Comber Earlies

Comber Earlies, also called new season Comber potatoes,[1] are potatoes grown around the town of Comber, County Down, Northern Ireland.[2] They enjoy the status of protected geographical indication (PGI) since 2012 and are grown by the Comber Earlies Growers Co-Operative Society Limited.[3][4][5][6][7]

Potato field near Comber, next to Strangford Lough

Comber Earlies
Comber Earlies
Comber marked on a map of County Down. Only potatoes grown on the former Hamilton and Montgomery estates can be called Comber Earlies.

The term applies to immature potatoes harvested between early May and late July in the area surrounding Comber.[8][9] This area, sheltered by the Mourne Mountains and Ards Peninsula and protected from frost by the saltwater of Strangford Lough, has a distinctive microclimate, allowing an early potato harvest and a distinctive sweet, nutty flavour.[10] Comber Earlies are not a variety of potato, they can be of many varieties, but are named solely after the location at which they are grown.[11]

History

Comber potatoes have long been linked with the Ulster Scots planters the Hamiltons and Montgomerys.[12] The first written mention of potatoes being grown in Ireland, in 1606, mentions Comber.[13]

See also

References
  1. Hodge, Ian (4 February 2016). The Governance of the Countryside: Property, Planning and Policy. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781316483091 – via Google Books.
  2. "Comber Earlies – The Daily Spud". www.thedailyspud.com.
  3. "Comber Earlies - In Season in Ireland in Spring". Ireland-Guide.com.
  4. "Comber Earlies Growers Co-Operative Society Limited - Food NI".
  5. "Comber Earlies". Comber Earlies - Visit Ards and North Down.
  6. Daly, Susan. "Poll: How often do you eat potatoes?". Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  7. "First of the potatoes - FarmWeek". 6 March 2018. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  8. Stanley, John; Stanley, Linda (16 December 2014). Food Tourism: A Practical Marketing Guide. CABI. ISBN 9781780645018 – via Google Books.
  9. Hamilton, Ray (8 June 2017). A Short History of Britain in Infographics. Summersdale Publishers Limited. ISBN 9781786851727 – via Google Books.
  10. "Comber Potatoes - Cookery Feature from Georgina Campbell". Ireland-Guide.com.
  11. "PotatoesPotatoes".
  12. Cassidy, Martin (13 March 2018). "Comber spuds get protected status". BBC News.
  13. "Discover Northern Ireland's Protected Potatoes - TheTaste.ie". 2 October 2016.
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