Jersey Royals

Why am I not seeing them?

I'm sure they are usually in shops by 10th April.

Your right priscus we were looking at the weekend, saw this on a gardening site about the crops in Jersey.

The Jersey Royal season begins in November with planting under glass. The main outdoor crop is planted from January to April with harvesting from the end of March through to the July. The peak of the season is May, when up to 1,500 tonnes of Royals can be exported daily.

Saw some last week.£2.99. And when I went back for some they had gone!!

None in Tesco this morning. Had a chat with their F&V people.

Seems that they are all going in the opposite direction now, as since the fall in the value of the Pound. UK bidders have to offer 20% more than bidders from the other side of the Channel!

Get some Pembrokeshires

They will not be cropping yet. (May)

Worth the wait then. Much better than the jerseys

I'm not singing the praises of Jersey Royals, just their precociousness.

Jerseys start cropping even before I have planted my spuds, and so first opportunity to get new spuds of one of our traditional varieties, as opposed to Med/Egyptian crop.

I haven't usually seen Pembrokes in the mainstream retail outlets. Though maybe that is now about to change given scarcity of the Jerseys.

I have successfully grown the variety 'Ratte' in UK in the past. Probably the best spud for flavour. (Not for chips)

Very low yielding, so little incentive for commercial growers to produce this one.

But, it has become increasingly difficult to lay hands on Ratte seed potato.

Lots in M&S yesterday £4 small bag,I had a coupon £5 off if you spend £35 in the food hall so I bought a bag & spent £36 & paid £31

Got some from Morrisons £3 ,looking forward to them tomorrow,

Thanks, will check out both of above - will have to be after Easter now.

We got some from Morrisons on Saturday too Trixie, they had loose unwashed and washed in bags, opted for the natural unwashed and very nice they are too.

Spuds usually travel better if coated with some of the earth in which they were growing.

Yes ayrefield ,we had ours yesterday.i have had them in the past in a bag as a last resort from Asda but they did not taste or look like Jersey Royals.so won't buy them again.
Glad you got some before they sold them all.

Jersey Royals are nothing like they used to be,Ulster Prince are better,and quite early.

Well, plenty around now, BUT it is almost mid May, and other UK grown earlies appearing in the shops by now.

They have lost their USP if they are not available before other home-grown competitors!

Must do better, or they will soon be a thing of the past.

ps I grew a variety called Concorde when I lived in Lincolnshire.

They took 10 weeks, planting to cropping. So starting under fleece or plastic at end of Feb, would see them on the plate by this week. Not grown widely by commercial growers though, as their disease resistance is not good.

Had some for Saturdays evening meal.....2 fillets of panfried sea bream on a bed of buttered crushed jersey Royal with asparagus and drizzled with a watercress and white wine sauce...all done at home with a bottle of Pinot Grigio.....all done for just under £13.....getting posh eh?

Nice one, Roy!

Sounds Restaurant standard Roy,well done

Went into a cafe near the canal at Rufford .They wanted £4 for a chip butty. Don't know what spuds they use but they must be the most expensive spuds around

I love doing a few things like..not so often....my son is an exec chef...he's now into developing meals for a local company in morcambe who supply ready meals for booths and the like....it's a very scientific thing these days...he used to be head chef at the DW stadium and the wrightiington hotel about 10 years ago

Got some Tarleton grown new potatoes on Chorley market last Friday 😋. They were £2.50 a pound but they were beautiful.

Jersey royals now 65p a bag at Aldi.

Advert on tele tonight saying that Morrisons are selling Jersey Royals for £1.00 450 g

Yes, they are everywhere now.

Where were they at start of season when competing UK crop not available? Better spuds are in the shops now.

They've got nice looking Jersey Royals in Aldi at 63p !

Bought Cornish potatoes from M&S £2 & they're tiny & tasty

I bet they are better than JRs.

Depending on variety, of course, I usually buy one or two lots of Cornish, by the time they have been eaten, Lincolnshire grown, and Lancashire grown are available. (Some already, I know: grown under glass!)

Does anyone remember schools' 'Potato Picking Holiday' in October? (Maincrop, that is. Before them are first earlies, second earlies and rapid varieties such as Concorde!) I never did get to pick potatoes as a school kid, though I have picked other crops.

Why not just get a packet of Smash?? Remember what we were told " for mash get Smash"

ruffords are a better tasting spud that jerseys.

A whole lotta varieties are better tasting than Jerseys.

They are just NOT available (home grown) as early in the season as are Jersey Royals.

49p from Tesco's, but they're only 350g bags.