You guessed it – POTATOES. Not only are potatoes a nutritional goldmine, they are also GLUTEN FREE. This means they are suitable for individuals with an intolerance to gluten, or simply those watching their gluten intake. In support
of Coeliac Awareness Week (26^th May – 1^st June) run by Coeliac New Zealand we are helping raise awareness of Gluten Free foods! And as a bonus we are sharing our exciting new Lemon Drizzle Mash Cake recipe!

By replacing the white flour with ground almonds and MASHED POTATOES (yes you read that right!) the result is a beautifully moist and flavoursome cake. The sugar drizzle on top adds a slight crunch, perfect to serve as a sweet afternoon treat and delicious slightly heated for dessert.

There are hundreds of Gluten Free products on the market these days, but as with any processed ingredients there are always a few nasties in there. The potato is completely free of any additives, preservatives, colours or flavours. From paddock to plate this wholesome vegetable is ideal to be eaten at any time throughout the day.

If you or someone you know are Gluten Free, remind them that POTATOES are a great food choice and should be included as an important part of their diet. With nutrients including vitamin C, fibre, potassium and magnesium to name a few there is no denying they are good for our health.

In the mean time give this cake a try for a special occasion you have coming up – and see if anyone can guess the secret ingredient! 

For many years Potatoes New Zealand have supported hundreds of vulnerable kiwi children via their partnership with NZ Health Camps. The Te Puna Whaiora Children’s Health Camps have recently launched their new name “Stand Children’s Services, Tu Maia Whanau.” 

The camps are held throughout New Zealand from Whangarei to Roxburgh. As part of their stay the children have a “Spudtacular Experience” where they learn how to ‘Bake a Potato and Make a Meal’.

Potatoes New Zealand also send each child home with a Spudtacular Back-Sack complete with a bag of potatoes and three cans of baked beans (c/o Heinz Watties NZ). This allows the children to put their skills into practice and cook a meal for their family at home.

In line with our goal to inspire kiwi kids to get cooking in the kitchen. Being affordable, tasty and the children’s favourite vegetables – Potatoes are a great place to start! To find out more about the wonderful work the Stand Children’s Services are doing check out their website here.

Here are a few images of the happy children and with their potato-filled back-sacks.

A cake with mashed potato!?! Believe it! We shared this little beauty at the NZ Guild of Food Writers May Market Day.
This cake is moist and moreish with a slight crunch from the sugar crust. And if you weren’t told you would never guess it’s loaded with spuds!

The perfect way to use up leftover MASHED POTATOES and the addition of ground almonds mean it is also GLUTEN FREE.

The NZ Food Writers loved it so much we are sharing the recipe and we reckon you’ll love it too…

Lemon Drizzle Mash Cake

200g butter, softened

200g caster sugar

4 eggs

175g ground almonds

250g mashed potatoes

zest 3 lemons

2 tsp baking powder 

For the drizzle

4 tbsp white sugar

juice 1 lemon

Heat oven to 180 degrees C.

Butter and line a deep, 20cm round cake tin.

Beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, then gradually add the egg, beating after each addition.

Fold in the almonds, cold mashed potato, lemon zest and baking powder.

Tip into the tin, level the top, then bake for 35-40 mins or until golden and a skewer comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Mix the sugar and the lemon juice together, then spoon over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.

Let the cake cool completely before slicing.

Food Revolution Day is a global day of action for people everywhere to celebrate real food, where it comes from and how to cook it.

Our teen Potato Ambassador Claire Gourley is hosting a cooking session for kids. She will help them make a lip smacking dinner,  have a LIVE chat where kids can post pictures of themselves  cooking and share what they are up to! She will share heaps of tips… and have lots of fun!!!

Claires will share two recipes – they are both CLASSICS and  COMFORT FOOD. No matter which one kids choose – by the end of the hour together they will be able to make the BEST mashed potatoes and the best ever pie!!! Plus they will learn how to hold on to a knife, cut an onion, make a white sauce and substitute vegetables!

So what is it to be – Creamy Fish Pie or Cottage Pie… make a decision, get the food in and join Claire from 4 – 5 pm on 17 May!!! On www.itsmyturntocooktonight.com This session is based on the very successful It’s My Turn To Cook Bosch School Holiday Program.

Food Revolution Day is a day to come together to keep cooking skills alive, improve our food knowledge and share it with others!

 More…

Matamata operators who attended industry training have reduced average fat per gram of hot chips from 9.6 per cent to a staggering 7.8 per cent, well below the national average of 10.8 per cent.

Following a successful initiative from industry organisation The Chip Group, customers in the small Waikato town can be confident many local chip retailers are now serving tastier lower fat chips.

“As a result of the training 1711kg of fat will be removed from the Matamata food supply per year,” said Glenda GourlgGourley, Chair of The Chip Group. “This equates to about 3 trailer-loads of fat!”

The training hosted by The Chip Group in February educated staff from 10 take-away shops on cooking deep-fried chips to best practice industry standards – reducing fat and salt content to ensure the crispiest, most delicious results.

“We chose Matamata to participate in this initiative because it has a large number of chip shops in a relatively small area, which are frequented by locals and many tourists throughout the year,” said Glenda.

Local operator Sky Peng got a lot out of the training. “I didn’t realise simple things like cooking at the right temperature and draining properly could have such a big impact on my chips,” he said.

“By following industry standards I have been able to lower our fat content alot – and this makes a big difference to my customers.”

Samples were collected by mystery chip shoppers prior to each retailer being invited to complete the training, and again after they had completed the training to compile the data.

“As a nation we love hot chips – and Matamata has shown that almost every hot chip retailer can improve the standard and quality of their chips if they are trained and follow best practice industry standards,” said Glenda. “The training is available free and online.”

The initiative preceded the 2013 Best Chip Shop Competition, which invites chip retailers to enter their hot chips in a national competition to be crowned New Zealand’s 2013 Best Chip Shop.

Entries for the 2013 Best Chip Shop Competition are now open and available online at www.chipgroup.co.nz/best-chip.

This year the 2013 Best Chip Shop Competition acknowledges all operators who are achieving fat content lower than 9 per cent. They will earn a Highly Commended Award to display instore, making it easier for consumers to pick good outlets.

For more information about the Chip Group, best practice standards training and the 2013 Best Chip Competition, please visit www.thechipgroup.co.nz.

ENDS

Who is the Chip Group?

The Chip Group is an industry collaboration made up of Potatoes New Zealand, chip and oil manufacturers and equipment suppliers. Our activities are supported by health and government members such as the Heart Foundation and The Ministry of Health.

Our overriding goal is to improve the nutritional status of deep-fried chips served by New Zealand foodservice by reducing fat (total and saturated) and salt content.

More information can be found at www.thechipgroup.co.nz.

Media release

12 April 2013

The Chip Group Ltd

For more information/media enquiries, please contact:

Dan Walraven

Ideas Shop

04 499 8995

The ‘Bosch It’s My Turn To Cook Tonight School Holiday Program’ is on again these April School Holidays – 22nd, 23rd & 24th.

Just by entering you can WIN a brand new Bosch Dishwasher.

Our Potato Ambassador Claire Gourley will be teaching children how to cook a range of simple and delicious meals.

There are loads of POTATO RECIPES including:

• Fish Cakes
• Pumpkin Soup
• Tomato Soup
• Baked Stuffed Potatoes
• The Potato “Snack”
• Chilli Chicken w/ Criss-cross Potatoes

This program FREE and just by signing up you go into the draw to win a flash new Bosch Dishwasher.

We have been working to make it easier for you to get the right potato for the right job!

Check out our new “How a Potato Cooks”.

From the team at Potatoes New Zealand we wish you all a SPUDTACULAR EASTER WEEKEND.

Enjoy the choccy, but don’t forget to include potatoes on your menu!

You don’t have to be Irish to LOVE POTATOES, and you certainly don’t need to be Irish to celebrate St. Patricks Day!

The enduring and loyal relationship between Ireland and Potatoes has existed since they were first introduced in 1590. The 17th March is a day to reflect on how over three million Irish peasants depended on potatoes to feed them during the 1800s.

Potatoes thrived in the Ireland’s cool, moist soil and they discovered it was possible to be solely sustained on the vegetable that is rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamin c, potassium and other important nutrients. It is interesting to note that Irish peasants were actually healthier than peasants in England or Europe where bread, a far less nutritious option, was the staple food. Despite the tough times, potatoes still remain a staple food and a national symbol of hope and perseverance.

Ireland and Potatoes will forever go hand in hand. But us Kiwi’s have our own special affinity for this Powerhouse Potato. Being our #1 favourite vege they have been feeding us for thousands of years as well.

To help celebrate in true SPUDTACULAR fashion this Saint Patrick’s Day we have put together a few Irish-inspired recipes options to be washed down with a pint of Guinness!

Scroll through our ‘Travel the World, one potato recipe at a time’ page and find the three classic Irish dishes…..

• Colcannon
• Leek and Potato Soup – here.
• Potato Latkes/Healthy Hashbrowns – here.

We shared another three great recipes last year so check these out again here.

• Green-speckled Spud
• Potato Accordian
• Spinach, Potato and Feta Frittata

Here are another few recipes that we have found are either green or truely Irish inspired:

• Guinness Irish Potato Salad – here.
• Pasta with Green Beans, Potatoes and Pesto - here.
• Bubble and Squeak – here.

Ode to the Irish and Ode to Spuds. Happy St Paddy’s Day Everyone!

Spuddy was on tour last week, travelling south to join the fun at the Matamata Town Makeover!

On Monday 25th February The Chip Group held the Training Seminar for all local retailers selling hot chips in Matamata. Training and Education Manager – Kate Underwood and Champion Chippie – Michael Huang ran the seminar in both English and Chinese and are pictured here with Spuddy! They had a great turn out with loads of industry support including McCains Foods Ltd, Mr Chips and Dean Langall-Read from AS Wilcox.

“It was really great to see the enthusiasm from operators who were learning about their role in the health of their community, and that by making slight changes in the way they cook their chips they can make a significant improvement to the health of their customers” says Kate.

One of the key messages from the training was pointing out the ‘danger zone’ for operators cooking hot chips. When fresh our beloved potatoes have as little as 0.1-0.2% fat, after being processed into chips by McCains or Mr Chips they are around 4-5% fat, but once they reach your fish and chip wrapper they can be anywhere from 7-22% fat – depending on the level of skill of the operator.

Matamata operators were very excited to start putting their new skills into practice and start cooking ‘BETTER CHIPS’ for locals and tourists passing through. Here is Spuddy again with local chippies proudly holding their training certificates.

To find out more about The Chip Group head to their website here. And watch this space for a further update on the Matamata Town Makeover coming soon…

It’s already known as the home of Hobbiton, now Matamata is set to go on the map as being the ‘Best Chip Town in New Zealand’ too.

The town has been selected for a pioneering initiative to ensure every outlet selling deep-fried chips cooks them to best practice standards for the food service industry – reducing fat and salt content and ensuring the crispest, most delicious result.

Food and Nutrition educator Glenda Gourley, Chair of The Chip Group, which works to improve the nutritional status of deep-fried chips sold in New Zealand, said that every hot chip retailer in Matamata will now be invited to take part in training, with organisers aiming for 100 per cent participation.

The group has been working with Matamata Council, Matamata Public Relations Association and health promoters Heart Foundation, Sport Waikato, and Pohlen Hospital on the scheme.

“We selected Matamata because it has 20 retailers selling hot chips in a relatively small area, catering both for residents and the many tourists visiting the area,” said Glenda.

“It is a very exciting opportunity for retailers too because chips cooked to best industry practice are crisper, tastier and lower in energy. With everyone cooking to those standards, it really will be the best chip town in New Zealand.”

Chip Group researchers have found chips in New Zealand, not cooked to industry standards, contain up to 20 per cent fat, compared to only seven to nine per cent for chips cooked to industry standards.

‘Mystery chip shoppers’ have already visited every one of the 20 outlets selling hot chips in Matamata, collecting samples for laboratory testing. The Chip Group will be repeating the exercise for comparison, following the training, and expects there to be a significant reduction in the fat content of hot chips sold in the town.

“New Zealanders eat millions of portions of chips each week,” said Glenda. “By training hot chip retailers to reduce the fat content of their chips, simply through improving their cooking techniques, we can ensure better chips – and that’s good for those retailers’ businesses too.”

The Tips for Better Chips training seminar will be run by Kate Underwood, The Chip Group’s training and education manager, alongside New Zealand’s champion chippie Michael Huang, owner of Oppies Takeaway in Rotorua, winner of the New Zealand’s Best Chip Shop title.

The session will cover everything from chip and portion sizes to salt use, the best oils to use and at what temperature and how to ‘bang, shake and hang’ baskets following frying to ensure as much fat is drained from the chips as possible.

Participants will receive a certificate to display in their shop showing they have taken part in training to serve healthier chips.

The Chip Group is made up of a range of food service industry providers and suppliers as well as support from health and Government agencies such as the Heart Foundation and The Ministry of Health.

For more information about the Chip Group and the 2013 Town Make-over please visit www.chipgroup.co.nz

ENDS

Background on the Chip Group

The Chip Group is made up of a range of players in the food service industry, such as potato growers, chip manufacturers, oil suppliers, equipment suppliers and media. We also have the support of multiple health and government members such as the Heart Foundation and The Ministry of Health.

Our overriding goal is to improve the nutritional status of deep-fried chips served by New Zealand foodservice* by reducing fat (total and saturated) and salt content.

For more information/media enquiries, please contact:

Jillian Keogh

Ideas Shop

04 499 8995

or

Kate Underwood

The Chip Group

02 206 68711