Jersey Royals Are In Season - Why They're So Special
The Joy of Jersey Royals: Spring’s First Great Harvest
Cornish Earlies will be with us soon, offering their own delightful contribution to the new potato season. But in the meantime, a kind soul from the Channel Islands has sent me a generous bag of Jersey Royals — a potato which many would describe as the king of spring spuds. Not that I need to try them, of course. I buy them the moment they appear each year.
Jersey Royals have a special place in the British culinary calendar. Grown exclusively on the island of Jersey, these nutty, waxy, delicately flavoured potatoes are one of the few foods in the UK to hold PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status. The flavour and texture are, apparently, the product of unique island terroir: mineral-rich soil, a mild maritime climate, and traditional farming methods that date back centuries.
I would just say that there used to be some spuds that were even more delicious - the old Home Guard variety of ultra-early new potatoes that were once grown on the Isles of Scilly. They were certainly the very best I’ve ever eaten—and I think that was partly because they were often grown under very deep coverings of seaweed, which undoubtedly helped to impart some of the flavour.
The BBQ version of new potatoes
How to Cook Jersey Royals: Keep It Simple
The key to enjoying Jersey Royals is not to overcomplicate things. They shine brightest when they’re allowed to speak for themselves. Boiled gently in salted water — just until tender, never mushy — and then tossed with a good handful of freshly picked mint and, let’s be honest, far more butter than is strictly necessary, they become the very definition of a seasonal treat.
In fact, they’re so good that I’m more than happy to eat them entirely on their own. No meat, no fish, no sauce — just a bowl of glossy, butter-drenched Jersey Royals, some good sea-salt, maybe a grind of black pepper, and I’m in potato heaven. Perhaps a soft-boiled egg or a few slivers of smoked mackerel on the side. But really, they need very little. Try them as a treat in their own right.
