The jacket potato renaissance

"Ping! It's the noise that is echoing through office canteens around the country," said Hannah Evans in The Times. "The sound of colleagues zapping the latest thrifty lunch craze in the microwave: jacket potatoes."

While the humble carb has admittedly long been a "British culinary staple", office workers have recently caught on to the fact that as well as being an easy dinner option on a chilly winter evening, jacket potatoes also make an excellent low-cost packed lunch option.

Not only are they fast, taking just five minutes in the microwave, they are relatively odour free, making them "one of the least offensive things to eat at your desk". Jacket potatoes are also incredibly "versatile"; when it comes to toppings you can go far beyond the basics, bringing "genuinely delicious accompaniments" that can be "assembled at your desk".

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

As people continue to "grapple with increased living costs", many of us are turning to jacket potatoes in a "bid to save money", said The Telegraph. A recent survey by plant-based cheese company Nurishh found that 88% of respondents had swapped expensive shop-bought sushi and salads for homemade alternatives, and 62% were specifically embracing the baked potato. The most popular fillings reported in the survey were cheese, cheese and beans, and butter, said Josh Barrie in London's Evening Standard. "And to think the British cuisine used to have a reputation for blandness."

In the midst of the cost-of-living crisis, it's hardly surprising that people are swapping "£12 focaccia sandwiches" for the "classic" jacket potato. The starchy vegetable has long been "overdue for a renaissance".

The best varieties of potato for a perfectly "fluffy" interior are Maris Piper and King Edward, said Evans in The Times. Ideally, you want to combine a protein source with "something creamy to bring all the elements together" like sour cream, Greek yoghurt or tahini. And be sure to fill your desk drawer with an "array of hot sauces and spices" to liven things up.

"There's no denying jacket potatoes are one of life's simple pleasures", said Anna Berrill in The Guardian, but if "tuna mayo is as edgy as your fillings get, it's time to broaden your horizons". Poppy O'Toole, "potato queen" and author of "The Actually Delicious Slow Cooker", recommends "frying chopped chorizo in a dry pan until it releases its oil" and mixing it with cream cheese for a "flavour-packed" meal.

In another of her recipes, "Bombay jackets", she advises topping baked potatoes with a spiced filling made from fried red onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, nigella seeds and turmeric, and finishing the dish with a "dod of mango chutney" and "drizzle of mint yoghurt". "Welcome in the jacket potato 2.0".