Episode 83 - Digging Deep into Potatoes with Richard Lee & Stuart Mitchell

Imagine this: you’re running a bustling fish and chip shop, and the price of potatoes swings like a pendulum—one day, it’s a steal; the next, it’s breaking the bank. How do you keep your fryers humming and your customers happy? That’s where Episode 83 of The Ceres Podcast comes in, a gem of a listen hosted by Stelios Theocharous, featuring potato industry heavyweights Richard Lee of PJ Lee and Sons (aka High Flyer Farms) and Stuart Mitchell of Mitchell Potatoes.

Recorded during the tail end of a soggy, lockdown-laden winter in early 2021, this episode pulls back the curtain on the potato trade, offering hospitality business owners a front-row seat to the challenges, insights, and downright fascinating details of getting spuds from field to fryer.

Stelios kicks things off with his signature warmth, joking about Stuart’s frequent appearances—“I can’t get you off now!”—setting a conversational tone that feels like a chat over a pint rather than a lecture. The trio quickly dive into the meat of the matter: the unprecedented wet weather that’s left fields in the Fens saturated and farmers like Richard scrambling. “It’s the wettest January we’ve had for hundreds of years,” Richard notes, explaining how internal drainage boards have been pumping water round the clock to keep the land workable. For anyone in hospitality who’s ever grumbled about a price hike, this is a wake-up call—nature doesn’t play favourites, and the farmer often takes the hit first.

What stands out is the candid back-and-forth between Richard and Stuart, a farmer and merchant duo whose friendly banter reveals the delicate dance of their trade. Stuart quips, “Right now, the only person probably getting done over is the farmer,” flipping the script on the old scepticism that growers are always out to gouge the market. Richard backs this up with a jaw-dropping figure: his operation took a £2.5 million hit when COVID slashed demand overnight, forcing a 600-acre cutback. For hospitality folks, this is a stark reminder that the supply chain’s pain trickles down to your doorstep—fewer potatoes planted means tighter supply and higher prices later.

One of the episode’s juiciest moments comes when Stelios probes the idea of a “perfect potato.” Stuart rattles off varieties like Ramos, Marquis, and Agria, tailored to different seasons and fryer skill levels. At the same time, Richard introduces a newcomer, Babylon, hinting at its potential to shake up the game. “It’s very similar to Agria… you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference,” he says, sparking curiosity about what’s next for your chip basket. The real gold here is their practical advice: Stuart’s tip to shock potatoes with hot water in cold weather to improve fry colour—“Boil the kettle two or three times, pour it into the barrel”—is the kind of hands-on nugget that could save your shop from a soggy batch.

The discussion takes a futuristic turn with talk of gene editing, a topic that might sound sci-fi but could be a game-changer for your bottom line. Richard envisions potatoes as resistant to blight and pests, cutting the need for chemicals and potentially stabilizing costs. “If they could come out with a variety we didn’t have to spray for blight… that would be a big thing,” he muses. For hospitality businesses, this isn’t just pie-in-the-sky—it’s a glimpse at a future where quality and consistency might not come with such a wild price tag.

Perhaps the most surprising revelation is the sheer investment behind those humble spuds. Richard lays it bare: £3,000 per acre, £6 million upfront before a single cheque arrives, all for a crop that might not even make it to market if weather or storage falters. Stuart ties it to the end user, urging shops to see beyond the sticker price. “If you sell the best product, your customer’s going to come back,” he says—a mantra any hospitality owner can live by. It’s a compelling case for opting for quality over the cheapest bag, especially when Stelios shares a friend’s story of switching to pricier potatoes and seeing sales soar thanks to better taste and yield.

The episode isn’t all serious business—there’s a lightness to it, like when Richard jokes about not coming back as a farmer in his next life or Stelios confessing he’d struggle to plan a month ahead, let alone a potato season. This relatability makes The Ceres Podcast so addictive, blending expertise with a down-to-earth vibe that keeps you hooked.

For hospitality business owners, Episode 83 is a treasure trove of insights—why prices fluctuate, how to pick the rightspuds, and what’s coming down the pipeline. It’s a call to rethink that knee-jerk cynicism about suppliers and see the bigger picture. So, grab your headphones, give it a listen, and subscribe to The Ceres Podcast—because understanding your potatoes might be the edge your business needs in 2025 and beyond.