This Auchtermuchty man is devoted to tatties and will be sharing his love at Kirriemuir Tattie Day this weekend.
John Marshall has made the humble potato his life, travelling to the likes of Peru to plant spuds.
The 73-year-old says he had “tatties imprinted on [his] brain” when he was growing up.
“From a very early age, I was working in a greenhouse,” he said.
“My father was a potato farmer in Perthshire. He was more of a potato expert than I am or ever will be.”
These formative experiences inspired a life-long potato passion for John.
“I became a government potato inspector as a student. And I think that’s where it stuck. I couldn’t get them out of my head.”
John spent 16 years on the Potato Marketing Board, before becoming a seed potato trader.
“I was travelling around the world trying to develop tattie markets in places like Saudi Arabia,” he said.
“We also went to Peru in 2018. I was trekking into Machu Picchu with my wife and we spent a couple of days in the Potato Park.”
There, John planted potatoes, specifically landrace, where the custodians are based.
In his retirement, John spends his time educating others, giving “tattie talks” to other potato-enthusiasts.
“Now I download this information to garden groups – and unsuspecting school children.
“I go into as many classrooms as possible to show them where potatoes come from and how they are grown.”
John is speaking at Kirriemuir Tattie Day 2023 this weekend, hosted by Sustainable Kirriemuir and Potato House.
He is asking attendees “What’s all the fuss?” when it comes to heritage potatoes.
Well, John offered me a sneak preview.
Sustainable Kirriemuir will hear how the right potato can inspire nostalgia
“I don’t know if you’ve ever contemplated heritage potatoes before,” he said. I hadn’t.
“On the one hand,” he continued, “there are new potato varieties coming in which are disease-resistant or store better.
“You might say that the new ones are environmentally friendly, but the old ones?
“They’ve got that distinctive flavour and character. The potatoes of the present don’t taste like they used to.”
Growers have saved & shared their own seeds for thousands of years, but with the rise of global agribusiness, F1 hybrids, and GM seed, many tasty heirlooms & locally adapted varieties are being lost! Save seed & Swap it @ #Kirriemuirtattieday2023. pic.twitter.com/s0DoNPTk6S
— Sustainable Kirriemuir (@SusKirrie) February 14, 2023
“It’s like a piece of music,” John added, “if you hear music from your past, it can suddenly transcend you back there.
“It is the same with potatoes.
“If you get a flavour of something that you enjoyed when you were young, it brings you right back. There’s a sense of nostalgia.”
Sustainable Kirriemuir Tattie Day is taking place on Saturday February 25 from 12-4pm in the Kirriemuir Town Hall.
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