Marks & Spencer is claiming to be the first to stock Jersey Royals this Easter, although the premium priced potatoes cost as much as a steak.
As well as being very early for Jersey Royals, production has also been hit by snow, frost and hail storms in the Channel Islands. M&S is offering 500g of the potatoes for £3.49.
When the main crop starts to come on stream, the retailer said it would be selling the Royals for £1.24 a kilo.
A spokesman for Jersey Royal Potato Marketing said: “Our main target Easter.” However, the early arrival of Easter this year, combined with the weather conditions made meeting demand difficult.
The spokesman said every field had been affected by the bad conditions. “Any plant with foliage above the ground was touched by the frost.”
