With their papery, easily removable skin and their tender, waxy flesh, Jersey royals are the most prized of the spring crop of potatoes. Their short harvesting season starts around now and farmers usually send more than 30,000 tonnes to the UK in the early months.
But the crop may fail to materialise from Jersey this year as the Channel Island has been hit by the worst drought in 34 years. According to potato growers, the first crop may be cut in half because of a lack of rainfall in April. While the rest of the UK was suffering downpours over last weekend's bank holiday, just 2mm fell in Jersey.
Mike Renourd, technical director for the Jersey Royal Company, said today: "It's looking like the first half of the crop will have a significant yield reduction."
The Guardian
The Daily Telegraph