So what makes the perfect potato with the potential for bags of flavour?
“We are looking for a really nice, round potato – not too big, not too small, around 50ml,” says Polly.
“Hopefully that will make the perfect crisp.”
The planting process requires both patience and regular quality checks, but there is also one other key ingredient: rain.
In recent years, prolonged spells of hot and dry weather mean that has been harder to come by.
According to the Met Office, last year’s summer was officially the warmest on record for the UK, with a drought declared in Yorkshire.
Spring 2026 was also the warmest on record for England and Wales.
“Our biggest challenge at the minute is water availability,” says Joe Weston, farms director at R S Cockerill.
“We are having longer, hotter, dry summers and our availability of water is key to our ability to grow potatoes.”
Polly says having to irrigate is an added expense in the production process, adding: “It’s less so the quality [impacted] but more so the size and amount.”