ONE of the many reasons for visiting Jersey is the fine food on offer in so many first-class restaurants.
A further reason comes in the shape of the home-grown ingredients that our restaurants are able to use as basic raw materials of the highest quality. The Jersey Royal potato, for example, is, with full justification, famous internationally, as are our dairy products.
But the excellence of Island fare extends beyond what is produced on the land. The best line-caught bass, oysters and mussels farmed in the clear waters of the east coast, spider crabs and edible crabs, and lobsters can all be mentioned as truly local delicacies that add strength and depth to our culinary offering.
And the quality of our food did not go unnoticed at last year’s Real Food Festival, which is why no less a figure than celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is helping to promote the best of the best through his restaurant chain, Fifteen.
For the whole month of May the chain, which has branches in London and Cornwall as well as overseas, will be featuring Jersey food. Staff will also be trained to explain the connection between the produce on the menu and the Island of its origin.
This amounts to a considerable public relations and marketing coup, and all those involved in making it happen deserve congratulation.
This, of course, extends not only to those who worked so effectively behind the scenes to ensure that Jersey produce was highlighted at the Real Food Festival and then to establish the Jamie Oliver link but also to the many Islanders who grow, catch, culture, market and distribute the fruits of sea and land.
Neither agriculture nor fishing can compare with financial services in terms of contribution made to the material wealth of the Island, but both industries continue to play vital parts in forming the image that we project to the outside world. In spite of the dominance of finance, we can still say that this is a largely rural place. We can also be proud that maritime traditions remain very much a part of our heritage.
As Jamie Oliver’s staff serve up Royals, oysters, crab and our other specialities during May, the Island’s food producers are likely to win many new friends. In addition, there will undoubtedly be spin-off benefits for tourism and even for finance as attention is drawn to who we are, what we do and where we can be found.
Jersey on Jamie’s menu
ONE of the many reasons for visiting Jersey is the fine food on offer in so many first-class restaurants.
A further reason comes in the shape of the home-grown ingredients that our restaurants are able to use as basic raw materials of the highest quality. The Jersey Royal potato, for example, is, with full justification, famous internationally, as are our dairy products.
But the excellence of Island fare extends beyond what is produced on the land. The best line-caught bass, oysters and mussels farmed in the clear waters of the east coast, spider crabs and edible crabs, and lobsters can all be mentioned as truly local delicacies that add strength and depth to our culinary offering.
And the quality of our food did not go unnoticed at last year’s Real Food Festival, which is why no less a figure than celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is helping to promote the best of the best through his restaurant chain, Fifteen.
For the whole month of May the chain, which has branches in London and Cornwall as well as overseas, will be featuring Jersey food. Staff will also be trained to explain the connection between the produce on the menu and the Island of its origin.
This amounts to a considerable public relations and marketing coup, and all those involved in making it happen deserve congratulation.
This, of course, extends not only to those who worked so effectively behind the scenes to ensure that Jersey produce was highlighted at the Real Food Festival and then to establish the Jamie Oliver link but also to the many Islanders who grow, catch, culture, market and distribute the fruits of sea and land.
Neither agriculture nor fishing can compare with financial services in terms of contribution made to the material wealth of the Island, but both industries continue to play vital parts in forming the image that we project to the outside world. In spite of the dominance of finance, we can still say that this is a largely rural place. We can also be proud that maritime traditions remain very much a part of our heritage.
As Jamie Oliver’s staff serve up Royals, oysters, crab and our other specialities during May, the Island’s food producers are likely to win many new friends. In addition, there will undoubtedly be spin-off benefits for tourism and even for finance as attention is drawn to who we are, what we do and where we can be found.
Article posted on 25th February, 2009 - 3.00pm