National Potato Day in Ireland Friday 5th October 2018, to encourage Irish people to celebrate potatoes and to experiment in the kitchen with a range of tasty recipeson www.potato.ie/recipes/.
The theme for this year’s celebration “Imagine a World without Potatoes?” highlights the importance and value of the world’s third most important food crop.
National Potato Day 2018 Events
A number of exciting events are planned around the country to celebrate National Potato Day and encourage Irish people to get involved at home and in their community. These include:
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The Carlow Rooster Festival (5 th – 7th October)
The first ever Carlow Rooster Festival will take place this year to coincide with National Potato Day. This event has been designed to celebrate the Rooster potato and its proud links to Carlow, over the last 30 years, where it was bred by Teagasc in Oak Park Research Centre. The festival begins on National Potato Day with Bord Bia Potato Ambassadors, TV dietician and nutritional expert, Aoife Hearne and Chef Padraig Óg Gallagher from the Boxty House in Temple Bar delivering nutritional talks and cookery demonstration to schools at an event in Oak Park. Local celebrations will continue over the weekend.
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‘Feile an Phráta’ – Dingle Food Festival (5 th – 7 th October)
‘Feile an Phráta’ is an annual festival run by a community group in West Kerry to celebrate the history and heritage of the potato across eight parishes in the Dingle Peninsula. This year the group will celebrate 10 years by hosting a stand at the Dingle Food Festival which will be officially opened by Bord Bia Potato Ambassador, Chef Padraig Óg Gallagher from the Boxty House in Temple Bar on Saturday 6th October at 11am.
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Spud Fest, Newbridge House (6th October)
This free, family fun day is being hosted by local farming businesses, Country Crest and Keoghs Farm, in celebration of Ireland’s staple food – the mighty potato! Some of the exciting activities on the day will include potato sack racing, tug-o-war, face painting, bouncy castles, traditional lawn games, vintage tractors, music, cookery demos – as well as getting to see potatoes being baked in a vintage steam engine!
- The Irish Farmers Association potato growers are also hosting a range of regional events with local schools to celebrate National Potato Day.
National Potato Day Ambassador, Dietician Aoife Hearne, will highlight how carbohydrates are an essential source of energy for our bodies and in particular our brain functions. She advocates potatoes as a natural, unprocessed food which offers a top quality, fat-free and gluten-free carbohydrate option.
The campaign organised by Bord Bia features over 140 delicious recipes on the potato.ie site, inspired by international cuisine, which are quick to prepare in under 25 minutes and healthy containing between 300 and 500 calories.
For tips and advice check out recipe videos and ambassador videos featuring dietician Aoife Hearne.
