I’m continually confused by the variety of potatoes available in the UK. So I did some research to get it straight.
Waxy versus Floury
Waxy potatoes are translucent and feel moist and pasty. They are good at staying firm and keeping their shape so make great salad potatoes. Key Waxy Potato Varieties: Charlotte, Maris Peer
Floury potatoes are brighter and more granular in appearance with a drier feel. They’re better for dishes where you want fluffy potatoes or for mash. Key Floury Potato Varieties: Estima, King Edward, Maris Piper, Desiree
Which Variety to use for What
AA “++” means it is excellent for this use and a “+” means recommended. The rating is a 1 to 9 scale with 1 being very Waxy and 9 being very Floury.
| Variety | Rating | Salad | Boiled | Mashed | New | Dauphinoise | Jacket | Roast | Chips | Wedges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accord | 1 Waxy | ++ | ||||||||
| Anya | 6 Floury | ++ | ||||||||
| Belle de Fontenay | 3 Waxy | + | ||||||||
| Cara | 3 Waxy | + | ||||||||
| Carlingford | 5 | + | ++ | |||||||
| Charlotte | 4 Waxy | ++ | + | + | ||||||
| Desiree | 5 | + | + | ++ | + | ++ | + | + | ||
| Duke of York | 1 Waxy | + | ||||||||
| Dundrod | 4 Waxy | + | ||||||||
| Estima | 4 Waxy | ++ | + | ++ | + | |||||
| Fianna | 9 Floury | + | + | + | + | |||||
| Golden Wonder | 9 Floury | + | + | |||||||
| Harmony | 6 Floury | + | ++ | + | + | |||||
| Kerr’s Pink | 6 Foury | + | + | + | ||||||
| King Edward | 6 Floury | ++ | ++ | ++ | ||||||
| Marfona | 3 Waxy | + | ++ | + | ||||||
| Maris Bard | 4 Waxy | + | ++ | + | ||||||
| Maris Peer | 5 | ++ | + | + | + | |||||
| Maris Piper | 5 | + | + | + | ++ | ++ | + | |||
| Nadine | 2 Waxy | + | ++ | + | + | |||||
| Nicola | 4 Waxy | ++ | + | + | ||||||
| Osprey | 1 Waxy | + | ++ | |||||||
| Pentland Javelin | 4 Waxy | + | ||||||||
| Pink Fir Apple | 3 Waxy | + | + | |||||||
| Premiere | 5 | + | ++ | + | ||||||
| Rocket | 4 Waxy | + | ++ | |||||||
| Romano | 5 | + | + | + | + | ++ | ||||
| Rooster | 6 Floury | ++ | + | ++ | ||||||
| Sante | 6 Floury | + | + | + | ++ | + | ||||
| Saxon | 4 Waxy | ++ | + | + | + | |||||
| Wilja | 4 Waxy | + | ++ | + | + |