Jersey Royal planting has started a record month earlier than normal in a bid to catch up with lost sales following two torrid years.
Extreme heavy rain seriously damaged production in the last two years but this year growers received good news after striking a major deal with Tesco to supply the supermarket with the first batch of this year’s outdoor crop, set to go on sale on this week.
The potatoes are the biggest export from the island and will be aided by the warmest late winter Jersey weather for a number of years.
Tesco potato buyer Jonathan Corbett said: “British shoppers love Jersey Royals, which are rightly acknowledged as the best spuds in the business, so it’s good news for both farmers and customers.
“Last year Jersey Royal growers suffered the worst harvest in living memory after extremely and prolonged heavy rainful, when the potatoes literally had to be dug out of the ground aided by tractors.”
The earliest outdoor Jersey Royals are traditionally planted on steep, south-facing slopes known locally as côtils and are covered with plastic to protect them
Barrie Hamel, production director for the Jersey Royal Company, said: “We planted in this one particularly sheltered area of the island in early December, with setting a growing record firmly in mind.
“It is the earliest I have ever planted outdoor Royals for export and we have been closely monitoring the progress of the crop throughout winter. I am thrilled with the way they turned out,” said Corbett.
British supermarkets sell £35 million of Jersey Royals each year which accounts for nearly half of all potatoes bought during spring and summer.
Last year production was particularly badly hit after the island suffered the heaviest rainfall for at least 35 years, but plantings have significantly increased this year by 20 per cent.
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