Smash was launched by Cadbury’s in 1969. Now forgive me for not really seeing the connection…they’re the chocolate people, aren’t they? At what point did somebody on their ideas panel suggest that they diversify from sweet, yummy sugar-laden treats to – um – squashed starchy tubers? The year of Smash’s emergence on to the foodstuff shelf may, of course, have influenced the robot themed averts: Apollo 11’s successful visit to the moon took place the same year. I have a recipe for garlic smashed potatoes that everyone in my family loves. These are great any time of the year and are one of my favorite comfort foods. Add the potato and mash with a potato masher, until smooth. The more you mash, the fluffier and lighter the potatoes will become. Add more milk for a creamier mash. Introducing your new favourite potato recipe – buttery, crispy SMASHED POTATOES! Crazy crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, there’s a serious risk that only half of these will make it to the dinner table….

While the Smash Martians have been consigned to advertising history, the actual puppets haven’t: a few of them can be seen in the National Media Museum, in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Premier Foods, who now own the Smash brand, have others in their head office in St Albans, Hertfordshire. For mash get smash! If you’re over the age of 40 then you certainly won’t have forgotten those bizarre robots preparing powdered mashed potato to go with their dinner. The adverts would all end with an instantly singable strapline. Try it now: walk up to the next person you see and warble ‘For mash….?’ Anybody who has even the vaguest recollection of the adverts should reply ‘…get Smash!’ If you're struggling with lumps, pass the mash through a sieve or similar. A tamis (fine meshed, flat strainer), food mill, large sieve or potato ricer all work well. Their shaky, tinny voices were provided by Peter Hawkins, a voice-over artist of some esteem; he also brought Zippy from Rainbow to life, not to mention both the Daleks and the Cybermen from Doctor Who. I bet his family made him speak like them ALL the time.If we had to choose a favorite, it would be smashed potatoes. They take a little bit more work than just throwing a baked potato into the oven, but I think they are worth the extra time and effort. Boil in SALTED water – this will season the potatoes all the way through – until potato is very, very soft. It should virtually crumble when you jab it with a fork; Devised by ad agency Boase Massimi Pollitt, many will remember the 30-second advert. In one of the adverts, uploaded to Youtube, we see seven Martians - one red and six blue - discussing humans around a table. The red Martian asks them if on their "last trip did they discover what the Earth people eat." One responds that they eat a great many of these - with the camera zooming in on a big potato. Now BMP DDB is celebrating the accolade by showing the original 1974 commercial in Channel 4's final advertising slot of the year at 2355 GMT on 31 December.

I’m not sure what it says about a nation when peeling and chopping a few potatoes before dropping them into a saucepan of water is considered too onerous a task but for some people it obviously is, judging by the popularity of Smash. It’s been around since the 1960s and currently sells around 140 million servings every year. The Martians would have a great laugh as they watched Earthlings prepare mashed potato in the traditional way while they simply added boiling water and butter to their own. If you are yet to experience the joys of crispy smashed potatoes, and my first experience was only 3 years ago when I was introduced to them by Claire from Sprinkles and Sprouts, a fellow Australian food blogger, these are going to change your potato game forever. However, the launch of the “Smash Martians” in an iconic advertising campaign for the food giant in 1974 was a game changer for the brand.

Disclaimer

New potatoes only have to be boiled for about fifteen or twenty minutes. After that, they are tender enough to be mashed with a fork. As well as being the ultimate comfort food, mashed potatoes can also be jazzed up into something really special. They’re a super-versatile alternative to roast potatoes for your Christmas dinner , and havethe added benefit of soaking up all those lovely meat juices and gravy. I like to add butter to a bowl and use a fork to mash it into the potatoes. I've never tried adding garlic to the finished dish, though I do boil the potatoes in a pot with minced garlic. Chunky potatoes go well with other solid elements, like bits of bacon and green onions. I think it would be weird to eat creamy mashed potatoes with ingredients like this in them.

Yukon Golds (pictured here) have a more intense flavor than Russets, and many people experience them as even a bit buttery, but they also have enough starch to mash up fluffy, they're always a great option,especially if you're making lower-fat versions of mashed potatoes without as much butter in the mix. Even better are Yellow Finns, if you can find them. Both Yukon Golds and Yellow Finns bring so much natural flavor to the party, that just mashing them with a bit of butter and salt is going to taste better than most other versions of mashed potatoes. It also loves to have a Salisbury Steak nestled on it before drowning in Mushroom Gravy, or to have a tumble of juicy Swedish Meatballs drowning in creamy gravy. Use butter and a touch of oil. Because butter = flavour, oil ensures more even and better browning and crispiness. Can’t use just butter because it burns in the oven at high temperatures. Smash is a brand of Instant mashed potatoes in the United Kingdom. It was launched in the United Kingdom in the 1960s by Cadbury, which was primarily a manufacturer of confectionery at the time. Smash was reasonably successful. If you're looking for a balance between convenience and texture, opt for an electric whisk or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. These will break up the mash without cutting into the potatoes too heavily, providing a good compromise.Unwanted Food or Drink Products - Once supply conditions are broken, there are a number of factors outside of our control that can affect the quality of a product. Therefore perishable goods such as food and drink cannot be returned. The adverts of 1970s and their catchphrase, 'For Mash get Smash', were voted television advert of the century by Campaign Magazine, and second-best television advert of all time in a poll of April 2000 conducted by The Sunday Times and Channel 4, beaten by Guinness' Surfer advertisement from 1999. I make it a lot, I eat it a lot and itmakes an appearance at everything from midweek meals to holiday gatherings! Premier Foods brought out some other Smash variations, including ‘Cheddar and Onion’ and ‘Buttery’, as well as creating a ‘healthier’ recipe for the basic product (although most normal people would probably maintain that making your own mash potato from scratch is probably the healthiest option).