Students to name brand new potato varieties

In the United Kingdom, secondary school students are being given the chance to be a part of potato history and name a brand new variety. This exciting opportunity comes as Potato Council continues to work with children, providing educational resources on growing potatoes and healthy eating.

The competition, which is being held as part of the ‘Cook Your Own Potatoes’ initiative, invites secondary schools to name the new ‘fluffy’ variety with purple eyes. In addition, there is also £350 of kitchen equipment up for grabs for the best potato packaging design.

Set up in 2011, the ‘Cook Your Own Potatoes’ project provides much needed support for Food Technology teachers. Research conducted on behalf of Potato Council found they wanted more resources to educate pupils about healthy eating and develop practical cookery skills that fitted in with the curriculum. It also revealed a worrying lack of understanding from secondary pupils about the natural healthiness of potatoes and their role in our diets*.

The website http://cyop.potato.org.uk/ is packed with useful resources and activities to help teachers enthuse children about food production and cookery – as well as regular competitions. Writer and former teacher, John Dabell, recently reviewed the site and said: “This is a great source of educational fibre, with plenty for both teachers and students to get their teeth into. Whether you’re in search of activities to promote healthy eating, or a new angle on sustainability, it’s well worth digging into!”

Potato Council education coordinator, Sue Lawton, said: “This is a rare and thrilling opportunity for students to get creative and name a potato variety that will be available soon. We hope to receive lots of great entries and would encourage industry to spread the word and promote the competition to local schools in their area.

“If you have a child in secondary education or a local school that may be interested in participating, do encourage them to visit the website.”

How to enter your (UK) School

To enter, schools should send their suggested name and their reasons for choosing it to Sue.Lawton@potato.ahdb.org.uk by Friday 15th February 2013. The winner will be the school that comes up with the best name and backs this up with the most imaginative description. The school that submits the best packaging design to entice shoppers to buy the new variety will win £350 of kitchen equipment.