Shoppers are being told to prepare for a greater diversity of potato shapes and sizes, as total British tonnage drops to lowest in six years. The total British potato harvest is 13% down on the five-year average of 5.6m tonnes to 4.9m tonnes, the annual Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) estimates. The relatively low production figure is a result of an estimated 4.4% drop in planted area across GB, and a 12% drop in average yield.

Average yields in England were 40.1t/ha, a 20% decrease from the 49.9t/ha seen last season.

This has been put down to late planting and a prolonged hot and dry summer stalling growth in June and July.

The 53% of potato fields which had access to irrigation suffered less in the hot, dry spell.

More tonnage/ha in Scotland

Meanwhile, the Scottish yield per hectare rose 3% to 49.2t/ha. This has been put down to a less severe heatwave. Eastern Scotland, which grows most of the tatties, received 75mm of rain in June and July compared with only 43mm in central England.

Although total production did dip as the area planted fell to 1,600 fewer hectares planted.

Sector strategy director at AHDB Potatoes, Dr Rob Clayton, said: “We won’t run out of potatoes, didn’t in 2012 and we won’t in 2018. But what consumers will notice is a wider range of shapes and sizes in the bag they bring home.

“With fewer potatoes around this year, supermarkets won’t be able to only choose from the ‘middle’ section of sizes – hence more variety in the bag.”