Family favourite secures more freezer space

AN East Yorkshire farm is bringing customers a taste of traditional, British-grown baked potatoes after securing a deal with Tesco.

Farmhouse Potato Bakers produces a range of frozen, microwavable baked potato products under the brand Bannisters’ Farm named after the farming family itself.

Traditionally-baked products from the Bannisters’ Farm range are being now stocked in Tesco stores in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire as well as further afield in selected branches of the North West retailer Booths.

The move widens the potential customer base for the range, which is already selling well nationally in Morrisons stores as well as in Nisa, Costcutter and Proudfoots.

The Bannisters’ Farm range includes frozen, ready baked potatoes, filled potato skins and filled potato halves, traditionally oven-baked to lock in nutritional value, flavour and texture.

Many of the potatoes are grown locally, including some on the Bannister family’s own farm, and all are sourced from British farm-assured land.

Unlike many other producers of frozen potato products, Bannisters’ Farm does not fry potatoes at any stage, only baking them in an oven.

As well as baked potatoes Bannisters’ Farm offers cheese & smokey bacon filled baked potato skins and mature Cheddar filled baked potato halves.

Marie Medhurst, sales and marketing director of Farmhouse Potato Bakers, said the deal was a major step forward for the range and that the company was hopeful of gaining further listings and extended distribution.

She said: “There is growing demand for food with provenance, so it’s good to see Tesco and Booths championing a family-owned East Yorkshire business that uses only British-grown potatoes.”

Caroline Bartrop, regional marketing manager for Tesco, said: “We are delighted to be stocking Bannisters’ Farm in Tesco stores. The product is a great example of innovation from the Yorkshire region and offers great value to our customers.”

Farmhouse Potato Bakers was established by the Bannister family, which has farmed on the Yorkshire Wolds for several generations.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Rob and Hilary Bannister realised the need for farmers to diversify and began washing and grading produce for sale to the London restaurant trade.

They developed a reputation for supplying good quality baking potatoes and developed the business into baking and freezing potatoes as a convenience food.

Now, for nearly 25 years, Farmhouse Potato Bakers has been supplying the foodservice and retail sectors of the food industry with specialist frozen potato products.

The family business – which also includes Rob and Hilary’s daughters Zoe Bannister and Marie Medhurst – established the Bannisters’ Farm brand to bring high-quality, traditionally baked and frozen potato products to the retail sector.