Ahead of the festive season, United Kingdom Potato Specialist Branston has once again launched its innovative hybrid Nemo potato to support demand for volume and faster cooking times at this time of year.

Grown and developed over the past nine years, this roasting potato variety cuts cooking time by 25% compared to a standard white potato thanks to the careful crossing of a fast-cooking Peruvian variety called Inca Bella and a red-skinned salad potato variety called Franceline. It gets its Nemo name from the distinctive skin markings that mirror the famous cartoon fish.

Lucia Washbrook, sales & marketing director at Branston:

"Demand for roasting potatoes rockets by around 500% in the run-up to Christmas compared to a standard shopping week. Nemo is a fantastic roaster, which has scored higher than traditional roasting favourites Maris Piper and King Edward in taste tests. It also performs brilliantly mashed or baked. We’ve doubled the quantity grown this year so that we will have plenty available throughout the season."

"Customers’ needs lead development at Branston, but sustainability is always at the forefront of our innovations and Nemo is no different. Growing Nemo requires less fertiliser and less water than comparable varieties, which aligns with our wider business goals to make the potato growing process as environmentally friendly as possible."

Nemo is a phureja hybrid variety, which combines the vigorous fast-growing nature of original Peruvian potatoes with the hardiness of modern European varieties from the Solanum tuberosum Solanaceae family.

It has a distinctive pink and yellow skin, along with the golden yellow flesh typical of an Andean phureja, which has a more uniform cell structure, helping it to cook more quickly.

Potato Gratin Stacks: Perfect party food, or a deliciously indulgent side, these creamy, cheesy stacks are baked individually for a special touch. For best results use a good non-stick muffin tin and be sure to slice the potatoes as thinly as you can for quick and even cooking.

Nemo will be exclusively available in selected Tesco stores as part of its Finest range, throughout the winter months and the spuds are expected to be popular.

Lucy Moss, potatoes buying manager at Tesco:

"Nemo is an exciting product for customers with great roasting performance and flavour paired with an eye-catching skin finish. The speed of roast versus other varieties is a key highlight for Nemo, especially helpful when planning alongside your Christmas meal."