travel
The island of plenty
From Jersey Royal potatoes to rich cream and fresh seafood, Jersey has become a top foodie destination, as we discover Words Emily Gravenor I Pictures MarKus Bidaux
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’m wearing too many layers and swaying slightly with the heat, standing in a humid tent-like structure, sandwiched between some very large fishermen and several enormous tanks of water. The air is so thick with moisture you can almost taste the sea salt and from somewhere in the background comes the murmur of huge test tubes bubbling away where algae is rapidly spawning. Sweat trickles down the back of my neck and my eyes grow as wide as saucers as a man with hands the size of dinner plates puts a squirming slug-like creature on the palm of my outstretched hand.
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Anyway, enough of the fisherman’s tale. We’ve come to Jersey in advance of the Jersey Food Festival, held from 18th-26th May, to discover for ourselves exactly what makes the island such a desirable travel destination for foodies. Boasting three Michelin restaurants and a wonderful range of local food producers, it’s an unenviable task, but one that I’m valiantly determined to apply myself to. On my hand is an innocent enough creature – an ormer – a funny little bi-valve that is somewhat of a speciality in Jersey. ‘Ormer’ seems to be somewhat of a buzzword here at the
moment, particularly because of the launch of Michelin-starred chef Shaun Rankin’s new restaurant of the same name, so it seemed right to investigate the mysterious creature further. As luck would have it, we caught up with another Michelin-starred chef, Mark Jordan (Jersey has more than its fair share of food heroes), who offered to take us to Gary Whipp’s ormer farm. At this purpose-built facility near Gorey, Gary and his team have been embarking on something new – growing ormers from seed. Three years of careful nurturing produces small, succulent morsels with pretty, colourful shells that
can be simply prepared to make a more user-friendly food than its bigger, wilder ormer family. With plans to serve ormers at his bistro, Mark Jordan at the Beach, this summer, Mark will help the shell-dwellers to see their first (and last) debut on a proper restaurant menu. Justin, the expert behind the ormers, who really does have hands the size of dinner plates, explains to us how the sea is pumped in to wash through the ormers’ tanks, where they are grown before being moved into the ocean. As he talks, he dips his huge fingers into the water and flicks a few drops onto some of the tiny seed-like ormers that are clinging to the sides of the tank. “You have to keep an eye on them,” he explains, gently nudging the shells back down into the depths. “I do this to loosen their grip, then it’s easy to slide them back in.” Something about this gesture, which prompts a few “big softie” comments from his friends, sticks in my mind as an example of just one of many instances during our trip where we got a glimpse of the extreme care taken by the island’s food and drink producers, and their pride in what they do. On that note, three years to grow an ormer may seem like a long time, bearing in mind how quickly they’ll be devoured (sorry, Justin), but many growers and producers have to play this long game to get their results. Few more so than Tim Crowley, Daniel De Carteret and the team at La Mare Wine Estate, which has been producing wine on the island since 1972. Tucked away in their cellars awaits an impressive wall full of racked brandy barrels that have so far spent decades on the path to arriving at the precise flavour the team is after. La Mare also has a vast array of products with a faster turnaround time, such as Jersey black butter (a delicious dark, sticky cinnamon, apple and
Previous spread, left: jersey has many beautiful bays and beaches all around its coastline, with a wealth of stunning viewpoints and coastal walks above, left to right: one of the jersey cows at Julia and darren quenault’s classic herd dairy in st peter; stephen labey’s family has been growing the premium jersey royals for many generations – the jersey royal has eu-protected designation of origin status, meaning they can’t be grown outside of jersey; at the jersey oyster company I had the chance to try jersey’s rock and flat oysters
liquorice preserve. I tried it on my toast one morning and thought I’d woken up at Christmas); Jersey fudge, biscuits, champagnestyle cider, brandy, apple brandy cream liqueur and also some rather tasty luxury chocolate made by Darren Stower. At La Mare’s age-old Cognac-style brandy distillery, something exciting was in progress. The team had just announced that it is adding gin to its collection, the result of many years of research. The new spirit has accents of juniper, angelica, rose, citrus, orange and lemon. “It’s like a recipe for a cake,” Tim explains, “you have to play around with it to get it exactly right.” It is quite tricky to do justice to the wealth of food in Jersey in just a few pages. As Shaun Rankin says, “The whole climate of Jersey lends itself to a healthy way of life. It’s a fabulous place to grow food, and the water is so clean.” With one of the largest tidal flows in the world, this clean, clear water makes the ever-popular Jersey oysters taste incredible. To find out more, we caught up with John Vautier, company director at the Jersey Oyster Company, run by third generation oyster-farmer Chris Le Masurier. John patiently taught me how the experts shuck an oyster and also revealed another exciting development – flat oysters which hadn’t been grown on a large scale in Jersey for 150 years were now ready for tasting, along with the larger rock, or Pacific, oysters. With a plate full of oysters prepared and ready in front of us, my mouth was beginning to water. “The oysters in Jersey taste like you’re kissing the
sea,” Shaun had enthused, although my tasting notes referred to a ‘lingering tang of stainless steel’, which seemed a little less romantic. Anyway, Shaun was right. Though in the case of the one I’d shucked, it may have been more akin to gulping the sea than kissing it, due to an overload of sea water, which was definitely down to the skills of the shucker. The seafood here isn’t limited to oysters, by any means. Fish and shellfish play a huge part in Jersey’s food scene, whether that comes in the form of a crab sandwich, cockles, whelks or mussels at the Jersey Crab Shack; a lobster bought fresh from a transformed WWII bunker; a trip to the fantastic Beresford Fish Market in St Helier; or fish such as sea bass, brill, turbot and mullet specially caught and prepared at one of the island’s top restaurants. Andrew Baird, executive head chef at Longueville Manor, could certainly be called an expert on the subject. His talents have helped the beautiful Manor to stay in the top-ranked 25 hotels in the British Isles for the past 23 years, gaining five AA Red Stars and three Rosettes along the way. Recipes From The Sea is a cookbook culmination of Andrew’s experiences preparing local fish and he is passionate about promoting fish and championing provenance. “We have always had a lot of ingredients to hand here,” Andrew says, “with our own gardens and very local suppliers meaning great sources of herbs, tomatoes, raspberries, strawberries, asparagus, seafood, a wide range of vegetables, and beehives nearby for all of our honey.” May/June
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Opposite: centre: kazz padidar of wild adventures forages for a wide range of plants and herbs clockwise from top left: la corbiere lighthouse; roast fillet of angus beef with oxtail ravioli at longueville manor; stephen labey’s jersey royals going into the furrows; chicken truffle tagliatelle at the ocean restaurant, the atlantic hotel; trudie trox of jersey walk adventures is an expert on marine wildlife; the harbours at st helier attract people from all over the world; michelin-starred chef mark jordan in front of oyster collectors at gary whipp’s ormer farm; vignotte cheesecake, liquorice jelly, ginger cake & manor farm yoghurt at tassili
This was never more obvious than at the breakfast we enjoyed in the oak-panelled dining room at Longueville, which I can only describe as kingly. We could have set off for a battle, and won it, after that decadent array of home-made food. As well as the cooked menu, there was an enormous ham for carving and a spread of fresh yoghurts, preserves, amazing platters of fruits, pastries and meats, juices and Bucks Fizz. “Supply just keeps improving, Andrew continues. “We work closely with the seasons and the land. It’s important to build up relationships and learn about things like the tides and fishing methods. If it’s a big tide, the guys will be long lining, so sea bass will be on the menu; when it’s a small tide or a swell, it will be sole or red mullet. We’ve learnt to be very flexible and understand if divers can’t get scallops or a particular fish to order.” This importance placed on good relationships with food suppliers was a common theme with the chefs we spoke to. Richard Allen heads up the Michelin-starred Tassili at the hugelyimpressive five-star Grand Jersey Hotel and Spa. He recently won the Hotel Catey, Hotel Chef of the Year, a highly-prestigious accolade that had previously been awarded to Raymond Blanc, Heston Blumenthal and Rick Stein. As well as creating such exciting food in the delightfully intimate setting of Tassili, Richard is a freshwater fisherman and believes that there are certain products on the island that are worldclass. “The chancre crabs are just the best – and the very best of Jersey produce,” he says. “You can get crab everywhere, but I really like the Jersey chancre as it is so lovely and sweet.” Richard also rates the wild plants and herbs gathered by local forager Kazz Padidar of Wild Adventures. I was lucky enough to go out on a walk by St Ouen’s Bay with Kazz, and was fascinated at how much he could find growing naturally. These plants were edible, medicinal,
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and also the kind of item that the top chefs want. Wild fennel, sorrel, wild carrots, spring beauties and ‘jelly ears’ were just a few of the things that we saw and tasted, with ragwort and hemlock being amongst those we saw and avoided. With our foraging appetites whetted, we headed off on a coastal forage with Trudie Trox of Jersey Walk Adventures, who showed us the Royal Grouville oyster beds, before letting us wade out towards the rows of poles where columns of mussels are grown. Trudie pointed out the edible seaweed that can be found on the seabed between tides, and egg wrack, the seaweed that farmers used to drag away on carts to spread as fertiliser on their potato fields. Although this practice isn’t as common these days, particularly not with carts, potato farmer Stephen Labey finds that the famous Jersey Royal is as much in demand as ever, as it had been for several generations of his family before him. The premium taste comes down to Jersey’s perfect growing conditions – well-drained, fertile soil and a mild climate. At Stephen’s farm, cheerful workers were hand-planting seed potatoes in careful rows, all equally spaced with roots facing in a certain direction, seemingly oblivious to the bitter cold that had crept in. I hadn’t considered just how much effort goes into growing a potato – and this was one of the flat fields, not the steeply-angled ‘cotils’ where the painstaking work is even trickier. Mark Jordan, who had taken us to meet Stephen, explains that he first got to know suppliers when he worked on the local newspaper. “Most of them are still here. In time, these working relationships become friendships, and they really matter.” Sitting in the Jersey Pottery Café in the middle of St Helier, looking out at the lunchtime hubbub, I noticed that rather than an unfriendly, city-slicker scene, all I could see were people stopping to chat. It seemed that everyone knew everyone else, and had time to talk. People were dressed as smartly as in London, but with the friendliness of a village. This was even more apparent as we went around visiting different chefs and producers – we were often given greetings and messages to pass on to the next person, even though they might be considered rivals. As clichéd as it may sound, it gave an overwhelming impression of the island working together. When the island’s produce is teamed with the care, skill and ingenuity of the producers and chefs, and the friendliness of a small community, the result is a food destination that you just don’t want to miss out on.
6 of the best
places to eat
Mark Jordan at the Beach www.markjordanatthebeach.com This double AA Rosette-winning beach bistro offers a fabulous choice of honest, high-quality food in a relaxed environment with very friendly staff and stunning views of the bustling goings-on in St Aubin’s Bay. The interior reflects this perfectly, with natural stone, Jersey oak, rattan furniture and artwork from local island artists.
Tassili www.grandjersey.com Tassili is the Michelin-starred, triple AA Rosette-winning restaurant in the five-star Grand Jersey hotel. Serving exquisite modern British cuisine, executive head chef Richard Allen’s menus provide premium-quality food showcasing local and seasonal produce, served in an intimate setting.
The Ocean Restaurant www.theatlantichotel.com Michelin-starred fine dining combined with an elegant and comfortable dining room, stunning views of the ocean, perfect service and excellent recommended wines makes this restaurant, with its four AA Rosettes, an unmissable treat.
Longueville Manor www.longuevillemanor.com The only AA Five Red Star hotel on the island, this French-chateau style hotel has all of the luxuries of a country retreat, and its restaurant is renowned for exceptional dining, with local produce, fine wines and a sophisticated cocktail bar.
Ormer www.shaunrankin.com Michelin-starred chef Shaun Rankin’s hotlyanticipated new restaurant in St Helier already has bookings well into next year. Shaun describes Ormer as a ‘restaurant for grownups’ with the emphasis on premium-quality food in classic surroundings and with many ingredients sourced from the island.
The Tides Restaurant www.dolanhotels.com/somervillehotel The Somerville Hotel, part of the Dolan Hotels Group, is a four-star luxury hotel nestling on the hillside overlooking the yachting harbour and village of St. Aubin. Enjoy locally-sourced food while taking in spectacular views of the bay below, which is lit up beautifully at night.
travel
5 of the best
Places to stay The Atlantic
www.theatlantichotel.com The rooms, facilities and grounds at the Atlantic make for a truly first-class experience. Full-height windows and balconies in the rooms offer great views of the Atlantic Ocean and La Moye Golf Course. The hotel also offers The Palm Club, with leisure facilities to help you unwind.
The Grand Jersey www.grandjersey.com This five-star hotel in St Helier offers stylish rooms in a contemporary setting, with high standards of service and exciting dining in a choice of restaurants. Relax in the glamorous champagne lounge, Michelin-starred Tassili, and luxurious spa.
The Golden Sands clockwise from top left: beresford fish market is a must for fantastic local fish and seafood; shaun rankin is about to open his brand new restaurant in the heart of st helier; assiette of jersey scallops and poached lobster at longueville manor; a collection of colourful ormers at gary whipp’s ormer farm
At the beginning of the trip, I was driven around Jersey’s coast by Hugh Gill, a Blue Badge tour guide. At nine by five miles, this isn’t quite as planet-destroying as it may sound. Since my first glimpse of La Corbiere lighthouse from the plane I’d known I was going to like Jersey, and once I’d seen the stunning bays, winding country lanes, towering cliffs, pretty streets of St Aubin’s and thriving harbour of St Helier, it was love. It wasn’t even dampened by a thorough schooling in the history of the island over half a pint of Liberation Ale in the Jersey Yacht Club (“Never forget 1781”, Hugh said sternly. I haven’t). Patrick and Treena Burke, owners of The Atlantic Hotel, were soon listening to me declare my love for Jersey over dinner. The Atlantic has held its Michelin star for the Ocean Restaurant since 2007 and has four AA Rosettes. Mark Jordan is the Executive Head Chef here and the food is extraordinary. I tried an Easterninfluenced raw tuna, wasabi and horseradish starter which tasted sublime, with an amazing combination of flavours and textures. For the main I had lemon sole, with crab-crushed Jerseys. The sole was delicious, and had been filleted and stacked to produce an unusually succulent chunk of fish. Combined with the elegance of the restaurant, wines recommended by sommelier Sergio dos Santos, perfect service and breathtaking coastal views, I felt as though I must have come away on my honeymoon after marrying the world’s most generous bachelor. 34
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We couldn’t leave the island without seeing one very important thing, of course: Jersey cows. At The Classic Herd, Darren and Julia Quenault run Jersey’s only independent dairy, where they produce organic milk, creams, yoghurts, cheeses and luxury ice cream from their herd of Jerseys. There are virtually no food miles involved in the production, and the artisan farmers are keen to keep the quality of their produce very high. On top of all this, they also raise pigs and Jersey-Angus beef. There was no real need, then, for me to tell Julia, a Jersey girl since the age of three, how much incredible food there was on the island and bore her with what I think makes the place so special. She laughs and jokes, “You’ve been brainwashed, then”. By the end of our visit, I rather think I had – there is definitely a magic to the island that draws people in and makes them want to stay. It seems you need an exceptional talent or a Jersey spouse for that, sadly, so I will be staying in Surrey for the time being. Always open to offers, though. I am now semi-skilled at shucking, after all.
www.dolanhotels.com/ the-golden-sands The Golden Sands Hotel in St Brelade Bay is a four-star beach hotel ideal for an island getaway. The hotel boasts excellent views of the beach from most of the guest rooms, and is great for families.
The Club Hotel & Spa www.theclubjersey.com Home to one of Jersey’s three Michelin-starred restaurants, Bohemia, The Club Hotel & Spa offers a luxury boutique hotel experience with a choice of popular and super-stylish bars, amazing dining, stylish rooms and relaxing pool and spa.
Longueville Manor www.longuevillemanor.com Sole Jersey member of the world’s finest collection of small hotels and restaurants, Relais & Chateaux, Longueville Manor offers sumptuous country-style rooms equipped with modern touches, wonderful grounds and a celebrated restaurant for an unforgettable stay.
FLY I Flybe has flights to Jersey from Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Doncaster, Sheffield, Durham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Exeter, Geneva, Glasgow, Guernsey, Humberside, Isle of Man, London Gatwick, London Luton, Inverness, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich and Southampton.
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travel Jersey Food Festival: 18th-26th May The third Jersey Food Festival joins with local food heroes in a week of foraging and feasting to showcase the very best of local produce and talent, offering participants the chance to explore the coast and countryside in the company of chefs, producers, farmers and fishermen. There is a wide range of activity taking place during the festival, with the focus on getting visitors to participate in foodie adventures. Here are just a few of the highlights, with the full itinerary available at www.jersey.com.
Launch Event – Central and Beresford Street Markets The Jersey Food Festival will be launched in the wonderful covered Victorian markets in the centre of St Helier, with food demonstrations, street food, tasty treats, street theatre artists and live music.
Atlantic Master Class and Lunch – Pasta and Truffles Join Michelin-starred Executive Head Chef Mark Jordan and Head Chef Matthew Peryer for a masterclass in preparing and cooking fresh pasta.
Jersey Turbot Tours Jersey Turbot is a family-run business, uniquely located in a former Second World War German gun emplacement and bunker at St Catherine’s, housing about 6,500 Turbot at any one time.
Genuine Jersey Afternoon Tea at Grand Jersey Enjoy a traditional afternoon tea with a ‘Genuine Jersey’ twist at the Grand Jersey, with live music and a selection of traditional teas, sandwiches and delicious cakes.
Longitude and Latitude Menu – Tassili Indulge in a three-course menu in Tassili, prepared by Michelin-starred chef Richard Allen and his team, where every ingredient is from Jersey produce.
Wild Food Forage Take in the fantastic scenery of St Ouen’s with Kazz Padidar, encountering local wildlife and learning about a vast variety of wild edible and medicinal plants.
Fun-filled Foodie Films at Grand Jersey Bring the children to see Disney Pixar’s Ratatouille, with Sunday brunch in Victoria’s Restaurant before the film.
Liberation Ale Trail – St Mary’s Country Pub and Ale Tasting Join Blue Badge Guide Arthur Lamy on a stroll around the parish of St Mary before returning to the St Mary’s Country Inn for a tasting of Liberation Ales with brewer Paul Hurley.
Jersey Ormer Farm Tour
Wild Vegetables of the Ocean
Explore one of Jersey’s most innovative ‘farms’! The Jersey Ormer Farm, housed in an old quarry near Gorey, breeds the local delicacy and will give you a chance to taste the ormers, too.
Discover the values of edible seaweed on this gentle coastal walk at Green Island and then enjoy tasting a specially-themed menu at Bracewell’s in St Aubin.
Wine & Chocolate Tasting at La Mare Wine Estate Behind-the-scenes tour with winemaker Daniel De Carteret, who will guide you through his awardwinning wines and liqueurs including tastings. Hear about the history of chocolate making and taste chocolatier Darren’s delicious handcrafted truffles.
Visit to Jersey Dairy and Trinity Manor Farm Jersey Dairy has opened the doors to its Trinity headquarters. Join Managing Director Eamon Fenlon in this rare opportunity to visit the new dairy, see its operation and taste its products!
Liberation Ale Trail – The Rozel Bay and Tastings Join local Blue Badge Guide Arthur Lamy on a gentle stroll around the beautiful parish of St Martin, returning to the Rozel Bay Inn for a tutored tasting of Liberation Ales with awardwinning brewer Paul Hurley.
A Taste of Chocolate and Champagne Afternoon Tea The Bohemia Roof Terrace and Outdoor Pool Terrace will play host to a very special chocolate and champagne afternoon where guests will be invited to relax and enjoy a fantastic afternoon tea prepared by the Michelin-starred restaurant team.
Farm & Craft Market at St Aubin Find the very best of local produce at a number of food and craft stalls in the pretty surroundings of St Aubin and go home happy with pockets weighed down with some tasty treats and locally-made souvenirs.
Oyster Walk and Oyster Tasting at Jersey Oyster Jersey-grown Pacific and Native oysters are praised as some of the finest in the world, on account of the island having such a large tidal flow, making the water very clean. So why not head to Britain’s biggest oyster and mussel farm in the Royal Bay of Grouville and try for yourself?
Sausage and Cider at the Elms Banjo Bar Bubbles & Jersey Oysters Buy a bottle of Laurent Perrier NV Champagne or Le Mourier sparkling wine from La Mare Wine Estate as an aperitif and receive six complimentary chilled Jersey Oysters before you dine.
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The Grouville Food Trail Discover one of Jersey’s most attractive parishes, Grouville – the winner of ‘best small coastal town’ in last year’s ‘Britain in Bloom’ competition – with Blue Badge Guide Hugh Gill.
Enjoy an early evening picnic in the National Trust’s apple orchard at The Elms, with gentle music, home-made sausages, French bread and a scrumptious glass of traditional cider from La Robeleine Cider Company.
Genuine Jersey The Jersey Food festival is in association with Genuine Jersey, the guarantee of local provenance. Find out more at www.genuinejersey.com