FROM the French Charlotte to the Mayan or the Purple Majesty, there was plenty of spuds on offer at the first Oxford Potato Day.

Hundreds of growers passed through the doors of West Oxford Community Centre on Thursday for the special event which showcased more than 100 varieties of the common, and not so common vegetable.

Arranged by Oxford and District Federation of Allotment Associations (ODFAA), Oxford Potato Day was designed to allow allotment holders and gardeners to broaden their horizons when it comes to growing potatoes.

The event offering a ‘spud smorgasbord’ for those keen on growing fresh produce.

Chris Smith of Pennard Plants, who host the events across the south, said: “We have hundred varieties of potato and they range in how different they are from each other.

“When someone asks me what my favourite potato is, I always say to them ‘it depends what you’re going to do with it’.

“Whether you’re going to roast it or mash it, they’re all different and some are better than others for certain things.”

Potatoes were taken away to be planted in order for growers to sample new varieties of the humble potato, of which there around 200 varieties grown in the UK.

Wendy Skinner Smith of the Oxford and District Federation of Allotment Associations (ODFAA) said: “We have a meeting three times a year when we decide how to take allotments further and this was one of the things that we came up with.

“Having something like this in the city was one of the things people were interested in.

“We hope we’re going to be able to do it every year if it works well and by the looks of it, it will.”

Ms Skinner Smith said the true joy of having an allotment was not the growing itself but the tasting.

“When something’s fresh you can really tell the difference,” she said.

For more information on allotments in Oxford visit the ODFAA website http://www.odfaa.com/

To find out more information on potato days being held in other areas visit http://pennardplants.com/