The Princess Mall, Princes Street, Edinburgh, Midlothian, EH2 2AN

It’s been a long time coming, but finally another addition to my unloved Baked Potato Report. I’ve been trying to cut down on baked potatoes recently, as apparently potatoes aren’t very healthy. I’m still on the fence about this one, because what’s healthy seems to change from year to year. One person says you need 5 pieces of fruit a day, another says it can spike your blood sugar and lead to diabetes.

I just don’t know what to believe anymore.

So I headed down to the Princes Mall as I noticed that they’d opened a Spud-u-Like; when I worked at Tesco in Corstorphine I used to sometimes jaunt to the Gyle and eat at this particular chain so I thought it would bring back memories. Although they had some excellent calorific options (chilli topped potato with two slices of garlic bread? Yes please) I went for my usual order of a potato with cottage cheese and chive.

It may look like a burst ulcer but trust me, it's delicious

I grabbed some extra salt and pepper and sat down, ready to attack this beast.

The first thing that’s apparent is the sheer amount of filling. There was at least half a tub of cottage cheese and chives on here; the perfect amount as it meant that I had plenty left to dunk the skin in once I was finished. The flesh was soft, the potato was hot: let’s see how it measured up compared to the others.

Price- From memory it was £4 odd for a meal deal; that’s a cottage cheese and chive potato and a bottle of Irn Bru.

Fluffiness- The flesh was fluffy and buttery; although it was hard to taste much through the sheer amount of filling.

Skin- The skin was well cooked, although it was more chewy than crunchy.

Quality of Fillings-  It was more about quantity than quality here: although it’s hard to go wrong with cottage cheese and chive. The filling was fine and there was loads.

General Yumminess- It was pretty satisfying.

All in all I’d give Spud-u-Like a 6.5/10.

It’s pretty consistent with its sister shops over at the Gyle and in Dundee’s Overgate Center (the only other two I’ve tried) so I’d imagine that the whole chain is pretty samey. The best baked potato in Edinburgh? Possibly not. Supporting local business? Definitely not (although the  chain was founded in Edinburgh, fact fans). But a  safe choice in an unsafe world? Definitely.

And I’d bet it’s a healthier option for pre-train dining than the Burger King in the station. Just sayin’.