Local Produce

The Jersey Cow and Dairy Produce

The Jersey cow in its current pure-bred form has been a feature of the Island’s landscape for more than 200 years, following a ban on the importation of live animals or semen which has ensured the purity of a breed in its Island home.

Although a small breed, the Jersey is one of the most productive dairy cows and has an amazing ability to adapt to wide-ranging conditions – a characteristic which has led to exports of live animals to countries around the world. Jersey cows can trace their ancestry to the original Jersey Herd Book founded in 1863 by the Royal Jersey Agricultural & Horticultural Society. There are currently circa 74 herds in the Island comprising some 4,200 milking cows.

At one time there were many private dairies in the Island but since 1954, all milk has been collected and processed by the Jersey Dairy, a producer-owned co-operative established by law. A single dairy, one of the most modern in Britain at the time, was established at Five Oaks and, in 1981, the Board established a commercial executive to market its dairy products under the brand name of Jersey Dairy.

The dairy was the first in the British Isles to be awarded the prestigious international standard ISO 9001 for all aspects of its operation - from producer to customer - and recently the dairy’s laboratory was awarded accreditation with the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), affording it international recognition for its standards. Today the dairy produces a wide range of exceptionally high quality milks and dairy products in keeping with its compliance to international standards.

Jersey milk is naturally high in butter fat content but is now sold as fresh full cream milk (5.5 per cent cream content), fat reduced (2.5 per cent cream content) and low fat (1.1 per cent cream content). A UHT fat-free milk is also available. Dairy products include traditional and spreadable butters, creams and natural and bio yogurts. New products which have been recently introduced include organic milk, dairy ice dream, crême fraiche and clotted cream.

Since 2002, people on Jersey have been able to pur themselves a cool, refreshing glass of organic Jersey milk. Demand by consumers, a wish to return to more natural methods of farming and support from the States of Jersey and the Jersey Dairy encouraged a number of dairy farmers to take the plunge and convert to organic. The dairy processes and packs three organic products; Organic Full Cream Milk, Organic Semi Skimmed Milk and Organic Crème Fraiche.

Jersey Royal Potatoes

So delicate is the skin of the Jersey Royal new potato that harvesting equipment is tested with a chicken’s egg. The theory goes if the egg survives intact, so will the precious Royal. There are few food stuffs which command such care and attention. At every step of the Jersey Royal new potato’s short life, it is cosseted and caressed, from the planting, to the picking, to the packing.

The protection extends beyond the physical. We tolerate no Royal dopplegangers. These unique, creamy, kidney shaped potatoes - worth an estimated £28 million a year to Island growers - are protected by an EU ruling. The 'Appellation Contrôlée ' gives the name the same status as Champagne. Many countries have tried to grow the Jersey Royal, but only those potatoes grown in the Channel Island of Jersey can call themselves Jersey Royal new potatoes.

Today’s Royals are the result of combining the best of the old with the innovation of the new. The tradition of covering the fields in a winter blanket of seaweed, or ‘vraic’ begins in November. This provides the soil with nutrients and helps stop pest infestation. Two months later farmers start the perilous task of planting. The vertiginously steep fields, or ‘côtils’ as they are known in Jerriais, are hard to plough, so the farmer winches down a plough and remains, with his tractor, at the top of the incline to pull the plough along.

Modern methods of cultivation take precedence at the next stage when the côtil is covered with a thin polythene sheet to keep the ground warm and to protect the emerging shoots from frost. On the best south facing slopes, the resulting crop will be picked in late March to catch the highest prices on the UK market.

During the peak of the season in May, when up to 1,500 tonnes of Royals are exported daily, the grower is working a 12-hour day, assisting Polish and Portuguese farm workers in the delicate harvesting. Some lifting is done by hand, some by machine. To minimise the harm done to the easily bruised young potato, the harvester digs under the crop and lifts the potatoes up so they are cushioned by a layer of soil.

This level of care continues at each stage. In the noisy, intense and frenetic packing sheds, workers are concentrated and focused. The Royals are checked for obvious blemishes, divided into three sizes; ware, small ware and the smallest - mids - and then checked again by a quality controller, before being packed and loaded into refrigerated vans for export.

In order to ensure the taste and condition of the Royal potato justifies its reputation, the growers go to great lengths to ensure its quality. Each sack of potatoes can be traced back to the Jersey field it was grown in by an identifying code.

Sink your teeth into a fresh Royal and you should get a firm, waxy texture with a slight give. It will taste slightly nutty, possibly earthy, and certainly sweet. The flavour is more intense at either of the ‘rose’ end (the narrowest part) or the ‘heel’ end of the potato. There is something else that makes the potato special though; in a world of pre-peeled, pre-packed, pre-seasoned vegetables, the soil-covered Royal, bought loose from a green grocer, still has a faint whiff and feel of the sea, the sun and the sand which nurtured it - a rare connection to land it is grown on.

The discovery of the Jersey Royal is all down to a sociable Jersey farmer called Hugh de la Haye. In 1879 Mr de la Haye had some friends around for ‘La Grande Charrue’ - a post ploughing dinner for all the helpers. He showed them two huge potatoes which he had been given as curiosities. One had 15 "eyes" (from which new plants sprout). Not one to sniff at a money-making opportunity, the Jerseyman cut it up and planted each eye. In spring, the off-cuts had produced a large and early crop, but among them was one plant which had produced small and unique kidney-shaped potatoes - the Jersey Royal new potato - as it is now known. It was christened the Jersey Royal Fluke, but was nurtured and developed to produce the later varieties of the Jersey Royals we now eat.

For more information on Jersey Royals visit: www.jerseyroyals.co.uk

Order Jersey Royals online from the Jersey Royal Potato Post web site.

Organic Farming

Organic farming for commercial sale in Jersey began in 1985 when organic produce was but a twinkle in the eye of the supermarkets. Since then the number of Island farmers converting to organic crops has increased considerably and it is estimated that this year 220 vergées of Island arable land some 648 vergées of dairy land will be converted to organic.

Some organic produce is exported, but many farmers sell their organic produce locally to supermarkets, grocers and at roadside stalls, and via the popular ‘box’ schemes.

Organic farmers are helped by support from the States of Jersey which provides financial help and advice support to growers who wish to convert to organic. In 1997 the Department set aside 15 vergées of land at The Elms, St Mary to convert to organic production and exported its first crop of organic cauliflowers in January 1999.

The Jersey Organic Association also offers help and advice to organic farmers. The Association, formed in 1987 as a body promoting the values of the Soil Association for domestic gardeners, has a sub group of commercial growers and farmers which has the following objectives.

• To promote agriculture and horticulture and the rearing of livestock using natural methods without the use of artificial pesticides and fertilisers and minimising the use of medication.

• To promote the use of natural methods of conserving and enhancing soil fertility.

• To promote the enhancing of wildlife habitats and the natural features of the landscape.

• To promote the reduction of ground, air and water pollution.

• To resist the use of genetically modified material.

Seafood

The waters that surround Jersey produce an abundance of top quality shellfish, including: chancre crab, spider crab, lobster, fresh scallops and oysters. Jersey also offers simpler dishes such as Jersey plaice, seabass and mackerel. If you're lucky you may come across our local delicacy, the ormer.

Ormers

The ormer, from the French ‘oreille de mer’ (ear of the sea), is a rare marine snail and the Channel Islands mark the northern limit of its habitat. In an effort to preserve stocks, strict regulations have been applied to the gathering of ormers.

Due to the biology and the social importance of this species the fishery is carefully managed.

 • SCUBA Diving for ormers is not allowed.

• There is a Minimum Landing Size of 90mm.

• Fishing for ormers may only take place between from the 1st October until the 30th April.

• During the ormering season, fishing may only take place on the first day of each new or full moon, and the three following days.

• It is also an offence to either possess fresh ormers or export them at any time other than between the 1st October and the 30th April and then on the first day of a new or full moon and the five days following.

These rules are strictly policed and heavy fines are levied on offenders. At very low tide - the island has the second highest tidal range in the world, making the island ‘grow’ by up to a third on the lowest tide - during the allowed period, you will see Jersey men and women scouring the rocks to find the sought after ormer. Once found, they are prised from the underside of rocks by hand and carried to shore in a traditional ormer basket. The ormer is cooked by being beaten, then cooked in the oven as a cassoulet or served with gravy, carrots and onions. The ormer shells would traditionally have been used as decoration on houses and for jewellery, due to their striking mother-of-pearl inner.

Ormers are so rare that you will probably not find these on the menu at Jersey restaurants. Local fishermen are extremely lucky to find ormers and when they do, they are often cooked up as a family feast and rarely shared. For further information visit Jersey's Planning & Environment website.

Oysters

The waters around Jersey are warmed by the Gulf stream and produce a large variety of seafood including crabs, sole, plaice and lobsters. Jersey also hosts a 25.1 hectare oyster farm, ‘Royal Bay Oysters’ in the Royal Bay of Grouville. Each year approximately 200 tonnes of oysters are produced, with 90% exported to France. The company also now produces in excess of 12 million partly grown oysters, known as 'half ware' for sale to French and UK shellfish farmers for on-growing to market size.