Sour faces as National Trust reveals its chefs have been padding out their lemon drizzle cakes with leftover POTATO without telling customers
- The idea came from Paul Garner, head chef at Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire
- National Trust chiefs believe it is the perfect way to use up leftover mash potato
- The recipe is already in use at Trust’s cafes but has remained a secret until now
It would be a bold move to try it on Bake Off.
But the National Trust has been adding dollops of mashed potato to its lemon drizzle cakes without its customers knowing.
The Trust’s development chef, Clive Goudercourt, believes the twist is the perfect way to use up leftover mash and can also help to bring out the cake’s flavour.
The recipe is already in use at the Trust’s cafes, but the mystery mash has remained a secret until now.
The National Trust’s development chef, Clive Goudercourt, believes the twist is the perfect way to use up leftover mash (stock photo)
Mr Goudercourt told the Daily Telegraph: ‘It may be controversial but this cake has a fabulous taste and the potato holds the lemon flavour better. It’s more lemony and gives the sponge a slightly closer texture.’
The idea came from Paul Garner, head chef at Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire, who had been adding potato to lemon cake to make it gluten-free before gluten-free flour was widely available.
Mr Goudercourt realised it was the ideal way to use excess mash at the Trust’s 350 cafes.
He said: ‘We have a problem with leftovers. You can make 200 jacket potatoes, for example, one day but you only sell 180. So this is a good way of using them.
‘The cake is completely different to what we are all used to. You get this bulk in the sponge that danks down the lemon taste. It is an iconic cake but by putting in the potato the result is amazing.
‘It can also be eaten by more visitors because it is gluten free.’
Visitors to the Trust’s cafes have not been told about the potato in the cake unless someone has asked.
The recipe is already in use at the Trust’s cafes, but the mystery mash has remained a secret until now (stock photo)
Cherish Finden, TV judge and award-winning pastry chef of Channel 4’s Bake Off, said: ‘I’ve not used mashed potato in any of my own sweet bakes but I’m intrigued how it might work. Finding ways to use up leftover food is an important part of improving our food waste habits.’
Environment minister Therese Coffey said enjoying the ‘tasty fare on offer at a National Trust cafe was one of the most popular parts of a visit’ and she praised the recipe for showing that ‘delicious
British favourites can be made from food which all too often goes to waste’.
Helen White, adviser to the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, praised the Trust for being ‘creative’ with such an iconic cake.
‘Potatoes are the most wasted food in the UK home – 4.4 million wasted a day,’ she said.