LIFE'S too short to mash a spud - so increasingly Irish people are buying theirs already mashed for them, writes Aideen Sheehan.

Thanks to the endorsement of celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay and Anthony Worrell Thompson, mash has never been more fashionable. Sales of ready-made mash have soared by 50pc since 2003 in Britain to a value of €110m. And we are showing a similarly strong appetite for this new trend.

Irish farmers Martin and Tracy Hamilton have cashed in on the mash idea with Mash Direct.
The business now has grown from a small operation in 2004 to employ 37 people on the banks of Strangford Lough in Co Down today. It supplies Tesco, Spar, Centra, SuperValu and soon Londis.

Champ and colcannon are also proving huge hits, while mashed turnip is also a big seller.