Jersey Royal producers have begun harvesting and exporting the first of the season’s outdoor crop.
Warmer temperatures on the island throughout the months of January and February have resulted in abnormal crop bursts - bringing one of fresh produce’s most iconic summer crops much earlier than normally experienced.
Barrie Hamel, production director at The Jersey Royal Company, said: ê»Since the beginning of 2011 the weather has been very kind to us and provided excellent conditions in which to plant, tend and harvest the crop.
“Over the past [few] weeks we have noticed that the plantings on the South Eastern part of the island have advanced rapidly, resulting in Jersey Royal availability weeks earlier than ever previously recorded.”
The Jersey Royal Company this week dispatched in excess of three tonnes destined for UK retailers, with the first arriving at Waitrose on Wednesday morning.
The harvest follows on from last year’s drought that devastated large areas of the islands crops, making harvesting and supply near impossible throughout some periods of the season.
The abnormal weather patterns are creating cause for concerns, with the island’s farmers now forced to look at various different measures to ensure the supply of Royals is ongoing.
Jerseys Royal potatoes command in excess of £65 million retail sales in the UK alone, despite a short twelve week season.
Hamel added: “Previously, the only way in which Royals would have been available was through glass house production. This process creates a different tasting potato that is a lot milder, and not reflective of the main season crops that customers recognise and love.”
Jersey Royal Potatoes will be available throughout selected Waitrose stores, with an RSP of £2.99 for 500g.
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