5.56 per kg & still require 45 mins of cooking. This is 713% of the cost of standard white potatoes.

So what about our very own greengrocer, S K Fruits? Yes of course that are cheaper! Your best value is a 25kg sack of Maris Pipers at £9.99, or a mere £0.40 per kg (from Spalding). If you want one of these sacks of potatoes you can drive up to the shop & pull in the side lane to load it up.

Next best value is a 12.5kg bag of Wilja variety at £0.48 per kg, then in a 2kg bag you can have either whites or reds at £0.75 per kg (NB still less than from Tesco). Loose potatoes start at £0.86 for 'loose washed', King Edwards or Maris Piper, with jackets at £1.52 or sweet potatoes at £2.18 per kg.

So the moral is the same as the carrot tail, don't get tempted to buy anything pre-prepared unless you have to, especially that pre-baked potato! Shop local in Frome.

Check out the fantasitc Love Potatoes website.

photo 1 by Mr T