Jersey Royal growers have hired ex-soldiers to guard a valuable crop of newly developed gourmet potatoes that is being targeted by thieves.
The new variety of Jersey Royals, named Pearls, have been specially cultivated for Tesco and sell for around £6 a kilo - 10 times the price of standard new potatoes.
But with potatoes being one of the island’s chief exports, word has reached criminal circles that the new crop holds considerable value.
In the last three weeks, thieves have dug up more than £5,000 worth of potatoes and growers believe these have already been sold on to high-end restaurants in either the UK or France.
Tesco potato buyer Paul Thomas said: “Jersey Royals are already known as among the finest produce grown in the British Isles and the Pearls, which have been developed over the last four years, are the absolute crème de la crème of the potato world.
“This is the first year that the Pearls have been on sale and as this is a small island it hasn’t taken long for news to get around. We believe they are being stolen to order.
“The growers have now had to bring in a team of ex-soldiers who patrol the fields at night in order to safeguard the valuable crop.”
The Pearl is the first ever branded Jersey Royal potato and the brainchild of the island’s biggest grower, Barrie Hamel.
Hamel said: “We decided to cultivate a smaller potato than regular Jerseys. It has an even more delicate flavour - with a fragrant chestnutty flavour.
“It was created by changing our planting technique and the smaller size has intensified the flavour.”
UK supermarkets sell £35 million worth of Jersey Royals each year, which accounts for nearly half of all potatoes bought during spring and summer.
Thomas added: “The reason the Pearls are more expensive than the traditional Jersey Royal variety is because they are more expensive to grow - they are smaller, more delicate potatoes that are hand graded, washed and packed.
“They also only make up five per cent of the island’s Jersey Royal output so this year there are not a lot of them, although the growers will step up production next year.”
The potatoes are being advertised on the London tube posters, as well as on TV adverts before and after Sky TV’s Market Kitchen.
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