Until recently the Shetland Black, a vintage potato variety that was originally grown before 1920, was on the verge of extinction.

However, six years dedicated to building the volume of seed available to potato supplier Solanum and Waitrose has come to fruition. Specialist Potatoes, a member of the Solanum supplier group, is growing 35 tonnes of Shetland Black on 1.66 hectares in the St Andrews area of Scotland.

Laura Brown-Waite, commercial manager for Solanum, explained: 'By taking a percentage of seed from each yearly crop over the past six years we have been able to create more volume of product to supply. We are working in partnership exclusively with Waitrose to bring this very traditional variety to the consumer.

'By investing in varieties such as the Shetland Black we are pleased to be able to give something back to the industry.' Research by Solanum has shown consumers want more choice and are keen to try varieties with different characteristics. In addition to the Shetland Black, another vintage variety available is the Forty Fold - the third oldest recognised UK variety.

Other specialist varieties available in Waitrose include Yukon Gold - a good all rounder with a buttery yellow flesh, Arran Victory - with its spectacular bright blue/purple skin and white flesh, and Ratte - a white-skinned salad variety with a chestnut flavour.