Tesco: Mashed potatoes sales skyrocket at UK supermarket with multi-million pound factory to open

UK supermarket Tesco has said that customers bought one million more packets of the fluffy mash in 2023 compared to 2022. The company added that while demand began to briefly rise just before the Covid lockdown, Brits turned back to using whole potatoes to cook their mash with as they had more time on their hands to devote to cooking.

However, as people have returned to full-time work and office working in recent years, the trend has tipped back towards pre-prepared packets to meet convenience demands. This again increased as purse strings tightened during the cost-of-living crisis and customers turned to the inexpensive packets. The popularity of sweet potato mash remains far below traditional mash but still saw a boost itself, with sales increasing by 100 per cent.

A new factory has been opened by Tesco and Branston, one of the UK’s largest potato suppliers, to meet the extra high demand. The new facility, located near Lincoln, has also created 80 jobs.

Tesco prepared produce buying manager Alex Edwards said: “Britain’s millions of mash fans should be very excited by the news as our chefs have worked with Branston to excite existing recipes. What we’re planning to do is to take the mash-eating experience to the next level and make it more of a gourmet food that you’d find in an upmarket restaurant.”

Branston chief executive Jim Windle said: “We are proud and very excited to have brought the latest world-class food manufacturing technology alongside restaurant quality recipe design to uplift and elevate one of Britain’s best-loved foods. Mash is one of Britain’s favourite comfort foods that needed a 21st-century makeover to delight and inspire customers across the new range.”