Fans of the much-anticipated Jersey Royal season are going to have to wait a little longer to get their hands on their favourite spuds this year after Mother Nature did its best to sabotage the crop.

A wet December and January, followed by plummeting temperatures brought about by the ‘Beast from the East’ in February, means the season is likely to kick off three weeks later than usual and not much crop is expected in stores before Easter. While wholesalers such as First Choice and Solstice have reported receiving their first orders of the early glasshouse crop, supermarkets will have to wait a bit longer for significant volumes to reach stores.

Describing the season as “a bit grim”, Jersey Royal Company (JRC) sales and marketing director William Church says that after a reasonable start to planting on the island’s famous slopes in January, finding dry, flat land proved a huge problem. Sub-zero temperatures in late February only compounded the difficulties, and despite planting teams doing “an amazing job” there were days when it was simply impossible.

That view is backed up by Tim Ward, sales and distribution director for Jersey at Albert Bartlett, who says growers who have been in the business for 40-50 years have never seen so many different complications in a single season before. “It’s been a real challenge to have had this much to deal with,” he affirms.

JRC produces 25 acres under glass, while Bartlett is not a significant producer of covered crop, and while ordinarily the outdoor crop would be lifted in late March and supply of that would dovetail with indoor product, this season is looking a little different.

Church says JRC has been upfront with customers about the likely delays from an early date, and buyers have been understanding given they are experiencing similar problems with other veg nationwide.

While no major quality problems are expected with this season’s Jersey Royals, it seems inevitable that yields will be reduced and size could well be an issue, with smaller potatoes the likely outcome.

Jersey Royals can be a popular item in supermarkets’ promotional mixes, but both Ward and Church say it is too early to comment on what promotions could follow, particularly if spring suddenly takes hold. “We are working closely with key customers to adjust programmes to match expected crop availability,” comments Church.

Looking for positives, Ward and Church agree that the fact the whole of the UK suffered the same weather problems means the Cornish and Suffolk crops are also likely to fall back. That means Jersey’s late start shouldn’t mean it misses its opportunity to take centre stage in stores.

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