Rural Jersey Summer 2018

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FARMING, FOOD & FISHERIES • EQUESTRIAN & SPORT • HERITAGE & ARTS • GARDENS & NATURE RURAL - Jersey Country Life

Summer 2018 www.ruraljersey.co.uk

Issue 23 - Jersey’s rural, cultural and community magazine

HEMP A commercial (and quite legal) crop of hemp is planted

HATS – THE CROWNING GLORY Made in Jersey: hats for summer occasions

www.ruraljersey.co.uk

THE JERSEY SUMMER EXHIBITION June’s major annual exhibition of the best in Jersey art

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Pastella... m o re th a n j us t ti l e s

Monday – Saturday 8.30am - 5.00pm

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Welcome WITH this issue, RURAL jumps into the 21st Century. We are 18 years late, but better late than never, I suppose.

And being who and what we are, it seems that every cautious jump into what we consider to be the cutting edge of technological communication comes at a time when people and jumping out of it and into something else, apparently less passé.

Such is Facebook: it is typical that as we start posting away, it seems to be in a spot of bother. But at a local level (where we want to operate), it has its legitimate uses and its fans, so, we are now ‘ON’ Facebook. Please feel free to follow us, if you would care to do so. It would be nice to have your company. And especially daring, we are also on Instagram.

But there we will pause – in the warmer, shallow end of social media. We want only to paddle, not do 20 lengths.

We are also taking our Website by the scruff of its neck and making it more fit for purpose than it has been. It is still ‘work in progress’ but the first results are apparent in what we call RURAL POST – a regular e-newsletter bringing more topical information than is possible to do so in the format of a glossy magazine.

Please e-mail us if you would like to be on the distribution list: editorial@ruraljersey.co.uk RURAL TV is what we call our video channel, again bringing current information and features to you quicker than we could do otherwise.

RURAL READS – is both a regular section in the magazine of reviews and information about new books, mainly by Jersey authors and also the section of the website where we have our book distribution catalogue, something that is expanding all the time.

A regular ‘blog’ for our contributors is the next thing on the agenda - with summer now ensuing, and RURAL magazine not appearing until the autumn, we hope that the website will provide at least some news, views and entertainment in the meantime.

Out of RURAL always something new.

DISTRIBUTION We will provide free delivery to any address which would like to receive a minimum of five copies.

The magazine remains free of charge to those who simply want one copy posted to their home address, but we ask for a £12.50 subscription to cover the cost of postage and packing the five issues.

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT SENDING A SUBSCRIPTION TO RURAL AS A PRESENT TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY OVERSEAS? Telephone us on 865334.

Cheques can be sent to RURAL magazine, La Cohue, La Grande Route de St Jean, St John, Jersey JE34FN

VISIT US AT www.ruraljersey.co.uk PUBLISHER Crosby Media and Publishing Ltd La Cohue, St John, JE3 4FN

DESIGN & PRODUCTION Sarah le Marquand sarah@thecore.je

EDITOR Alasdair Crosby editorial@ruraljersey.co.uk 01534 865334

PHOTOGRAPHY Gary Grimshaw info@photoreportage.co.uk 07797 739426

ADVERTISING 01534 865334

RURAL magazine can be collected, free of charge, from any number of places around the Island. If you are unable to find a copy, please contact us and we will ensure that you receive a copy directly.

www.ruraljersey.co.uk

HEMP A commercial (and quite legal) crop of hemp is planted

HATS – THE CROWNING GLORY Made in Jersey: hats for summer occasions

Front cover image: Jersey milliner Lucy Hodges. Picture by Gary Grimshaw

THE JERSEY SUMMER EXHIBITION June’s major annual exhibition of the best in Jersey art

CONTENTS SUMMER 2018:Layout 1 25/05/2018 11:35 Page 1

16 10

28

Contents 7

‘THE ISSUE’

8-9

SALMAGUNDI A mixed salad of current events in Jersey

10 - 12

THE CROWNING GLORY Gill Maccabe met Jersey’s home-grown milliner, Lucy Hodges

22

WHO WILL USE MY SWEET LAVENDER? Chloë Bowler discusses the many uses and benefits of lavender

24

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT The Olio food sharing community in Jersey,

by Gill Maccabe

26

THE BEAUTY OF JERSEY-GROWN ORGANIC VEGETABLES

By Marion Gorrod, manager of Waitrose St Saviour

27

A LUNCH ON THE WILD SIDE Gemma Bartlett of ‘Wild Health’ talked about her mobile catering business to Kieranne Grimshaw

SPECIAL THEME: FOOD AND FARMING

4-

14

ROYAL PROGRESS Is it ‘progress’ or ‘regress’ in this year’s Jersey Royal season? By William Church

16 - 17

JERSEY’S RURAL HERITAGE Not swept away yet – the West Show evolves into a one-day event. Mike Jackson talked to Alasdair Crosby

18 - 19

MEET THE OFF-SHORE FARMER Tracy Mourant met Chris Le Masurier of the Jersey Oyster Company

20 - 21

IN THE KITCHEN Summer recipes from our cookery writer, Zoë Garner

RURAL Summer 2018

SPECIAL THEME: PARKS, GARDENS AND FORAGING 28

‘MUST HAVE’ – OR ‘NICE TO HAVE IF ONLY..’

David Warr argues for a re-think on government strategy towards public spaces

30

GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES

By Graeme Le Marquand

32 - 33

*NEW SERIES STARTS: FORAGING FOR DINNER Jersey’s wild food, by Jeremy Strickland

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36 34 - 35

FIGHTING FOR FORESTS Andrew Mitchell is the next speaker in the ‘What’s for Dinner?’ series of talks on alternative ways forward for food and farming

36 - 37

TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH TREES By the Jersey Overseas Aid’s programme director, Ed Lewis

40 - 41

42 - 43

*NEW SERIES STARTS FROM OUR FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS FROM THE FARM TO THE FREEZER Tamara Timothy reports on Le Hechet Farm’s Guernsey ice cream CHEESE WARS Hamish Marett-Crosby reports on the unrest rustling the Camembert creameries

44 - 45

ART INSPIRED BY NATURE We feature contemporary Jersey artist Patrick Malacarnet

46 - 47

A PLACE FOR ART AND CULTURE Sasha Gibb reports on the current activities of CCA Galleries International, including the forthcoming Summer Exhibition

48 - 49

50

OPEN (ART) HOUSE FOR ARTISTS AND ALL ISLANDERS Caitlin Serey features the forthcoming Skipton Open Studios series

53

54 - 56

LOOKING BACK INTO DEEP TIME Previewing the Archaeology Conference of the Société Jersiaise in September

57

WILD ABOUT JERSEY Capturing the ‘natural capital’ of young people,

by Mike Stentiford

58 - 59

DOGS, WORKING FOR YOUNG AND OLD Kieranne Grimshaw sniffed out the Pets As Therapy charity

60

RURAL PROPERTY Tommy A'Court of Maillard’s Estates reports on his own rural Jersey property world

62

BIRDS OF A PECULIAR FEATHER

By Mike Stentiford

63

RURAL SPORTS ‘Try triathlon’ – the benefits of fresh air and exercise by Chloë Bowler

64 - 65

A PLANT FOR ALL REASONS Gill Maccabe finds an exciting and imaginative diversification for agriculture as the first hemp crop for many years is planted

66

A FUTURE FOR AGRICULTURE David Warr has the last word

CONTRIBUTORS TOMMY A’COURT

GILL MACCABE

CHLOË BOWLER

PATRICK MALACARNET

WILLIAM CHURCH ZOË GARNER

HAMISH MARETTCROSBY

SASHA GIBB

TRACY MOURANT

MARION GORROD

CAITLIN SEREY

CHANNEL ISLAND FLORA By the late Peter Double

KIERANNE GRIMSHAW

MIKE STENTIFORD

GERAINT JENNINGS

JEREMY STRICKLAND

UN CHENT'NAITHE TCHULTUTHEL A Cultural Centenary by Geraint Jennings

GRAEME LE MARQUAND

TAMARA TIMOTHY

ED LEWIS

DAVID WARR

TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF SUNSET CONCERTS

RURAL READS 52

58

42

RURAL Summer 2018 - 5

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The Issue THE protection of Jersey’s countryside and the promotion of agriculture are two of the main core aspirations of this magazine.

So, during the recent general election campaign it seemed to be very much ‘on theme’ to ask candidates to share their own views on these matters with our readers.

We were able to do this and to make the responses topical by our new e-newsletter, RURAL POST, which, for the duration of the campaign, became a weekly RURAL ELECTION POST. Some candidates were understandably too busy to answer; others, we fear, had no views on these subjects that were very far removed from their own policy interests.

All the answers were printed in the three pre-election issues of ‘RURAL POST’ and these same answers (attributed to their authors) can be found at our website: www.ruraljersey.co.uk/rural-post, issues 2 to 4.

Given the limitations of space on the printed page, only a few of the answers can even be summarised.

First, some views that may not be controversial, but sum up perfectly RURAL magazine’s own outlook: * Protecting our farming industry is much more than protecting one kind of business, but about preserving something that we are in danger of losing: our heritage, our community spirit, our encouragement of families to live communally and work together, and our connection with nature in this rapidly developing technological age. * As farmers stop making money they stop farming and we lose some of our local heritage. We need a thriving farming community to have a thriving Jersey economy, environment and culture. * The industry should not be judged purely on productivity alone. It is Agriculture that gives Jersey its visual appeal and attracts many tourists to the Island. It is part of our DNA and helps to improve our physical and mental well-being. * With reference to streamlining the industry’s administration: Jersey used to have an Agriculture and Fisheries Department.

Could these not be brought together under one banner along with Environment to provide one streamlined department? * Concerning the natural environment: We should be setting new targets for increasing our use of renewable sources such as ground-based photovoltaic (PV) arrays. This can be placed on land not presently used for farming. * But what of farming in today’s Jersey? It is now impossible for the small or medium sized farmer to make any money from farming for three reasons: the cost of freight, competitors being subsidised, and selling to supermarkets instead of

wholesale markets as previously. Add the problem of getting farm labour and who would want to be in farming now? * Several respondents supported a change to ‘regenerative agriculture’... With the use of more natural products, we can move away from the nitrogen-heavy artificial fertilisers, reducing the amount of nitrogen in our water.

On educating youngsters: The importance of our farming heritage should be highlighted in schools and there should also be extra-curricular clubs for children of all ages hopefully this would encourage the next generation to continue.

And: Many young people are keen to learn about animals, the environment and how to look after them. We should be involving school communities in farming and reward youngsters who commit time to working on farms. * In general terms: The agriculture industry is currently in a difficult position as there is a need to balance the necessity for workers with a compulsion to reduce immigration and pay a living wage. One solution is the untapped prison workforce.

Surely prisoners would relish the opportunity to be out of the confines of La Moye, in the fresh air and sunshine earning money which could be kept for their release, giving them a lump sum to help give them a financial boost and help their rehabilitation. * On the lack of farm labour: Government has to help the industry resolve its imminent crisis as it is having great difficulty in recruiting a sufficient number of workers, due to a lack of interest shown by many nationalities, due in part to improved homeland economies. About 10% short of staff required, businesses are being forced to close. To prevent further loss, measures need to be taken now to change the policy on the recruitment of unskilled non-EU manual workers. We must implement an immigration system that works for agriculture, meaning the introduction of a ‘new’ category for unskilled agricultural workers.

There was support from respondents for organic farming, for reducing the need for foreign labour; concerns for the current lack of food security, for developing new crops, for supporting Jersey farming, and for adapting the system of work permits to the specific needs of the farming industry and for relaxing Planning restrictions to make it easier for small holdings to develop.

As we say above, please refer to RURAL POST for greater details about these views.

No lack of issues therefore, to keep us all thinking about the future of farming in Jersey; plenty to cogitate and discuss.

RURAL Summer 2018 - 7

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THE JERSEY SALMAGUNDI - A mixed salad of current events in Jersey

SHAKESPEARE’S ‘JULIUS CAESAR’ AT MONT ORGUEIL THE Tragedy of Julius Caesar is this year’s performance of Shakespeare in the open air at Mont Orgueil.

The play has been called the greatest political thriller ever written. The play itself has almost overwhelmed the historical story, so the murder of Caesar is possibly the most famous crime in history. Or is it a crime? That is the central issue: Is the murder of a tyrant justified, but then is Caesar a tyrant or about to become a tyrant?

Once Caesar is killed democracy is overwhelmed by populism and corruption which eat away at noble aims until Brutus and Cassius kill themselves. The violence of the ‘Liberators’ rebounds upon themselves, watched over by the ghost of the great man they murdered in the name of justice.

In a world of Trump, Brexit and the rise of the populist Right this is perhaps the classical play for our time.

Caesar triumphs in death and brutal dictatorship wins the day. ‘How shall we combine morality with power?’ asks Brutus and only the audience can answer this most essential of questions, posed 500 years ago by Shakespeare.

This interpretation of Julius Caesar is based on Paul Stebbings’ highly acclaimed German language production of 2017. The setting is historical, the music a powerful blend of live and recorded cello, song, trumpet and percussion.

The poetry is sublime - and the daggers sharp.

Director: Paul Stebbings; musical score by Heather Beauchamp; producer Grantly Marshall.

The production is on July 26 and 27, starting at 19.30.

Admission: adults £ 25; students concessions £ 14; Jersey Heritage Members £ 20 / £ 12. Tickets can be ordered from http://adg-europe.eventbrite.com and at the evening box office one hour before the performance.

Further information is available from gma@adg-europe.com

THE JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S SUMMER PROMS CONCERT

AN amazing selection of some of the most popular classical music pieces ever written will form the programme of the Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s Summer Proms Concert, to be held on Saturday 4 August.

These include Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C major, K467, better known perhaps as the theme music for ‘Elvira Madigan,’ with soloist the celebrated international pianist, Stephen Hough.

Also in the programme are such well-known and tuneful pieces as Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance Marches No 1 and

4, Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5, the Prelude and Mazurka from Coppélia by Delibes, Tchaikovsky’s Waltz from The Sleeping Beauty, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Greensleeves, Rossini’s William Tell Overture…. Some of the best known classical music pieces ever. And of course there is the traditional ‘Last Night of the Proms’ music, such as Wood’s Fantasia on British Sea Songs.

The conductor is Timothy Henty.

The concert takes place, as usual, at Fort Regent; tickets may be booked there or via Eventbrite.

Photo credit: Jooj duQuemin

8-

RURAL Summer 2018

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THE JERSEY SALMAGUNDI

FARM FUN DAY RETURNS and trailer rides, a nature trail, animal petting corner and the famous ‘cow pat competition’. And in addition, a host of other fun activities will be available, such as classic cars, vintage tractors, fairground stuff like coconut shies, crockery smashing, face painting and, new this year, a working JCB for kids to try and a display by the Jersey Land Rover Owners Club.

‘Add to that a whole variety of craft stalls and some great musical entertainment – there is something for everyone,’ he said.

THE ever popular ‘Farm Fun Day’ at La Ferme, St Martin is returning after a year’s break.

This much loved countryside event at the Perchard family’s dairy farm in Rozel will take place on Saturday 28 July.

Plans are well under way for this charity fund-raiser, which will comprise the usual mix of farm and rural based activities with demonstrations, musical entertainment, tractor rides, many food outlets, games, stalls, and lots more besides.

With all proceeds being split between two local charities, Jersey Mencap and Brig-y-Don, this is sure to be a fun-filled and informative day out for the family, a chance for people to connect with their rural heritage, understand the workings of a dairy farm, revel in the entertainment and generally enjoy themselves in the beautiful St Martin’s countryside. *The ‘Farm Fun Day’ at La Ferme, la Rue des Côtes du Nord, St Martin, is on Saturday 28 July between 11am and 4pm.

Adult entry £5, children free. Free Parking

Robert Perchard of La Ferme Farm, whose family are hosting the event, said: ‘The event promises to be even bigger and better than previous years. We have partnered with Rotary Club de la Manche, Jersey Dairy, RJA&HS and Jersey Young Farmers Club to put on an event that will appeal to all.’

It will be an opportunity to learn how our milk is produced as well as giving everyone the chance to enjoy a pleasant day in the country with all sorts of attractions, food and entertainment.

‘We will have all the usual farming related things,’ he added.

This includes tours of the dairy unit and the chance to see the prizewinning Ansom herd of pedigree Jersey cows, tractor

DOMAINE DES VAUX OPERA FESTIVAL THIS year’s opera festival, in the grounds of Domaine Des Vaux, St Lawrence, takes place from Monday 9 July to Wednesday 11 July, with, for the first time, a special jazz evening on Thursday 12 July.

Adria Godfrey

The programme is: Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Mozart) on Monday 9 July; Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauss) on Tuesday 10 July; An opera gala on Wednesday 11 July.

This will be the 31st season in which the Diva Opera Company will be performing at Domaine Des Vaux. During the past 30 years, the annual festival has raised some £700,000 for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. They are currently raising funds to construct a ‘butterfly paradise’ at Jersey Zoo. A further £150,000 has been raised for other charities; this year the beneficiaries will be the Jersey Lady Taverners – now fund raising for a minibus for Mont à l’Abbé School.

Die Entführung aus dem Serail will star Jersey’s own rising opera star, Gabriella Cassidy.

The Jazz evening on Thursday 12 July is by Serenata, a collaboration of talented musicians in Jersey led by vocalist Adria Godfrey. She and the six-piece jazz band, Serenata, will bring the festival to an end with an upbeat evening of classic and modern music.

All the performances take place take place in a marquee in the round, giving everyone in the audience the thrill of opera up close.

Die Fledermaus

For further details and tickets, please contact Anne Binney at anne.binney@aol.com

RURAL Summer 2018 - 9

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RURAL FASHION

THE CROWNING GLORY It is high summer – and the season for weddings and countless other social occasions that suggest – hats. GILL MACCABE met Jersey’s home-grown milliner, Lucy Hodges I USED to work with a brilliant female writer in the late 1980s who did a memorable piece for a glossy magazine about her relationship with her horse. The intro went along the lines of: ‘I love my horse. In fact I wish I had married him.’

This was even more achingly funny in the off-beat humour of newsrooms back then as it was apparent that she wasn’t happy in her marriage. In fact the husband became an ‘ex’ shortly afterwards.

At the time I had just given birth to my son, and was one of those annoying colleagues besotted with her child, and naturally and deservedly became the butt of the office joke – ‘Heaven forfend, what if he didn’t find a women good enough?

What would I do?’

Well I’m pleased to report that the darling boy is getting married this November, to the most beautiful, charming, witty, smart and perfect girl and I’m ticked pink. She is so perfect for him that I’m surprised I didn’t choose her myself.

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RURAL Summer 2018

Which brings us neatly to The Wedding Hat - it has got to be the most joyous creation, in order to reflect the big joyous smile underneath. Off the peg will not do.

Fortunately we have our very own home grown talent in milliner Lucy Hodges.

Straight from her studies at Edinburgh University Lucy started work in an atelier in Battersea in the 1980s working alongside Jane Smith, possibly one of the most famous hat makers in UK theatre and film.

Shortly afterwards she became a partner in the company and it was renamed Herald and Heart Hatters. In the early nineties production was at full throttle and as well as theatre work their creations were given top billing in displays in major stores worldwide, including Harrods , Selfridges and Fenwick’s , Barneys and Henri Bendels in the US and the famous Parisian stores Galleries Lafayette and Frank et Fils.

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ESTABLISHED 1909

Traditional Jersey Silverware since 1909

Jersey Bachin

Jersey Bowl

Jersey Milk Can

Available in Silver, Silver-plated and Copper in various sizes all suitable for engraving which can be done within 48 hours 3 King Street, St Helier, Jersey. JE2 4WF Tel: 01534 722536 www.pearcejewellers.co.uk Thanks to models Jo Carter, Carol Begg, Jane Thomas, Gill Maccabe, Christine Keen and Lucy and Mr and Mrs Nigel Hodges for loaning their garden

Christine Keen wearing Eliza Doolittle cream sinamay hat with dusky pink roses.

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Gill Maccabe wears turquoise sinamay side hat with coral Dali-esque trim Lucy and the team did the hats for the romantic blockbuster Four Weddings and a Funeral, most notably that big black hat Andie MacDowell wore with a cream military style jacket as she made her entrance as Texan wedding guest Carrie. Hugh Grant gasped in awe and fell completely in love with her, and the rest is popular cinematic history.

In fact that beautiful creation of wove straw with a large black taffeta bow

Jane Thomas wearing purple orchid side hat

surrounding the crown went on to sell for £3,120 at Bonhams back in 2007 Lucy is much more accessible these days. Down a quite lane in Trinity in a wing of her parents’ house she is creating dreams out of silk, straw, buckram, angora, feathers, paper, plastic, felt – you name it.

‘It all starts with a block, she explained.

‘Everything I use comes from Luton, the historic home of the hat trade they even call their football club The Hatters!’

The block determines the shape, so there are blocks for cappellina hats (wide brimmed, deep crown, think Audrey Hepburn), cloche hats (flapper girls) boaters, fedoras, pork pie hats and so on.

The blocks are heated and the wet-dyed felt straw or fabric is stretched over the shape until it is dry. Stiffeners are applied, brims are attached and lots of sewing and embellishments until later the creation emerges.

Naturally Lucy is particularly busy around key months in the social calendar such as Royal Ascot or the recent Royal Wedding so she prefers at least three weeks from initial

Lucy Hodges wears coral with bead flowers 12 -

RURAL Summer 2018

consultation to completion for a bespoke piece. Working from a switch of fabric or the outfit, if available, she will first discuss your preferences and the impression you wish to make and there are lots of stock items in her rural showroom to help you decide. Prices range from around £60 for a sunhat to more elaborate pieces at around £350.

Lucy’s worldwide travels have influenced her collections enormously.

She has spent time working in Dubai dealing with ladies who don’t need to ask the price of anything and also in Mexico, where they do.

Her love of colour and shape is obvious. As I stood in front of the mirror showroom chatting idly, I picked up a hat and placed it casually on my head.

Quick as a flash she rotated it slightly, made an adjustment to the angle and wow, I was transformed!

Lucy loves helping women; she spends a lot of time when she isn’t making hats doing life coaching and practising and teaching ‘Phytobiophysics’, which she credits for helping her maintain emotional and physical health.

I’ve found the creator of my Joyous hat.

Andie MacDowell move over.

Lucy can be contacted on lucy@lucyhodgescoaching.com

Project7:Layout 1 19/03/2018 16:55 Page 1

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ROYAL PROGRESS SUMMER:Layout 1 23/05/2018 14:03 Page 1

ROYAL PROGRESS …. or Royal Regress? The sales and marketing director of the Jersey Royal Company, WILLIAM CHURCH, updates us on an ‘extreme’ season so far THE 2018 season is proving to be one of extremes. Every farmer knows that they have to work with the challenges of the elements, and that changing weather patterns can either offer real help or conversely leave you pulling your hair out!

The industry has experienced one of the most protracted planting seasons ever with a number of farmers claiming to have never experienced anything like it in over 40 years of farming Royals. Relentless rain from mid-December continued unabated, save for a week of frost at the end of February (more about that later) until May, and this had a dramatic effect on planting progress.

The early slopes were planted in good conditions as those fields drain well, but following that all farmers struggled week on week to get the necessary vergées planted in line with programmes as the ground was too wet to get machinery on.

Ultimately this has resulted in a delay to the harvest, but we are finally underway and going well.

As reported last time, the wet weather finally broke at the end of February, and farmers then faced a week of sub-zero temperatures that destroyed the majority of the earliest planted outdoor crop that had been growing well. But with good, strong seed some plants did recover, however the

14 -

RURAL Summer 2018

resultant yields from these areas were still very much reduced, and it was more of a case of salvaging crop than anything else.

So, is it a disastrous season? – There have certainly been easier ones. All of the early fields yielded poorly at a time when the market pays a premium. That said, much of the main bulk of the season is still ahead of us, and there is still time to dig and sell good volumes of Jersey Royals to fulfil planned promotions that have all been rescheduled.

Farmers are resilient and will battle on, but we are currently facing another period of extreme weather with warm and dry conditions that are making harvest dusty and tricky, and may still have a severe negative affect on both the later-planted crops and the seed crop for next year.

On a positive note the supermarkets have been understanding to the extremes faced, helped by the fact that counterparts on the mainland have suffered a similar fate and have also got a delayed start to their harvest.

The industry will of course survive, but it is unlikely to be a profitable season, and right now it would be good to have an inch or two of rain to keep things moving in the right direction.

PAGE 15:Layout 1 23/05/2018 14:06 Page 1

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WEST SHOW:Layout 1 25/05/2018 13:41 Page 1

Chas Quenault of Manor Farm Mike Jackson on the site of the show

JERSEY’S RURAL HERITAGE The Island’s rural heritage is being celebrated at a ‘Western Rural Day’ on 8 July. This is an evolution of the old ‘West Show’. ALASDAIR CROSBY met the chairman of the organising body, Mike Jackson JULY 2012 – it should have been warm and sunny; the time of year suggests that it would be a good time for a country show, surely?

Wrong. Very wrong.

‘Didn’t it rain!’ recalled Mike Jackson, the chairman of the West Show Association.

Anyone who went to the West Show that year will remember the pelting rain, the stall-holders trying to keep the fabric of their stalls from flying away and finally giving in and packing up their wares – and above all, the mud. Brown, oozy, squelchy mud.

It was a day just to get back home, change out of sopping wet clothes and to dry out in the warmth.

And that was the end of the West Show, the brainchild of the then St Peter Constable, Mac Pollard. It had begun in 1998 as 16 -

RURAL Summer 2018

a way of maintaining something of the Island’s rural and farming heritage.

But it was all swept away by the flood.

Afterwards the field was so saturated that it was totally unfit for any agricultural purpose. It has taken years since then to restore it; now there is a Planning application to develop the field for housing.

Mike Jackson is still the chairman of the West Show Association, which this year, on the same land at Manor Farm, St Peter, is holding a ‘Western Rural Day’ on Sunday 8 July.

‘It will be smaller scale compared with the old West Shows,’ he said, ‘but there will be no charge to come in. It will be a celebration of the Island’s temps passé.’

The day will consist of a number of animated and static displays highlighting some of Jersey’s agricultural and horticultural traditions.

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During the day, there will be arena demonstrations of breezing, hay-turning (using horse and then tractor), loading a hay van and then bailing.

£1,000, second prize of £600 and third prize of £400 (sponsored by the Channel Islands Co-operative Society).

There will be opportunities to see sheep-shearing, horse-shoeing and cows being milked. Vintage tractors and other old machines, a winnowing machine (which sorts wheat from chaff) and an oat-crusher will also be displayed. Classic Herd will be demonstrating how to make cheese and butter.

Other activities will include a companion dog show and traditional fête games. There will be food and drink: the Association will be selling Jersey bean crock, barbecued Classic Herd hamburgers and sausages, and Classic Herd ice-cream. Teas, coffees and home-made Jersey wonders and other cakes will also be on sale.

Children will have an opportunity to see Jersey farm animals up close and to climb on hay bales – both firm family favourites.

Mike continued: ‘It’s quite difficult to put on a show these days, especially with the risk of bad weather involved. But it’s nice to keep a community show going.’

‘Children don’t see much of farms these days,’ Mike said, ‘certainly not in the same way as they used to years ago.

Sadly they just don’t have the opportunity. So we’ll have cattle and heifers there - no cattle show, but animals for them to look at and talk to if they so wish.

Will the West Show we once knew come back in its original form?

‘Charles Le Maistre’s heavy horses will be doing a bit of breezing - we’ll make as many different displays as we can to make it an interesting event.’

What else will there be?

The Jersey Association of the National Vegetable Society will demonstrate how to sow seeds and plant vegetables and will set up a vegetable garden and a display of Jersey-grown vegetables. Entries to this year’s primary school vegetable and herb wheelbarrow display competition will also be on show in a small marquee – in which many of the Island’s primary schools will be competing to win the top prize of

‘Yes, we’d like that, of course. But it depends on finding a site, for one thing. The infrastructure we had at Manor Farm is coming to an end of its life and in any case there is still uncertainty about possible future development.

‘It is difficult to predict the future, but we will do what we can every year. There will always be something for most people who are interested in country matters or who don’t have the opportunity of spending much time in it.’

Fingers crossed it doesn’t rain this year. *Date: Sunday 8 July, 10am to 6pm, one day only.

There will be parking in the first field (opposite Manor Farm and Classic Farm Shop) and a regular bus service from town.

July 2012 - rain, wind and mud at the West Show

RURAL Summer 2018 - 17

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MEET THE OFF-SHORE FARMER Oyster farming - it is a new twist to the description ‘off-shore’. TRACY MOURANT met Chris Le Masurier of the Jersey Oyster Company, for whom it might be said that ‘the oyster is his world’ JERSEY OYSTER marks a big anniversary in 2018. It’s 20 years ago that Chris Le Masurier, then a determined 21-year-old fisherman, started planning to buy the company.

By 23 June the following year it was his, together with Steve Luce who was his business partner until 2010. From there it has gone from strength to strength and now grows and sells 800 to 1,000 tonnes a year of quality oysters as well as 80 to 100 tonnes of mussels grown on poles.

Chris talks about the business with considerable seriousness and a strong sense of pride. It’s hard to imagine his life could have taken any other course. After school, while his friends were having fun at university, he went to work for big oyster farms in France. In Normandy he learnt about new aquaculture methods and innovations and brought this expertise back to Jersey where he waited for an opportunity to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and farm oysters in the Royal Bay of Grouville.

Today the majority of his oysters are exported wholesale to France, where they have an excellent reputation.

‘In France they have oysters for Christmas like we have turkey, but usually the big meal is Christmas Eve,’ he explains. ‘Eighty per cent are sold over Christmas and New Year, which are just huge for us.’

From the end of September Jersey Oyster start grading the main crop and by the end of November they have been moved to a holding area halfway up the beach to harden them up. Here they spend more time out of the water and develop stronger muscles that make them robust enough to stay firmly closed while they are transported.

It will have taken them two years to reach the point of edible perfection. About 35 million baby oysters a year arrive from French hatcheries at the diminutive size of just 6mm. These small oysters are likely to live at Le Hocq for a while where it is more protected by the rocks. After a year they are moved out to Grouville Bay, which is a bit more exposed to the easterly gales.

In this environment they are rolled around in their sacks and develop the deep, plump shape that makes them good to eat.

They have to shake the bags on a regular basis so that they are turned and loosened and change position in the bag. If they have space and freedom to grow they will be a better shape. It’s very much hands-on with three to four hours of frantic work on the beach per day, with the tide clock ticking all the time.

‘Oysters pick up the tastes of the natural environment but we have a very clean product. Ours are elevated off the sand on custom-made metal tables and generally people comment saying that they are quite salty and give a hit of freshness,’ says Chris.

“We have unique environmental factors over here that make it good for oysters but we also go over and above what we need to do to ensure quality and food safety.’

Jersey Oyster was the first oyster farm in the world to be accredited by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council four years ago, an international marque of environmentally responsible and sustainable products. They (third party) audited twice a year to monitor their legal, environmental and social credentials.

All Jersey Oyster’s concessions on the beach were 100% full last year and they successfully applied to expand their mussel and oyster growing area. They are able to do this because of the supporting infrastructure. There is a purpose built factory opened in August 2011 a stone’s throw from the beach which has one of the most advanced ultra-violet purification plant in the UK, a team of 35 staff and, not least, the Normandy Trader, a landing craft doubling as a freight boat that was bought directly from the Ministry of Defence. This makes the operation a lot more versatile in terms of logistics and transport.

Life seems good on the oyster beaches but, like all Jersey businesses and major exporters, the company is watching for the impact of Brexit.

‘Jersey is treading carefully. The Environment Department has put a lot of effort into looking at the possible scenarios. They are taking it seriously and it shows a commitment from the government.

The worst outcome for our oysters and mussels would be an 11% tariff on everything we buy in and everything we export.’

Despite this, Chris is optimistic: ‘We have very good cooperation at the moment. The Bay of Granville Treaty is the most amazing thing that Jersey has ever been able to procure. Normandy, Brittany and Jersey fishermen around the table reach a binding agreement and it’s remarkable.’

While we’re waiting for developments we should savour our local delicacy. Chris recommends them grilled with garlic butter but if you want to eat them raw, simply squirt some lemon on the frill, watch it contract, and then enjoy a little taste of Jersey sea in a shell.

RURAL Summer 2018 - 19

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IN THE KITCHEN Summer recipes from our cookery writer, Zoë Garner HERE are some of my favourite summer time recipes! Naturally summer doesn’t bring sunshine everyday so my warming summer minestrone is a nice change, but full of goodness with plenty of greens. Or for warmer days my Halloumi & Cous Cous salad is the perfect fit, especially alongside a barbecue! And last but no means least, a twist on my favourite drink ‘Lanique & Lime’ Jellies these are quietly addictive and can be devoured in no time!

SUMMER MINESTRONE Serves 4 1tbsp olive oil 2 leeks, sliced 2 courgettes, sliced 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 litre vegetable stock 200g asparagus, chopped 300g peas, defrosted basil, chopped, plus extra to garnish 1 Heat the oil in a large pan, add the leeks and cook for 5min, until soft. Add the courgette and garlic and cook for a further 5min.

2 Add the stock and bring to a simmer, cover and cook for a further 10min. Add the asparagus and peas and cook for a further 4min. Add the basil and season to taste.

3 Spoon into bowls and serve warm, topped with extra basil leaves and a side of fresh bread.

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HALLOUMI & COUS COUS SALAD Serves 4 160g cous cous 200ml hot vegetable stock 250g Halloumi, sliced in 8-10 pieces 2 courgettes, peeled into ribbons 50g black olives, stoned and halved 50g sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped, plus 4tbsp of the oil 25g pumpkin seeds, lighted toasted 50g salad leaves 1 Put the cous cous into a large bowl, add the boiling vegetable stock and mix well. Cover and leave to absorb for 6min.

2 Heat a large frying pan over a high heat, add the halloumi and fry for 1-2min on each side, until charred and beginning to melt. Meanwhile fluff the cous cous with a fork. Add the courgette, olives, sun dried tomatoes and oil. Mix well. Add the Halloumi and salad leaves, toss together and serve.

LANIQUE & LIME JELLIES Serves 6 250g caster sugar zest and juice 2 limes, plus extra to garnish 8 leaves gelatine 3tbsp Lanique liquor 1 Put 600ml water in a pan and bring to the boil with the sugar, lime zest and juice. Soak the gelatine in a bowl of ice cold water. When the sugar has dissolved, remove the pan from the heat. Squeeze the excess water from the gelatine, then add to the pan and swirl to melt the gelatine. Add the Lanique liquor and pass the syrup through a sieve into a jug, allow to cool to room temperature.

2 Pour the jelly mix into 6 glasses, then put in the fridge and leave to set overnight. Serve garnished with lime zest.

Zoë is a trained chef of Leith’s, London, and as well as writing for RURAL’s food pages here, she has her own business www.zoes-kitchen.com. Her passion is baking and so she has created a range of pre prepared mixes for you to become the baking king or queen of your own kitchen. Her range includes cookie and brownie mixes, as well as personalised children's party boxes, making baking a fun activity for the whole family!

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LAVENDER AND ITS MANY BENEFITS CHLOË BOWLER explores the seasonal food Jersey has to offer JERSEY in the summer is at its most beautiful, with its abundance of green lanes packed with wild flowers and gardens in full bloom. As well as brightly coloured camellias, wisteria and rhododendrons, you will also see a huge amount of lavender in the Island. It is such a relaxing looking plant, and the smell is heavenly, so it’s not surprising it has been a favourite among gardeners for many, many years.

Lavender, along with other plants and herbs, has many amazing natural properties. It has long been championed for its relaxing scent and calming properties, and is often used as an essential oil for baths and beauty treatments. In fact, the Latin word for lavender is lavare, meaning to wash, and with such a ‘clean’ scent, it lends itself perfectly to both laundry detergents and hand soaps.

One side of lavender that can be overlooked, however, is its use in cooking. People assume that due to its strong, clean scent, that it may taste a little like hand wash instead of something you should be eating. However, if used correctly, and sparingly, it can really enhance a dish, and give a light, floral twist to numerous meals.

Lavender has many health benefits, as it contains Iron, Calcium and Vitamin A, so you can also reap these benefits by using edible lavender in your cooking. You can find edible lavender buds in some supermarkets, but mainly in organic shops such as The Kitchen Cupboard in St Helier. I pop along there to pick up my lavender and use it in many different dishes at home.

I love to add lavender to chicken dishes. It can combine really well with sweet flavours like honey. Next time you roast a chicken, add a small pinch of lavender into some honey and olive oil and baste the chicken with this while it roasts. As long as you are cautious with the amount you use, lavender will really enhance the flavour, rather than overpower it.

A really good place to start using lavender is in baking. If you are not confident, you can simply add the tiniest pinch to your normal biscuit recipe and learn how much lavender you like to taste.

Lavender Shortbread is a real crowd pleaser, but for something different, I am going to share my recipe for Banana, Blueberry and Lavender Muffins. These are much healthier than your average muffin, as I don’t use any processed sugar. In this recipe the sweetness comes from the banana, and rather like combining the lavender with the honey when roasting a chicken, the added lavender gives it a lovely fresh taste.

Chloë’s Banana, Blueberry and Lavender Muffins - Makes 8 METHOD: Turn the oven on to 180°C. Start by mashing the bananas with a fork, and stirring in the egg.

Melt the butter, and add to the banana mixture.

In a large bowl, pour in the self raising flour, milk and vanilla extract. Stir in the banana, egg and butter mixture, until you have a doughy texture. Lastly add the lavender and blueberries and stir through carefully.

INGREDIENTS: 2 ripe or overripe bananas 1 egg 120g butter 220g self raising flour 70ml milk 100g blueberries ½ teaspoon of dried lavender buds ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract 22 -

RURAL Summer 2018

Spoon the mixture into muffin cases in the tray, and cook for approximately 20 minutes until cooked through.

You can check the muffins are cooked with a cocktail stick or similar. Pierce deep into the muffin and if no mixture comes out with the stick, they are cooked.

These muffins are perfect served with some lavender tea. Have one in the evening and see if it helps you to sleep better! *Chloë is a Personal Trainer, and owner of HEALTHCHEF.JE delivering weekly healthy meal packages

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FOR THE FINEST CONSERVATORIES, ORANGERIES & ROOFLIGHTS

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WASTE NOT WANT NOT Why waste food that could be wanted and needed badly by someone else?

GILL MACCABE met Elis Joudalova, the Jersey representative and organiser of the Olio food sharing community Elis Joudalova

ACCORDING to an app on my i-pad, there are 260 people within 2km of my home in St Ouen who would be willing to share their waste food with me. All I have to do arrange a time and they will drop off the items.

At the time of writing I could, if I act quickly, have a free bag of local rhubarb, a bag of local cherry tomatoes, a jar of Waitrose laksa curry paste, two bananas which could go in a smoothie and some sourdough bread waiting on my doorstep in time for supper.

To make room for all this free food I could advertise my large block of mature cheddar cheese which is surplus to requirements and six organic eggs which need eating up and won’t get used as I’m going away this weekend.

My age group was brought up not to waste food and use up left-overs and many will be familiar with the government issued posters imploring households to do just that during the war years.

The need to be more sustainable has made that mood fashionable again, as we all now take pride in reducing our household waste and depositing the least amount of rubbish in the bin each week.

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RURAL Summer 2018

The Olio food sharing food app was launched in the UK in 2015 by two young mothers who, horrified by the statistic that the average family threw away over £700 pounds worth of food each year put their heads together to help reduce that figure in their community.

Word spread and Jersey resident Elis Joudalova applied successfully to be the Jersey brand ambassador and she launched on Liberation Day last year.

One year on and the local Olio community number 6,600 and have rescued and re-distributed nearly 30,000 kilos of food which would have otherwise gone in the bin.

Many local businesses contribute regularly, including the Co-op, Alliance Tesco, Big J Café and Bond Street Deli and many other smaller businesses donate on an ad hoc basis No two days are the same for Elis and her team of 35 dedicated volunteers. One day last month she had a car boot full of Co-Op bread to distribute and another day about six boxes of bananas, carrots and potatoes. If no subscribers need the items at that time then they have links with local charities such as Brighter Futures.

If you want to join the Olio Food Sharing Revolution, visit www.olioex.com

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Community Matters

Every month we give our time and money to local communities.

We donate ÂŁ1000 to be shared by three good causes that you choose.

Waitrose Supporting the community

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THE BEAUTY OF JERSEY-GROWN ORGANIC VEGETABLES

By Marion Gorrod, branch manager of Waitrose, St Saviour ACCORDING to the Soil Association’s 2018 Organic Market Report, the UK Organic market is now worth more than ever at £2.2 billion having grown six per cent during 2017.

Waitrose pioneered the sale of organic food in supermarkets and continues to lead the field with one of the largest organic ranges in the UK: Waitrose Duchy Organic, founded by HRH The Prince of Wales, celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.

To be certified organic, crops must be grown without chemicals and using natural fertilisers. A group of Jersey farmers are working closely with Waitrose to increase the range of organically grown vegetables.

Spring 2018 saw organic crops from Farm Fresh Organics and Master Farms in the ground ready for the coming seasons.

Audited by the Soil Association and encouraged to have a Safe and Local Supplier Approval (SALSA) accreditation, each farm focuses on growing different produce, in line with their knowledge and experience of the crops.

Waitrose has worked closely with Woodside Farms for a number of years. This farm coordinates all of the orders and helps with the preparing, packaging and processing from each organic producer.

This project has been undertaken with support and advice from Jersey Business, who aims to ensure the sustainable production of local produce.

Waitrose’s buyer of fresh produce in the Channel Islands, Gary Grace, supports all the local branches and island producers and is confident that the local farmers are going to deliver great quality organic products to our customers.

On hand to help farmers diversify their crops, Gary and his team keep a close eye on the crop development, offering advice from our suppliers in other parts of the world if needed.

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RURAL Summer 2018

(Left) Gary Grace,Waitrose’s buyer of fresh produce in the Channel Islands, and farmer Phillip Le Maistre from Master Farms (Right)

The Jersey produce will complement the broad range of organic produce already on offer and will include cauliflower, courgette, broad beans, potatoes, spinach, tenderstem, savoy cabbage, kavalo nero and curly kale, to tomatoes, purple sprouting broccoli, leeks, carrots, pumpkin and butternut squash.

Waitrose’s focus in the Channel Islands has always been to source quality local produce wherever possible and we are continuing to invest in providing our customers with a varied and inviting offer.

While we see the benefits to the Islands and our brand of introducing new lines we are, more importantly, aware that choice is what our customers want and we believe offering our customers locally grown organic produce does just that.

Whether you think these foods taste better and are the healthier option is a personal opinion.

So after several years working in the area it’s good to have crops in the ground in Jersey and we are looking forward to supplying a range of locally produced organic vegetables in the years to come.

WILD HEALTH:Layout 1 24/05/2018 11:46 Page 1

A LUNCH ON THE WILD SIDE Are you wild about your health? Would you prefer a juicy burger or would you rather go for a freshly made salad? Fortunately, the choice doesn’t have to be quite so dramatic – thanks to Gemma Bartlett of Wild Health, we can all have our cake and eat it. She spoke about her business to KIERANNE GRIMSHAW AN extensive range of simply delicious and nutritious specialities is always on offer from Gemma Bartlett’s mobile catering van - at a venue near you.

Gemma’s kiosk was adorned with Lemon & Raspberry cheesecake slices and some to-die-for millionaire’s shortbread. For lunchtime office workers there was the difficult choice of Halloumi burgers or a mouth-watering sun-dried tomatoes and courgette noodles recipe.

Who said the English only eat sandwiches at lunchtime?

The beauty is Gemma’s mobile kiosk is out and about all around the Island at various local venues and events. This must be the office with the best view in (and out of) town.

For a light snack, Gemma also offers Jersey Kale Crisps and for the sweet toothed, some delicious organic raw chocolate with goji berries and wild gorse flower petals - this just melts in your mouth; edible Gorse flower adds a slightly coconut taste. Chocolate in its natural state is a quality super food as cacao is high in protein and anti-oxidants (very addictive!).

How did it all start?

‘I originally worked in finance and it really wasn't for me.

Then in 2012, I studied at the Hippocrates Health Institute in America and gained a raw chef certification,' Gemma explained. ‘Back in Jersey, when I used to go to local music events, you couldn’t take your own food and there wasn’t a very good choice for vegetarians so I’d end up just eating chips or spring rolls – I wanted something healthy but tasty too.

‘I started doing-pop ups at local events, with just tables offering juices, smoothies, raw cakes and crackers, it was all 100% raw food. However, there was so much effort involved and so many people asked “what are you doing?

What is this?”

‘It wasn’t that popular as people didn’t really appreciate it back then. Nowadays everyone has an idea of what raw food is and can appreciate my raw cakes. There’s definitely a recent big vegan craze too.’

As if this wasn’t testament enough, while speaking to Gemma, a couple of American tourists walked past her mobile kiosk and remarked: ‘that’s amazing!’

‘People leave you great feedback on social media’ said Gemma, ‘it’s also really nice when people like the same things as I do.’

She added ‘The menu ideas came from the things I liked.

I used to be raw vegan, now I’m a pescetarian. I love preparing food, more than actually cooking it, so it wasn’t an effort for me.’

Asked what was the best part of her job, Gemma replied: ‘Meeting different people all the time and having the flexibility and variety of pitches. For example every Thursday is a different venue in town. Then every weekend we do really beautiful places like the Heritage Sites. It’s so lovely doing these events. Earlier in the year it was Hougue Bie, where I was setting up early with hardly any one else around. I go to places I wouldn’t normally see and the festivals are also really fun, with a great atmosphere and people love the excitement of it all.’

She continued: ‘I love being involved with the retreats run in St Ouen by Rebecca Coley from Drift. We have various workshops over the weekends; I think my favourite is when Kazz Padidar accompanies us for foraging. We had a great one where we cooked up limpets on a beach fire with elderflower champagne – everyone loved it, including tourists from the UK, Switzerland and New York. Surfing and yoga are offered while I provide the food, which we all eat under the stars at Kempt Tower. London city workers come over to experience this for the weekend and we've had some great reviews written in the Guardian.’

So, why not look out for Gemma at your favourite venue or festival – and sample the delicious locally sourced ingredients in the great outdoors. It could make you feel great – and, of course, wildly healthy.

Contact: Gemma Bartlett; bartlettgemma@hotmail.com; Tel: 07797 730 073; Facebook: Wild Health; Genuine Jersey Member

She has now also started supplying cafés in St Helier – including the Arts Centre, Cargo Coffee Bar, The Parade Kitchen, Market Kitchen and The Lovin’ Spoonful, along with preparing healthy afternoon teas to the Greenhouse Spa at Chateau Vermont.

Bringing some amazing natural recipes to town must only be a good thing, but what was on offer?

RURAL Summer 2018 - 27

DAVID WARR:Layout 1 23/05/2018 14:23 Page 1

‘MUST HAVE’ OR ‘NICE TO HAVE, IF ONLY…’?

DAVID WARR discusses the necessity for a re-think in government strategy towards our public spaces

IN the last issue of RURAL magazine – I had the ‘last word’ article and used it to bemoan the lack of great flower displays in many of our public areas.

Afterwards, I received an e-mail from Bob Kearsey at St. Helier Parks and Gardens. He invited me, in light of my commentary, to visit the Parish of St. Helier nurseries at the top of Queen’s Road to see what it was they did.

It was an enlightening experience and really challenges the precept that great public planting is ‘a nice thing to have’ rather than a massively important part of our tourism offer.

Bob, who has been in the business of public planting for many years, reminded me of some of the incredible displays that we used to take for granted. The entrance to the Howard Davis Park, for example, where visitors would watch them plant the latest design. Then there was Gorey, where visitors would photograph the extraordinary displays; the displays are still there but a pale shadow of their former glory.

Year on year cutting of budgets has meant that the low hanging fruit of what was perceived as ‘nice to have; has meant that our public areas don’t have the same impact they had a generation ago.

The issue of the quality of our public spaces has also been highlighted in a Jersey Tourism Product Audit 2017 report, which said: ‘The quality of [the] public realm, including paving of streets and promenades, street furniture such as sign posts and interpretation, car parks and so on has a big impact on the experience of visitors.

‘It is impossible to be scientific in assessing the quality of public realm in a place, but our judgement is that it is average by UK standards. That means poor by the standards of continental countries.

‘The matter is considered in detail in a report by Save Jersey’s Heritage called This Realm of Ours. Appendix 6 has photographs of the townscape in the small Dutch city of Amersfoort and Appendix 6 to give an idea of what can be achieved.

‘There is a percentage for the arts programme and there are some effective works of art around St Helier.

‘We agree with those who say that the Waterfront development has been a disappointment in terms of destination impact.

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Many mixed-use waterfront developments around the world have created powerful visitor destinations. Aker Brygge in Oslo is a particularly good illustration of what could have been done in Jersey and might still be possible to an extent. It is also, predominantly, a mix of apartments and offices overlooking water, but has been delivered with panache that makes it a world class destination.’

So where does the responsibility lie when it comes to having incredibly well presented public spaces? Is it something we should leave to the private sector or is it a case of both public and private sector working together to deliver an optimum solution?

I took some pictures to highlight the comparison of planting between that found on the entrance road to the Elizabeth terminal and major visitor thoroughfare versus the display in Parade gardens. Chalk and cheese come to mind. The Harbour area is contracted out whereas the Parade is handled by St. Helier parks and gardens. One is driven by cost and profit, the other by a desire to provide an amazing display within a wider overall budget of running the Parish.

I do get the issue, but isn’t it time we paid more attention to our visitor economy? The revenue stream benefits all of us in that it brings money into our economy. It creates jobs, it contributes towards the cost of our public services and helps maintain a diverse range of air and sea links that the local population cannot.

There will always be budgets to be met, but we must stop looking at the maintenance of our public spaces as a luxury. We are in a very competitive tourism business and if we don’t compete with the best destinations then we can kiss goodbye to that vital tourism spend and all the benefits attached.

I look forward to a complete rethink of Government strategy towards our public spaces.

VALE GARDEN:Layout 1 23/05/2018 14:26 Page 1

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GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES Who better to teach us about this than the green-fingered GRAEME LE MARQUAND, chairman of the Jersey branch of the National Vegetable Association?

WITH summer now come at last (we hope) and the distant cold and wet weather of spring now fast disappearing, our green fingered gardeners will have probably in the last few months surfed the web in search of those elusive improved varieties of vegetables that have been made available in seed catalogues and at our garden centres to tempt those discerning taste buds.

One such vegetable that certainly caught my eye was the spring blush mange tout pea, which is renowned for its tall growing yields and attractive bi-coloured purple and pink blooms with rose blushers and pure green pods, which I understand can be picked as a mange tout or snap pod that produces lots of hyper-tendrils that are apparently equally delicious.

After my immediate purchase I set about the task of soaking the peas overnight and sowed them in individual plugs with good multipurpose compost, where they stayed in my green house until the end of March before they were planted out in a bed attached to a climbing frame.

Most of my vegetables are grown in raised beds which make it easier to manage since I adopted the ‘no-dig’ system, and at the end of each year I make sure the beds are weed free and topped up with my own homemade compost, which I cover with a weed-suppressant membrane.

This will ensure that the nutrients are not washed away during heavy rainfalls.

The recommended width for raised beds is 4 ft (122 cm). This is because the beds can be approached from both sides without standing on them (which would compress the soil).

The height of the beds are optional, mine range from 12in (30 cm) to 20 in (51 cm) but can be adapted at any time to suit, especially for those who are disabled.

My first planting was last November with garlic cloves followed by shallots in December, with both being planted in pots to establish a good rooting system and were transferred to my raised bed in mid-February.

My sowing programme usually commences in mid-March when I sow directly into the soil, but with spring being so cold I deferred most of my sowing until April.

My first task normally before I sow is to check my soil pH, which is normally around 7. That is ideal for most vegetables and, as stated, the vast majority of plants grow best in a soil of pH 5 -7.

After this has been established I will use multipurpose compost, which I will gently fork in ready for sowing.

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g– Growing for showinots the joy of long carr GROWING for showing is completely different to conventional methods, as every exhibitor is looking for perfection in whatever they are producing.

Take long carrots for example: the materials used for growing long vegetables can be pipes, oil drums, water tanks - even containers reaching great heights and drain pipes attached to the side of a house. These are used for competitions for the longest vegetables and in this case there is less emphasis on quality.

I have been growing long vegetables for a number of years with my main choice of container being spent loft water tanks and plastic barrels from which I cut the bottoms out and sit them on a bed of builders sand. The containers are then filled to maximum capacity and bashed with a large lump hammer on both sides causing them to vibrate and level out. This is followed by a good watering, which will stop the sand from drying out, and make it easier to core out without the holes caving in.

Tools for the job: I mark out 15 or 16 holes in the sand with a 3 inch to 7.5 inches plastic drain pipe with a handle, which I use to core out the sand to the bottom of the bed. This is finished off by placing a crowbar with the spike on the end engulfed in to the hole and swivelled around to give me that extra depth which goes into the soil, giving me a longer tap root total depth about 30in (76cm).

The same with barrels except that they sit on a pair of iron bars which stops the barrels sinking into the sand.

The mix: a bit like mum’s Christmas cake without the sultanas and brandy. These are one of many concoctions: 4 gallons of riddled fine peat 1 sterilised soil 1 silver sand 1fine vermiculite

2 oz garden lime 2 oz calcified seaweed 2 oz superphosphate 2 oz sulphate of potash

All my ingredients are passed through a quarter-inch diameter sieve.

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FRI F RI 2 22 2 JJUNE UNE E

SAT SA AT 2 23 3 JUNE JUNE U

The Kim Syvret Quartet Support by

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GRANTEZ, ST OUEN Music starts from 7:15pm In association with Parking tickets available online at www.nationaltrust.je/events Or pop in to 16 New Street or The Elms Find out more @sunsetconcertsjersey on Facebook and Instagram

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JERSEY FORAGER DPS:Layout 1 25/05/2018 12:21 Page 1

Carrageen used as a setting agent for panna cotta

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FORAGING FOR DINNER Introducing a new series, by the author of the recently published book: The Jersey Forager – a brief guide to fine food, by JEREMY STRICKLAND. In this first article he tells us about the delights of wild garlic and carrageen.

I WOULD like to introduce you to two very different wild foodstuffs that have both beneficial, and practical culinary applications.

Both can be easily found at this time of year and are identified with little possibility of confusion.

THREE CORNERED LEEK (Allium triquetrum) Aka: ‘Wild Garlic’.

If I could choose only one plant to introduce novice foragers to the delights of wild food, then it would be this one.

Once recognised, and sampled, you will for ever remember wild garlic, and welcome its arrival each spring like an old friend.

Description: It is a plant that grows in abundance along most of our hedgerows.

It has dark green, lance-like leaves, a triangular stem, and attractive white flowers. It grows from spring and well into the summer months.

Before it flowers it may be confused with the poisonous Lilly-of-the-Valley, but as its name suggests there is an unmistakable feature that makes identification a certainty. Just rub a leaf between your fingers and smell!

Edible parts: When eaten raw, or cooked, wild garlic is much milder than the smell suggests. It deserves its own place as both an herb and a vegetable.

The taste is a cross between spring onions, chives, and baby leeks. All parts of this plant are edible. The leaves eaten raw in salads or sandwiches. The leaves can be stir fried, or steeped in olive oil and drizzled over tomatoes. The stems are crisp and fresh when picked and can be used like chives. The flowers make an attractive addition to a salad and just happen to be as tasty as the leaves.

Among foragers Wild Garlic is a popular substitute for basil, and garlic, in

home-made pesto. It really does deserve a place next to the chives, leeks, and onions.

As mentioned I urge you to try this raw when next out for a walk. Its many culinary applications will become abundantly clear to you, as well as providing a crisp taste of early spring.

CARRAGEEN (Chondrus crispus) Aka: Irish Moss Description: Carrageen is one of the red macro-algae, although having stated that, like many brown, and red seaweeds, it will change colour from burgundy, beige, and green depending on the season. The good news is that it will retain its distinctive shape throughout.

It has an overall fan shape, with fronds that look like coral. Carrageen can be found in the mid to low tidal zone, and is often hiding under larger seaweeds Edible uses: When in its raw state Carrageen is both tough, and truth be told somewhat insipid, however when processed for the alginate that it exudes, the practical, and commercial uses become apparent. Most of us have eaten Carrageen at some point in our lives without realising it. As the sexily named ‘E407’ it has been used as a thickener, and emulsifier for ice creams, milkshakes, shampoo, toothpaste, and even reformed luncheon meat.

Nowadays it is being phased out by cheaper alternatives.

dry. It will store for months in an air tight container, and do not worry about any white spots that form, it is not a mould, but a natural sugar called mannitol. When needed all you do is re-hydrate the dried flakes in a bowl of water for ten minutes, and squeeze out the alginate. This can now be added to your other ingredients and brought to the boil. When used in cooking Carrageen does not have any flavour, so no need to fear the dreaded taste of iodine in your sweet dish. *These two wild foodstuffs can be found with a whole host of other foraging delights in the book ‘The Jersey Forager’. The book is on sale at the Headway charity shop in New Street or can be ordered through RURAL magazine.

All profits from the book will go to Headway Jersey.

The best way to use Carrageen at home is as a thickener for soups, and stews, and as a setting agent for panna cotta, jelly, or blancmange. Carrageen makes the ideal vegetarian choice over gelatine. For setting panna cotta I use 6 grams of dried Carrageen to one litre of fluid... In order to process Carrageen you will need to dry it in an oven at 50 degrees C for 3 hours, or until crispy

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FIGHTING FOR FORESTS The speaker at the next ‘What’s for Dinner?’ talk on the future of agriculture and food production is Andrew Mitchell, the founder and former executive director of Global Canopy, a leading environmental think tank in Oxford ANDREW MITCHELL is the next speaker in the ‘What’s for Dinner?’ series of speaker events. His theme is the impact of the modern international agricultural industry on rainforests.

This takes place on the evening of 7 June starting at 8pm at the RJA&HS. Previous speakers have all come from outside the Island and have had no experience of farming or environment matters in Jersey. Andrew, however, grew up on a Grouville farm.

He is the brother of Ian Mitchell, the former president of the RJA&HS. He has devoted his entire life to the conservation of nature, with a special focus on halting the destruction of the world’s tropical rainforests. Through the organisations he has founded, he has raised millions of pounds for conservation and has changed attitudes to rainforests worldwide.

In 2000, he founded the NGO, Global Canopy (GC), and served as its Executive Director for 17 years.

In 2008, HRH The Prince of Wales noticed GC’s work and offered to help. The result was the ‘The Prince’s Rainforests Project’. Andrew served as Special Adviser to Prince Charles on rainforests and he continued to advise his International Sustainability Unit until its closure in 2018.

In 2009, and frustrated that major agricultural and commodity companies causing deforestation, through their use of beef, soy, paper and pulp and palm oil, grown on rainforest land, were not doing enough to help, Andrew conceived the ‘Forest Footprint Disclosure Project’.

His pioneering work has been to demonstrate the scientific, political and business case for safeguarding rainforests, as vital ‘natural capital’ that underpins water, food, energy, health and climate security for all, and that protects the livelihoods of 1.5 billion of the world’s poor.

In 2016, working with the Stockholm Environment Institute, GC implemented Trase.Earth, imaginatively matching vast amounts of VAT and shipping data, with satellite imagery to track the movement and impact of agricultural commodities linked to deforestation from where they are grown, to where they are consumed. This is bringing unprecedented transparency and accountability to corporate and financial value chains linked to deforestation and the loss of endangered species.

He said: ‘I knew I could not save rainforests by simply hugging orangutans. Killing poachers has not saved rhinos. To save rhinos, we should have killed the market for their horn.

Rainforests are much bigger, but the principle remains the same.’

Andrew said he was never happier than when canoeing up a little explored rainforest river visiting indigenous communities and experiencing the abundance of canopy life along the way.

He observed: ‘I am unlikely to stop working for nature anytime soon.’

Andrew was inspired by early encounters with tropical animals in Gerald Durrell’s zoo. He studied zoology and philosophy at Bristol University, graduating in 1975.

As Scientific Co-ordinator of the Scientific Exploration Society (SES) between 1977 and 1985, he co-ordinated numerous biological, medical and archaeological field programmes during the global youth expeditions, Operation Drake and Operation Raleigh, led by the Jersey explorer Col. John Blashford-Snell.

Andrew saw first-hand the coming destruction of the world’s rainforests and in 1986 wrote the Enchanted Canopy, the first natural history book devoted to the extraordinary wildlife of the forest canopy. After working a TV documentary series “Decade of Destruction”, Andrew began to advocate saving rainforests, hosting his own series, Odyssey, on Channel 4 and working for BBC’s Science and Features and Natural History Units.

The impact of the modern agro-industry on the natural environment and on ways to reduce this will form the theme of his speech on 7 June.

As always, there is no charge to participants, but please e-mail events@ruraljersey.co.uk to register your attendance so we have some idea of likely numbers.

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JERSEY OVERSEAS AID AT 50 To mark the 50th anniversary of Jersey Overseas Aid, RURAL magazine highlights the active projects and priority areas supported by Jersey, many of which focus on agriculture, food and rural livelihoods.

By JOA’s programme officer, ED LEWIS

Marie with a boabab sapling in front of the village baobab tree

TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH TREES A CONSTANT and often overlooked characteristic of Jersey’s beautiful landscape is its trees. It is hard to imagine how different the Island would look should they decline.

But for those who endured the Occupation, deforestation was a reality.

Local records show that as the need for fuel became critical - particularly in the unforgiving winter months –trees were targeted for their firewood. In his Occupational Diary, Baron von Aufsess (Head of Civil Affairs in Jersey from 1944 until the end of the Occupation) noted: ‘It is painful to have to check the

famished, freezing people in their search for fuel, as the cold is abnormal in these parts; tonight it registered six degrees C. below freezing.’

Poverty plays a large and direct role in the degradation of the environment and forces people to over-exploit what little they have in order to survive - Jersey was no exception.

With firewood no longer a key energy source, tree populations aren’t threatened on the scale they once were.

But in many parts of the world maintaining and encouraging trees to grow is not simply about preserving a beautiful landscape – for millions, trees hold the key for a better future.

One of Jersey Overseas Aid’s UK partner organisation, TREE AID, works in dryland Africa. Today, with more than 325 million people calling the drylands in Africa home, the trees are in decline.

The soil is becoming ever more degraded and the land is turning to desert. Climate change is likely to make things worse.

Children playing under a baobab tree

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A tree-rich environment is better able to withstand these extremes - healthy

trees can protect soil from wind erosion or being washed away by rain, storms and flooding. They improve soil structure and fertility and bring beneficial micro-organisms back into the earth so that harvests improve. They help soil retain moisture and maintain the level of the water table, maintain watersheds and stabilise river banks.

In 2018, through a grant awarded by Jersey Overseas Aid, TREE AID started a multi-year project in Ghana, a country where poverty has declined nationally but remains high in much of the northern territories. In the dryland Upper East region, one of the poorest areas in the country, people are struggling with the profound, complex challenges of poverty. The region is the most degraded area of the country and most vulnerable to desertification. Soil in the area is fragile and being increasingly degraded. Consequently, the ability of agricultural production to guarantee food and income security is declining.

This effect becomes even more critical here as the majority of the population are directly engaged in agriculture and thus heavily dependent on natural

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Kayimbo Tiendreogo standing in front of a Shea tree

resources for survival. Climate change is also having a massive impact on agriculture, further reducing productivity causing farmers to be increasingly dependent on more immediately lucrative but also more damaging income generating activities such as harvesting fuelwood, charcoal and felling trees for agriculture.

The heart of the project is about building communities that can sustain themselves and through environmental protection drive economic development.

Various activities, including the establishment of small, village-level enterprise groups made up of predominately women and increasing

tree density on farmland, will increase local income from sustainable forest products (such as shea butter and honey) whilst reducing threats to the ecosystem.

As Jersey’s wartime episode demonstrates, in times of hardship and severe weather extremes, the environment, and particularly trees, suffer as individuals and communities address the immediate need for survival.

By putting in place systems where they are equipped to deal with these shocks, communities stand a far better chance of providing for their families – and perhaps more importantly - the ability to also provide for the future.

A woman making shea butter by hand TREE AID’s ‘Grow Hope’ Project comes under the Environment and Livelihoods stream, one of JOA’s 5 core focus areas. This theme concentrates on the link between human development, environmental protection and climate change adaptation. It focuses particularly on locations where environmentlivelihood pressures are strong, especially those under threat from population growth, habitat destruction and changing weather patterns.

For more information on JOA, its other core themes and where it works visit www.joa.je Photographs: © Mike Goldwater/TREE AID

Susanne K Seogo president of the Women's Forest Group for Women's Forest Livelihoods project

RURAL Summer 2018 - 37

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A ROMANTIC RETREAT

La Sablonnerie Hotel in Sark is often recognised as a top honeymoon destination, and has won multiple awards for its romantic appeal.

Owner Elizabeth Perrée is a huge part of that charm, but as she told TAMARA TIMOTHY, although Sark is undoubtedly wonderful for lovers, there is something for everyone to love at her hotel A HOLIDAY to Sark is a true escape from reality for most visitors. The lack of cars, beautiful scenery and slower pace of life take many tourists back to a simpler time; while the lack of modern distractions can turn a holiday into a romantic haven for couples.

At La Sablonnerie Hotel, owner Elizabeth Perrée has ensured that her hotel offers everything her guests could need from luxurious linen in the rooms to locally sourced food and exceptional service.

The hotel has been recognised by the Good Hotel Guide as one of their best romantic hotels, and was also previously given their Editor’s Choice Award. Among many other awards, Condé Nast Johansens has also recognised La Sablonnerie as ‘Small Hotel of the Year’.

For Elizabeth, those awards have come in part because of the pride she and her team take in ensuring that their self-described ‘joie de vivre’ is passed on to every guest that stays with them. She said: ‘The atmosphere at La Sablonnerie is very special. The lack of televisions or WiFi encourages our guests to mingle more with each other. People often head to our bar or sit in the garden rather than in their rooms and it is all very convivial.’

The hotel is constantly looking to enhance its facilities and the rooms have recently been refurbished. For those guests celebrating a very special occasion, the hotel’s honeymoon suite is always in demand.

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The food and drink is a large part of La Sablonnerie’s appeal.

The hotel offers an abundance of locally sourced food – from fresh lobster caught off the island’s coast to vegetables and meat from nearby family farms. The hotel sources its butter and cream from its own herd of Guernsey dairy cattle, which ensures that afternoon tea in the beautiful gardens is a particular treat for many visitors.

For those looking to head outside of the hotel, La Sablonnerie offers the opportunity for guests to take a picnic with them on excursions, and Sark offers plenty to keep visitors entertained.

Little Sark itself is very scenic, and it is hard not to be enticed to regularly stop and admire the views. Nature walks to admire the island’s flora and fauna are always popular, as are trips to the romantic silver mines, and for the brave – a swim in the famous Venus Pool.

At night, there is little that could be more romantic than stargazing in Sark. The island was recognised as the world’s first official ‘Dark Sky Island’ in 2011 and many visitors need no more entertainment than the spectacular night skies offer.

But after an evening’s stargazing there is always a nightcap to be had in the bar of La Sablonnerie.

A honeymoon in Sark may be billed as the experience of a lifetime, but it’s often an experience that keeps couples and families returning throughout their lives. As Elizabeth says: ‘A huge part of our business is repeat visitors who come back to La Sablonnerie regularly from all over the world. Once many people have stayed with us – whether on a childhood family holiday or as an adult – they simply can’t resist returning.

My job is to make sure that each time La Sablonnerie lives up to those expectations and it’s a pleasure to do so.’

E-mail: reservations@sablonneriesark.com Visit: www.sablonneriesark.com

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From our foreign correspondent:

FROM THE FARM TO THE FREEZER Le Hechet Farm is now a common name to see on dessert menus in Guernsey restaurants and ice cream carts around the Island. TAMARA TIMOTHY visited Le Hechet Farm to meet the two sisters making ice cream for the Island

LE HECHET is a family dairy farm in Guernsey that has been established for generations. But the current generation, the two sisters, Katherine Ogier and Rachel Torode, only started making ice cream in 2006.

Julian, was interested in Le Hechet Farm producing compost she wasn’t very enthusiastic. When he then spotted an advertisement for an ice cream maker in Farmer’s Weekly, a new side to their business began.

When they started to make the ice cream, Guernsey Dairy was advising farmers to diversify. Katherine’s husband,

The sisters first started selling their ice cream at Guernsey’s popular independent grocer, Forest Stores. A decade on, and Le Hechet Farm ice cream is sold mainly through wholesalers to keep up with demand. But Katherine and Rachel are determined to keep the personal involvement with their produce; their ice cream cart is a familiar sight at community events and festivals around the Island as well as at wedding parties and private functions.

When it comes to working together, it seems the close family relationship is a bonus. Katherine said: ‘Being sisters really does help, especially when we’re really busy serving at events. We tend to think the same way so we’ll get into our roles and we’ll understand what the other is doing and thinking. Rachel tends to scoop while I take the money and that works for us.’

Making ice cream may sound like a dream job to many, but it is also hard work. At this time of year, Rachel and Katherine

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Katherine Ogier (left) and Rachel Torode (right) can spend two full days a week making ice cream – starting at 5am in the morning when the farm’s cows are milked.

They first create a custard with eggs, milk, cream and sugar before adding flavourings and pasteurizing the mixture in their machine. Working in five litre batches, they can produce around 200 litres per day.

The ice cream is the latest progression for Le Hechet Farm, which has been in the sisters’ family for decades.

Their grandfather bought it in 1957 before their parents took over in the 1970s. In 1996 Katherine and her husband Julian stepped in. Katherine believes that history helped: ‘The reputation of the farm had been built up over three generations so people knew our name and knew they could trust what we produced.’

In addition to the confidence in the family name, there was confidence in the sisters themselves. Both have catering training and backgrounds and Rachel thinks that made a real difference: ‘We’d both worked in catering throughout our lives. Katherine was used to running the farm while I had the tearoom at Cobo for a number of years. It meant we weren’t scared off by the rules and regulations around producing food and we understood what it involved.’

Le Hechet Farm produces around 60 different flavours of ice cream. Vanilla is clearly a bestseller while honeycomb is always in demand from the cart, and hotels and restaurants require large quantities of salted caramel. Katherine and Rachel say they tend to produce flavours which they are certain people will enjoy, but they have had some unusual private requests including beetroot sorbet, lavender and even minted pea and tomato.

The sisters admit that making their luxury ice cream comes at a cost. They use the best quality ingredients in their ice cream – from real rum and Bailey’s liqueur to their homegrown fruit and fresh milk. But they believe the resulting product is worth it. Rachel said: ‘If you melt a tub of Le Hechet Farm ice cream you will still have a full tub of liquid. Many mass-produced commercial ice creams are full of air so ours really does stand out because of its quality. We’ve never had to advertise; the business has evolved because the product speaks for itself.’

The farm is obviously a family affair, and the ice cream business is no different. While Katherine and Rachel make the treat from scratch, they are supported by produce from their family. Katherine’s husband Julian milks the dairy herd that provides the fresh milk for the ice cream and the farm also provides the eggs. The fruit for their summer special ice creams comes from their father, who grows an abundance in his greenhouse.

Rachel said: ‘Dad has plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots, blackberries, tayberries and apples, which all make amazing ingredients for the ice cream. We just have to be a bit careful about the quantities. One year he had a glut of plums so we made a delicious plum and almond ice cream that was really popular. We were looking forward to making it the following year, and it turned out he only had two plums to give us!’

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CHEESE WARS We have had The Schleswig-Holstein Problem, the Irish Question….. now brace yourselves for the Camembert Confrontation. HAMISH MARETT-CROSBY reports on the unrest rustling the creameries. C’est magnifique … mais ce n’est pas la guerre ‘MAY you live in interesting times’ is said to be an old Chinese curse, but if it is your interests that are central to such times then perhaps you do not really appreciate the use of the word ‘interesting’ in that context.

Take pity therefore on the traditional producers of Camembert who have had, I would guess, just about as much interest as they can take.

In a way it all dates back to a legal ruling that the single word Camembert defines a method of production - with the inevitable result that the name became universal and Camembert look-alikes popped up all over the world. The Normans bounced back in the 1990s with the creation of Vrai Camembert de Normandie, but the damage was done.

But that is just the background to these interesting times.

No good cause exists without a schism, thus the cheese world of Camembert de Normandy has been split apart. Lining up on the one side were the traditional small producers producing artisanal cheeses, using a ladle to hand pour the raw cheese into the mould using unpasteurised milk; they claimed to be the real and only camembert makers. On the other side were the big battalions of the giant creameries using pasteurised milk (for health reasons) in a highly automatic computer controlled method also claiming to be producing the real thing, just in a more modern and healthier way.

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These deeply entrenched views resulted in an argument that has been going on for ten years with one side claiming to the real hand-made hand-ladled cheese – the true inheritors of a great tradition - accusing the other of fooling the consumer with misleading labelling even though the creameries were Norman based.

Legally, at least, that battle is over with a ruling that the big creameries using pasteurised milk and factory production can claim Camembert de Normandie as a brand. ‘Allowing the big industrial brands into the boundaries of the appellation is a death sentence for real Camembert,’ said a spokesman for the small producers, not mincing his words.

L'entrée des marques industrielles dans le périmètre de l'AOP est la mort programmée du véritable camembert », dénonce l'association fromages de terroirs.

And if all that was not ‘interesting enough’ The Bretons have decided to muddy the waters.

After all, Brittany and Normandy have a long history of peaceful co-existence, a bit like Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola or perhaps Lancashire and Yorkshire (or even Jersey and Guernsey); neighbours, but not really living in the same country. Thus it was that amid cries of ‘heresy’, they have come up with a powdered or grated camembert to use by the

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the Journal du Dimanche described it as ‘a humiliation for France’.

One is tempted to say to the French cheese makers that perhaps they can now understand how their wine making cousins have been feeling over the past decade or two.

In contrast, Agropur, the Canadian producers, said they were savouring victory. ‘The creamy texture and - hazelnut-andmushroom flavour of our camembert delighted the refined taste buds of a distinguished panel of internationally known judges,’ they said.

spoonful in cooking. It could also be used in Croque Camembert and also sprinkled over pizzas.

Needless to say the traditionalists were aghast, beside themselves with horror and disgust. Aux barricades!

Back in Normandy the cold war remains quite warm. Veronique Richez-Lerouge, of the Fromage de Terroirs group, which campaigns for traditional cheese-making, was quoted in The Daily Telegraph as saying: ‘Nine out of 10 AOP camemberts will be pasteurised and industrial-like, vulgar, mass-produced offerings… camembert will sink inexorably into mediocrity.’

However, the final indignity of these interesting times came from Canada, from where a local version of Napoleon’s favourite cheese was voted the world’s best in the camembert category at the World Championship Cheese Contest, held in Wisconsin.

So the Chinese curse has struck the traditional cheesemakers of Normandy and the interesting times have been made even more so by a reported response on the grated cheese issue from a nameless Breton: ‘Les Normands nous ont piqué le MontSaint-Michel, aujourd’hui on leur vole leur camembert, version râpée!’ The Normans nicked Mont St Michel, today we have pinched their camembert and made a grated version.

L’Extra, produced in Saint-Hyacinthe, east of Montreal, beat the top French camembert from Normandy, Isigny Sainte-Mere, which won the title in 2010 but was placed only 12th this year.

‘How can it be?’ lamented the Ouest-France newspaper while

‘Sky – Name of a name - Sacred Blue’… that is fighting talk; looking back through history, wars have started on a lesser pretext.

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ART, INSPIRED BY NATURE

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In each issue this year we profile works by contemporary Jersey artists who draw their inspiration from Jersey’s rural landscapes or natural environment.

In this issue we feature:

THE BARN ON THE RUE ÈS BOEUFS

by Patrick Malacarnet He described his painting: ‘Having an interest in the Island’s heritage, I like to paint typical old barns and out-houses in the country, emphasizing the play of light - often last light - on granite against neglected rustic country backdrops in what seems a fast disappearing heritage...

My preferred medium is acrylics.

I've also been inspired painting views away in other countries from abandoned villas in Bulgaria to lake side scenes in Italy and Russia.

In Jersey, my interest in the Island's architectural legacy mainly out in the countryside gradually grew, for instance, using the play of evening light on bright multi-coloured granite backed by foliage with points of sky in the shadows.

I painted local seascapes in much the same spirit, contrasting light and dark patches with the translucency of water in an attempt to try and put across a general sense of contemplation.’

Works by Patrick will be exhibited at the Summer Exhibition at the CCA Gallery International in Hill Street.

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A PLACE FOR ART AND CULTURE The director of CCA Galleries International at 10 Hill Street, SASHA GIBB, reports on the gallery’s current activities THIS summer is a great time for visual art in Jersey.

The Jersey Summer Exhibition fills the gallery at Hill Street Thurs 21 June - Fri 27 July. The exhibition is based on the popular model at London’s Royal Academy. This year’s selection panel was painter Danny Rolph, Gillian Duke MD Worton Hall Studios and CCA and myself. The standard was extremely high and the 250 submissions were slashed to just 76 pieces including ceramics, prints, paintings and sculpture.

Artists such as Heath Hearn, Katy Brown and Jason Butler will be showing alongside other established and emerging Jersey artists. This year the exhibition launches it’s ‘Summer Prize’ for the artist that the judges agree exhibited the most accomplished piece of work. The winner will be offered a solo show at CCA Galleries International.

Cahun moved to Jersey in the 1930s with her partner Marcel Moore and is one of Jersey’s most applauded, admired and studied exports. Rae’s work developed after a residency with Archisle to research the archive of Cahun’s work held by Jersey Heritage and was exhibited at the Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne, Australia in the spring. It is indeed thanks to the Australia Council for the Arts that the work will be shown in Jersey at all. Work by both artists, as well as a catolgue Never Standing on Two Feet will be for sale at the exhibition 7 – 28 September For more information on all exhibitions and events visit www.ccagalleriesinternational.com

CCAI have always been eager to support students and will be working with the Young Arts, Jersey and Arts Society, Jersey to enable 12 art students to take part in the exhibition. We are also glad to be working with our exhibition sponsors TEAM for the second year of this annual event. Throughout the exhibition, there will be a program of talks, discussions and artist crits. One of the highlights will be ‘a conversation on contemporary art in relation to the show’ by Danny Rolph, Royal Academy Professor, 11.00 - 12.00, Saturday 7 June.

Danny had a great exhibition at the gallery at Christmas and is currently working on a new body of work based on 12 Jerriais phrases to bring back to the gallery next spring.

Exhibition Schedule

Over 60 artists will open their studios for the biennial Skipton Open Studios, 24 - 25 June and 30 June –1 July. Visit www.skiptonopenstudios.je for more details of who and where and what else is going on.

The gallery is open 10.00 – 17.00, Monday to Friday and by appointment.

CCA Galleries International, 10 Hill Street, St Helier, JE2 4UA www.ccagalleriesinternational.com t: 01534 739900 for further details

MAY/JUNE Donald Hamilton Fraser Shorelines and Spinakkers 10 May - 7 June JUNE/JULY Jersey Summer Exhibition 21 June - 27 July SEPTEMBER Entre Nous: Claude Cahun and Clare Rae 6 - 27 September

Entre Nous: Claude Cahun and Clare Rae is a photographic conversation between Australian photographer Clare Rae and the French avantgarde artist and writer Claude Cahun.

Opposite: 1. Clare Rae, Bunker near Petit Plémont, 2017 2. Jersey Summer Exhibition 3. Donald Hamilton Fraser, Pennan, Scotland 4. Clare Rae, Val Rouget #2, 2017 5. Donald Hamilton Fraser, Regatta 6. Jersey Summer Exhibition 7. Donald Hamilton Fraser, Daybreak

8. Claude Cahun, Je Tends les Bras c.1931, JHT/1995/00022/v (image courtesy of Jersey Heritage)

9. Donald Hamilton Fraser, Landscape Purple Road 10. Donald Hamilton Fraser, Summer Beachscape 11. Clare Rae, Prison Stones #4, 2017 12. Claude Cahun, I am in training don’t kiss me c.1927, JHT/1995/00030/j (image courtesy of Jersey Heritage)

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OPEN (ART) HOUSE FOR ARTISTS AND ALL ISLANDERS The Skipton Open Studio series is back this year. CAITLIN SEREY at ArtHouse Jersey celebrates the wealth of talented artists and makers in the Island

THE Skipton Open Studio series is back in Jersey this summer.

Sponsored by Skipton International and produced by ArtHouse Jersey, it celebrates and promotes Jersey’s diverse creative community of artists and makers, providing both visitors and Islanders exclusive access into artists’ working studio spaces across Jersey.

It was first launched in May 2008 by the Jersey Arts Trust in response to the lack of public art gallery space for local artists to showcase their work. The initiative stemmed from ambitious roots, featuring over 50 Jersey artists, with a group exhibition of the artists’ work at a pop-up shop in Bath Street.

After nine successful years of the initiative, which since 2014 has seen a wide diversity of events and thousands of locals and visitors to the island visiting visual artists’ studios, ArtHouse Jersey is redefining the Skipton Open Studios offering for 2018.

As always, there’s a huge range of artists participating, at all different career stages and working in almost every style and medium imaginable.

This year over 70 artists are taking part, with additional artists participating in group displays of their work as part of pop-up exhibitions. This includes exhibitions at 10 and 20 Commercial Buildings, La Folie Studios and the Frances Le Sueur Centre.

Additionally the Harbour Gallery will present the work of their members, and CCA International’s Summer Exhibition will coincide with Skipton Open Studios to showcase the work of selected local artists.

Genuine Jersey Skipton Open Studios will include several Genuine Jersey artists.

Jewellers Aida de la Herran and Lisa Le Brocq will be participating, and Rachel Concannon of Rachel’s Textiles will be exhibiting a variety of haberdashery and quirky gifts. Other familiar faces include Jane James, Katherine Cadin, Pippa Barrow, Susan Lintell and Rosemary Blackmore, who will be sharing the space with her daughter, Lucy.

National Trust for Jersey Thanks to the partnership between ArtHouse Jersey and National Trust for Jersey, several artists will also be presenting their work in historic properties around the island. Le Moulin de Quétivel Mill will hold a group exhibition of works by Annie Martland, Emma Faull, Melissa Bonn and Pippa Simpson. Additionally, artists Hugh Knaggs and Julia Renault will be exhibiting their art at Grève de Lecq Barracks.

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Former Police Station Takeover This year it’s not just about the open studios! ArtHouse Jersey will also be running a ten-day ‘takeover’ of the former police station, Piquet House, in the Royal Square. As the epicentre for Skipton Open Studios, it will be the venue for several artistic projects, as well as an information hub for finding out more about the full programme of events and studio locations.

Exhibitors include Nick Romeril who will be using the site to show for the first time some of the paintings and studies from his recent residency aboard the HMS Proctor, travelling to Antarctica.

Through Open Studios, Piquet House will also be home to a number of pop-up events, such as ‘The Story Exchange’ installation curated

by Sarah Taylor, a Food Photography & Styling Workshop and Rural Magazine’s very own pop-up bookstore featuring local writers.

Alice Bravery, Producer at ArtHouse Jersey, said: ‘Each year we try to mix up the formula of the Open Studios to keep it relevant to local artists and the wider community. This year it felt essential to broaden the definition of an “Open Studio” to celebrate the wider spectrum of creative people making all kinds of interesting original work here in the Island.

‘We’re so fortunate to boast a diversity of talented makers in Jersey and we want to shine a spotlight on their abilities by allowing behind-the-scenes access to their creative process.

For visitors there’s no better opportunity to get a sense of the true artistic undercurrent of the Island, which plays a hugely important role in our culture and community.

‘Skipton Open Studios is also unique in that it focuses on the artists at work. The processes that these creatives have developed through practice to produce exciting work is fascinating. To witness a blacksmith at work in a foundry, or a music producer recording with a band, for example helps us to appreciate the skill it takes to create the finished product’.

Aaron Waldon, Commercial Manager of Skipton International, said that extending the scope of artists able to participate in this year’s Open Studios would bring new energy to the event and provide a larger platform to showcase local talent.

Piquet House and participating studios across the Island will be free for the public to visit during the weekends of 23-24 June and 30 June-1 July. Other specially programmed events and projects will run between 22 June and 1 July. *For more information visit www.skiptonopenstudios.je.

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10TH ANNIVERSARY OF SUNSET CONCERTS

FRIDAY 22ND JUNE - SATURDAY 23RD JUNE 2018 This year’s 10th anniversary of the Sunset Concerts at Grantez will be a two day celebration of all things Jersey with added spotlight on protecting our beautiful natural resources.

Friday night will see the Kim Syvret Quartet headline with some smooth jazz before Sister Disco get you dancing until sunset on Saturday.

The annual two day festival run by the National Trust for Jersey in association with Ashburton Investments is celebrating the 10th anniversary with two more local acts invited to “Start the Sunset”.

Rising stars Midriff will begin proceedings on Friday night and on Saturday, Hot Juice will get the evening rolling.

building a library of catchy rock music which is nearly impossible not to move to.

Tens of thousands of friends and families have enjoyed a mixture of local and international performers in the surroundings of Jersey’s stunning west coast, raising over £70,000 to conserve vulnerable habitats over the past ten years.

One of Jersey’s newest bands, “Sister Disco” embrace the fashion, flamboyance and grooves that made the 70’s such a vibrant time for music, playing the classics that guarantee a party as the sun goes down.

The Sunset Concerts continue to raise the profile of the coastline campaign to help safeguard Jersey’s natural and built heritage for future generations, as well as the importance of leaving nothing but footprints and taking away nothing but memories.

The Sunset Concerts are a fun way for all ages to engage with and invest in our rich natural environment. The family friendly open-air concerts have become firm fixtures in the summer calendar and are held over two evenings in the beautiful natural amphitheatre of Grantez as the sun sets over St Ouen’s Bay.

Last year’s Concerts raised nearly £10,000 alone and this year it would be amazing to break through that barrier, all thanks to the kindness and generosity of the people of Jersey.

New local acts for 2018 With perfect harmonies and an enchanting mix of original and cover songs, Midriff will get the festivities underway on Friday night.

Headliners The Kim Syvret Quartet will then play a set of American Songbook classics. Expect a perfect blend of traditional jazz with some intriguing contemporary innovations during an exciting performance!

Saturday openers Hot Juice take their influences from bands like the Rolling Stones and the Arctic Monkeys, quickly 50 -

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Both evenings are free with a £5 charge per car for on-site parking. All proceeds go towards the National Trust for Jersey’s Coastline Campaign. Parking tickets can be bought online at www.nationaltrust.je/events Gates open from 5:30pm with performances starting at 7:15pm and the last notes will play as the sun begins to go down around 9:15pm. Remember to bring a picnic to enjoy while the music plays and take everything with you when you go.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on the Sunset Concerts in association with Ashburton Investments by following @SunsetConcertsJersey on Facebook and Instagram #SunsetConcertsJersey

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RURAL READS

CHANNEL ISLAND FLORA By the late Peter Double; £7.95 MANY readers will remember the voice of the late Pete Double from the regular Saturday morning broadcasts some years ago on BBC Radio Jersey’s ‘Green Zone’. Pete always contributed something fresh and entertaining about the natural world. Others may recall his fishing columns in the JEP with mysterious references to fish caught ‘SWONC’ Some Where On the North Coast - to keep secret a good fishing mark!

Years later, Pete was a joint founder of Action for Wildlife Jersey. This group was formed to raise funds for a number of projects to assist wildlife, such as planting crops on marginal land to feed migratory birds in winter.

Pete’s time at the Department of the Environment allowed him the opportunity to give rein to his talents as a film-maker, creating videos for the wildlife information Centre at Kempt Tower. He had the patience to wait beside a nest for eggs to hatch, or for any shy creature to appear in a starring role.

With a new digital camera, he took up the challenge of capturing all manner of creatures through his lens.

Pete’s natural habitat was the countryside - never happier than when pursuing dragonflies through wet-meadows, or stalking lizards basking in the heat of the sun. Equally at home in woodland or on the seashore, nothing escaped his notice, be it beetle or caterpillar, woodpecker or worm. He would even share his picnic with a wasp if it interested him!

As a boy, Pete’s first love was fishing, and while engaged beside the water, he became a skilled bird-watcher, developing an ability to recognise anything on the wing at a glance.

Immersed in the great outdoors, his observations of everything came together to make him a well-respected naturalist.

In his childhood world, there were trees, insects and wildflowers all about, but growing up in London, he would joke that he had never expressed an interest in wildflowers (although these were plentiful on the bomb-sites post-war), lest the other boys should think him a sissy!

In later life, there were no such qualms, and he set himself the task of identifying as many species of wildflowers as he could. The result was this colourful book of over 100 photographs with accompanying notes, each one carefully depicting the distinguishing features of leaf and petal, enabling the viewer to recognise each one.

What could be better at this time of the year than to set yourself a similar task? Armed with this useful book as a guide, you will become an instant ‘expert’, able to pass on the common English names, even if you never master the Latin!

Pete didn’t - he used the easiest, easy to remember, some of them known and unchanged for centuries, mentioned in works of literature and poetry: burdock and buttercup, ivy-leaved toadflax, hare’s tail, hart’s tongue and hawk’s beard, maidenhair spleenwort, viper’s bugloss, fleabane and speedwell… traveller’s joy… As Pete wrote in the introduction, it is not about rarities, but the flowers you are most likely to see, just waiting for you.

The book is divided into different areas by habitat. It soon becomes obvious which plants are salt tolerant, growing near the sea-shore. Inland the field-hedgerows brim with many familiar plants - but do you know their names? A walk in shaded woodland will show you a completely different selection of plants that prefer to hide from the sun.

The publishers discovered unsold books in a cupboard and it is re-launched just in time for your spring walks. Why not take this book with a friend - or a child - to discover, or rediscover the timeless charm of reciting the names, until you get to know them, and greet them like old friends!

Channel Island Flora - available direct from RURAL; £7.95. Also from from Waterstones, Société Jersiaise, Jersey Heritage and Action for Wildlife.

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‘RURAL READS’ will have a bookstall at the RJA&HS Summer Fair during the weekend of 9 and 10 June.

Look for us in the horticultural tent.

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UN CHENT'NAITHE TCHULTUTHEL

Summary in English:

A CULTURAL CENTENARY

Jèrriais, with GERAINT JENNINGS CH'T' année les cheins tch'aiment les bouonnes histouaithes et poésies en Jèrriais sont pouor mèrtchi l'chent'naithe d'la mort dé deux d'nos pus grands auteurs. Y'a chent ans, Philippe Le Sueur Mourant mouothit au mais d'Août 1918 épis raîque tchiques sémaines pus tard, E.J. Luce pâssit l'pas à l'âge dé 37 ans au mais d'Octobre 1918.

Ches deux auteurs sont mus connus ès Jèrriais s'lon lus noms d'plieunme: Bram Bilo et Elie. Lé caractéthe dé Bram Bilo înventé par Philippe Le Sueur Mourant avait lanchi toute eune séthie d'aventuthes et înspithé d'aut's auteurs en prose, et les poésies d'Elie, par E.J. (Edwin John) Luce, sont acouo hardi populaithes et présentées châque année à l'Eisteddfod, ès Fêtes Nouormandes, et ès concèrts et séthées.

Philippe Le Sueur Mourant, né en 1848, mouothit à la Preunmié Tou à l'âge dé septante ans, et viyant s'n âge nou n'tait pon ravi. Tout coumme ch'tait l'épidémie d'grippe tchi gav'lit tant d'monde en Jèrri en Octobre-Novembre 1918 tch'emportit E.J. Luce siez li dans la Rue Columbus.

Mais lus littéthatuthe vit acouo. Lé caractéthe dé Bram Bilo, ex-Chent'nyi d'Saint Ouën, grée par Philippe Le Sueur Mourant, est înmortel, ayant 'té né en 1889 quand ses aventuthes rîthibl'yes duthant eune touônnée à Paris pouor la Grande Exhibition dé ch't' année-là fûdrent publiées épis r'publiées s'lon la grande d'mande. Acouo d's histouaithes entouor la fanmil'ye Bilo

These two writers are better known to Jersey people by their pen-names: Bram Bilo and Elie. The character of Bram Bilo invented by Philippe Le Sueur Mourant had launched a series of adventures and inspired other prose writers, and Elie's poetry, written by E.J. Luce, is still very popular and performed every year at the Eisteddfod, at the Fête Nouormande and concerts and shows.

Philippe Le Sueur Mourant appathûdrent sus les gâzettes et en livrets auprès chenna, entréchîn qué Philippe Le Sueur Mourant tuîsse san fanmeux caractéthe épis lanchit eune nouvelle séthie entouor la fanmil'ye Pain, des campangnards v'nus travailli en Ville où'est qu'il' avaient à aver affaithe auve d'la machinn'nie, d's activités modèrnes, et bein seux la langue Angliaîche.

Ouaithe qu'Elie sait mus connu au jour d'aniet coumme poète, il êcrivit un tas d'articl'yes entouor la campangne, la politique, lé conmèrce et les gens au c'menchement du vîngtchième siècl'ye tchi valent la peine dé liéthe pouor l'întéthêthet historique et l'fanne étout.

San caractéthe dé Cliément d'Caen satirîsait l'fèrmyi Jèrriais couoyeux d'ses sou et mêfiant d's autorités, épis san Dan Lêcaudé èrprésentait l'bouonhoumme pus à co pièrcheux d'eune femme tchiquefais picangn'rêsse. À seule fîn d'mèrtchi chu chent'naithe, y'étha un livre publié pus tard dans l'année tchi contcheindra eune sélection d'histouaithes dé ches deux auteurs (en êcrituthe modèrnîsée) acanté des traductions en Angliais. Et né v'là un bouôn moyen d'asseûther qu'tout l'monde, qu'i' comprengent lé Jèrriais ou nânnîn, piêssent lus en rêjoui d's êcrituthes dé ches grands auteurs, chent ans auprès lus mort.

Elie Luce

This year, those who love good Jèrriais stories and poems are going to be commemorating the centenary of the death of two of our greatest writers.

One hundred years ago, Philippe Le Sueur Mourant died in August 1918, and then only a few weeks later, E.J Luce passed away at the age of 37 in October 1918.

Philippe Le Sueur Mourant, born in 1848, died at First Tower at the age of 70, which was not a surprise. However, it was the flu epidemic, which mowed down so many people in Jersey in October - November 1918, that carried E.J Luce off at his home in Columbus Street.

But their literature lives on. The character of Bram Bilo, ex-Centenier from Saint Ouen, created by Philippe Le Sueur Mourant, is immortal, having been born in 1889 when his hilarious adventures on a trip to Paris for the Great Exhibition of that year were published and then republished by popular demand.

More stories about the Bilo (Billot) family appeared in newspapers and booklets after that, until Philippe Le Sueur Mourant killed off his famous character and then launched a new series about the Pain family, country folk who had come to work in Town where they came up against machinery, modern activities, and of course the English language.

Although Elie is better known today as a poet, he wrote lots of articles about the countryside, politics, trade and people at the beginning of the 20th Century, which are worth reading for historical interest and also fun. His character of Clément de Caen satirised the Jersey farmer, careful with money and distrustful of the authorities, and his Dan Lecaudey represented the rather lazy husband of an occasionally nagging wife.

In order to mark this centenary, a book will be published later in the year which will contain a selection of stories by these two authors (in modernised spelling) with accompanying English translations.

And that's a good way to make sure that everybody, whether they understand Jèrriais or not, can enjoy the writings of these great writers, 100 years after their death.

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LOOKING BACK INTO DEEP TIME Recent archaeological research in the Channel Islands and nearby France will be the subject of a conference hosted by La Société Jersiaise – on 6 to 9 September 2018

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La Cotte, St Brelade - a Neanderthal settlement for thousands of years

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Faldouet Dolmen Photo credit: Marc Le Cornu EVERY year for the past few years the Société Jersiaise has hosted an ‘archaeology week’, connected to the Festival of British Archaeology in the UK. This year, however, in addition to a programme of guided walks and talks in July, the Société will be holding a major archaeological conference that its Field Archaeologist Robert Waterhouse describes as being ‘the biggest archaeological event yet, with 24 speakers over three days, showcasing and discussing many aspects of the archaeological study of the Channel Islands and nearby France.

THURSDAY 6 SEPTEMBER

The lecturers include well-known personalities such as Professor Sir Barry Cunliffe – a giant of contemporary archaeological research - , who will be speaking about his work on Sark's prehistory. Several French archaeologists will also be participating, including Serge Cassen, who has studied Neolithic rock art in France and Guernsey.

Dr John Renouf, Société Jersiaise: Ancient sea level changes in the Channel Islands and their vicinity.

Closer to home, archaeologists actively researching the Channel Islands include Jersey's own Field Archaeologist, Robert Waterhouse FSA, with colleagues from the Société Jersiaise and Guernsey's archaeological service.

Vin d’Honneur - A reception for delegates will be held at the Société Jersiaise, from 6.30-7.30pm. It will include a short introduction to the archaeology of Jersey and its place in the Channel Region.

DAY 1, FRIDAY 7 SEPTEMBER Morning Session:

Dr Andrew Shaw, University of Southampton: New discoveries in the La Cotte de St Brelade Palaeolithic collections Dr Chantel Conneler, University of Manchester: Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic activity in the Channel Islands, with specific reference to Jersey Dr Andrew Shaw: The Middle and Upper Palaeolithic deposits at Petit Portelet, St Martin

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Afternoon Session:

DAY 3, SUNDAY 9 SEPTEMBER

Dr Lesley McFadyen, Birkbeck College, University of London: Mesolithic and Neolithic occupation layers at Le Braye Sand Pit, Jersey

Morning Session:

Nick & Phil Aubin, Société Jersiaise: A reassessment of the distribution and design of Neolithic passage graves in Jersey Bob Tompkins, Société Jersiaise: Pursuing Puzzle Stones: Mapping prehistoric boundary stones in the intertidal zone of South-East Jersey Dr Serge Cassen, University of Nantes: The Neolithic engravings at the Dehus dolmen in Guernsey, in the context of the iconographic programs of Northern France

DAY 2, SATURDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER Morning Session: Professor Sir Barry Cunliffe, University of Oxford: Sark: remoteness and connectivity Dr Emma Durham, University of Reading: Prehistoric pottery from excavations on Sark Robert Waterhouse, Société Jersiaise Archaeologist: Later prehistoric field systems & settlement patterns in Jersey

Dr Heather Sebire, Historic England: Meet the Ancestors re-visited: Two decades of excavation at Lihou Priory, Guernsey Robert Waterhouse, Société Jersiaise Archaeologist: Romanesque churches of the 10th to 12th Centuries in Jersey Stéphanie Dervin, Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives, & Anne Bouquet-Lienard, University of Caen: The development of Medieval and Post-Medieval Ceramics in Normandy Afternoon Session: Robert Waterhouse, Société Jersiaise Archaeologist: Excavations beneath the 13th to 17th century First Gate at Mont Orgueil Castle Rosalind Le Quesne, Société Jersiaise Assistant Archaeologist: Osteological research into medieval and post-medieval cemetery populations in Jersey Jane Aubin, Société Jersiaise: A field survey of Jersey’s post-medieval pigsties Roger Hills, Jersey Heritage: Setting up a Historic Environment Record for Jersey

Dr Marie-Yvane Daire, University of Rennes: The Iron Age settlements of l’Ile de Hoëdic, Brittany

DAY 4, MONDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER

Afternoon Session:

Field Visits

Dr Philip de Jersey, States of Guernsey Archaeologist: New research into the Iron Age in the Channel Islands

It is proposed to run two minibus trips to significant archaeological sites in Jersey. These will be on a ‘first come, first served’ basis and will cover prehistoric sites (Bus 1) and Gallo-Roman to modern sites (Bus 2). The trips will take all day and will take delegates to a number of sites discussed in the lectures.

Neil Mahrer, Jersey Heritage: Scientific research into the Iron Age hoard from Le Catillon, Jersey Tanya Walls, States of Guernsey HER Officer: Gallo-Roman settlement evidence from Guernsey and Alderney Robert Waterhouse, Société Jersiaise Archaeologist: Gallo-Roman settlement evidence in Jersey Dr Jason Monaghan, Director of Guernsey Museums: The Late Roman small fort at the Nunnery, Alderney

* Tickets are available from the Société Jersiaise at 7 Pier Road, St Helier, or via their website at www.societe-jersiaise.org. All the lectures will take place at this location.

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WILD ABOUT JERSEY It’s all about capturing the ‘natural capital’ of young people says MIKE STENTIFORD While day one was set aside for local primary school children, day two was targeted at the general public but with particular emphasis towards engagement with young families.

Not surprisingly, at the forefront of such content was the subject of biodiversity.

Pipistrelle bats and barn owls, honey bees and a hands-on tank of alien Asian crabs, all clearly demonstrated the highs, lows and threats to local wildlife.

A radical explanation on soil regeneration and the efforts of the Island community in the popular Parish in Bloom competition likewise endorsed the remarkable degree of environmental commitment undertaken by so many volunteers.

MUCH is still being said, written and broadcast throughout the British Isles about Nature Deficiency Syndrome, the now officially accepted public disconnect with the natural world.

What with i-Pads, i-Phones, smart phones and endless intrusions from social media, young people, in particular, find innumerable reasons to abandon all thoughts of the free and precious natural attributes that surround us.

The question as to whether this disconnect is prone to show itself more in urban areas than in the rural environment depends a great deal, so we’re told, on the number and standard of open green spaces at our disposal.

While there are plenty of excuses in densely built-up inner city centres for ‘shrugging the environmental shoulder’, it’s a situation that fortunately has little truck here in an island blessed with an incredibly diverse landscape.

Proving the point by a show of ‘natural solidarity’ are the groups and individuals that recently participated in a public ‘re-wilding’ event at Fort Regent.

No doubt at all that, on this particular occasion, the Fort’s Gloucester Hall transformed itself into a very welcoming shade of appropriately ‘app-free’ green.

With the colour green purportedly representing ‘nature, health and harmony’, small wonder that all things natural, fit and friendly were so deservingly celebrated.

With the self explanatory title ‘Wild About Jersey’, this ambitious intent on celebrating all things wild and natural was organised

by Eco-Active and the Department of the Environment.

The two-day public showcase attracted an astonishing diversity of local participation, each determined to create a better place for nature while seeking to encourage a more inter-connecting set of values for young islanders.

For the very first time, two comparatively new ‘not for profit’ organisations were invited to participate as event ‘partners’ The Jersey National Park and Natural Jersey.

While the aims of the former are to further promote public recognition of the park’s natural, cultural, recreational and commercial attributes, the worthy intentions of Natural Jersey are to encourage nature conservation initiatives in all twelve Island parishes.

Achieving all of these visionary aims will ultimately become reliant on the environmental goodwill and intent of parish communities, schools and conservation minded groups and individuals.

It’s a challenge that, in reality, shows that the Island really does hold true to a determined connection with the wild side of nature.

With no apparent signs yet of any local ‘nature deficiency syndrome’, events such as Wild About Jersey are essential in ensuring that it stays that way.

The question is, can we and should we do better?

Once we collectively realise and accept the natural values and countless benefits that surround us, there’s every reason to believe that we can and, even more importantly, that we should!

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DOGS, WORKING FOR YOUNG AND OLD KIERANNE GRIMSHAW met with dog owner Ro Cox, who explained how, under the umbrella of the ‘Pets As Therapy’ charity, the ‘Read2Dogs’ Scheme started in the Island

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IT was just another day job for Maverick, the incredible PAT dog – who is also a show dog in his spare time.

This amazing multi-tasking Springer Spaniel, as well as a few other canine colleagues, helps youngsters with their confidence and also brings smiles to the faces of many older residents of local Care Homes.

Ro Cox, Maverick’s owner, explained: ‘Pets As Therapy is a national charity founded over 30 years ago. We have a very active local volunteer group who do some wonderful work in local care homes. I’ve been involved with them since the early 1990s when I came to the Island.

‘I was originally a teacher and finished my career at St Georges’ School, so I know teachers there. When reading to a dog, it can provide comfort, encourage positive social behaviour, enhance self-esteem and can motivate speech as well as being great fun. As a retired teacher, I could immediately see the benefit of the scheme.

‘Children relax more and you can see them start to develop in confidence and foster a greater interest and enjoyment when reading. For those children without pets at home, the dog immediately becomes their adopted pet and for those a little wary of our furry friends, time spent with a calm and friendly dog helps to assuage those fears.’

Is there an ideal breed for this work?

Ro said that when visiting care homes, any dog can be a PAT dog, but must pass a temperament test before they can be accepted. Sometimes the bigger dogs are more suitable to visit homes as they are about arm level to the residents, but smaller breeds are perfect to go on their laps – some people enjoy having something to comfort and cuddle.

She continued ‘It’s similar for Read2Dogs. Breeds can vary; it’s the training and dog’s temperament that’s important.’

When did you start bringing Maverick to St. George’s School?

‘When I stopped teaching there,’ Ro explained, ‘I took my young Irish Setters first. Then along came Maverick into our household – it was a bit longer for him to be “calm” enough to be assessed. He’s now in his element. He relishes the attention and really enjoys his weekly visits into school.

He’s obviously very popular, as when I meet the parents they all know who he is, because the children go home and chat about him.

‘I’ve been here at the school for the last four years and now we’re trying to roll out the programme across the island and we’re looking for more volunteers to go into both care homes and schools. Local homes are crying out for PAT Dogs, often due to dogs retiring or a change in circumstances.’

SITTING in a light and airy room at the school, a previously shy young pupil from Form 2 read confidently with Maverick at her side. As his tail tickled her arm, she giggled and carried on reading out loud. This is a far cry from the old days when it was quite nerve racking reading solo to a whole class – this was a joy to see.

During a short break for Maverick, a young boy walked past and was greeted by Maverick’s wet nose. Unperturbed, the boy said: ‘Oh, I’m pretty much used to dogs. I see them almost wherever I go and my neighbour has a dog.’

This seemed to prove that children just need to get used to our furry friends from a young age to help them understand how to react around any dogs later in life.

How do the dogs get assessed for the Read2Dogs Scheme?

‘When I’m assessing a dog, I tend to be down on the floor, as I want them to be down next to you, rather than just sitting up’ answered Ro. ‘The process should be informal and relaxed as you get more interaction with the dog, sitting low on the same level.’

She continued: ‘There are two assessors in the Island, myself and Valery Johnson, who coordinates everything.

When people want to do Read2Dogs, I do a session where they’re watching me. Then when they start, I always go in and support them at the school when they’re just starting.’

So if you (or your canine friend) thinks you have what it takes to become a volunteer, or for your pooch to be a pat dog, then please get in touch. It could change your life, and it will definitely change the lives of others.

Contacts: Valery Johnson 07797 728 557 Email: johnsondouglas588@gmail.com Ro Cox 07797 739 795 Email: roe.cox1@gmail.com Website: www.petsastherapy.org.uk

RURAL Summer 2018 - 59

RURAL PROPERTY SUMMER 2018:Layout 1 23/05/2018 15:10 Page 1

RURAL PROPERTY TOMMY A'COURT of Maillard’s Estates reports on his own rural Jersey property world Interesting Land Being Offered For Sale Having completed the sale of various fields available in 2017 by Christmas, it was a quiet start at the beginning of the year for Maillard's Estates in the agricultural land market.

However, when the growers are at their busiest harvesting the early potato crop, the market has burst into life with a number of unusual instructions coming to fruition.

Some of the more high profile parcels of land available that are attracting attention, especially from nearby properties, are the following which are being offered for sale by tender:-

ST CATHERINE Picturesque landmark location in St Catherine's Bay consisting of three fields measuring 11.22 vergées in total presently used for the growing of early potatoes. Commonly known as 'The Pine' Walk', the sale includes the acquisition of the established trees bordering La Route de la Côte.

In the 1960s and 1970s the large crater type hole was being infilled and was a well-known final destination for a wide variety of Island artefacts.

I can remember, when working at Glencoe Auction Premises, the lorries would be heading up the main road to Mont Mado loaded with miscellaneous effects. Occasionally, one would pull in and a burly lorry driver would try and off load whatever he could into the auction sale hoping to raise some beer money.

MONT MADO, ST JOHN Approximately 23 vergées of grazing land and five vergées of woodland most of which was originally a quarry and subsequently infilled and covered with top soil. Lush grass is presently growing on the undulating land and now used for cattle grazing.

Today, this is a pleasant rural area, a far cry from the noise, dust, smoke and constant commercial traffic that the neighbours endured in past years.

The land is being offered for sale by the States of Jersey.

Tender deadline being noon on Thursday, 7th June 2018

It is generally known that the granite from the quarry was the best available in the Island during the 19th Century. Many owners of farmhouses were proud to state that their buildings were built from stone quarried at Mont Mado.

SAND DUNES IN ST OUEN'S BAY An extremely rare opportunity to acquire privately owned land bordering the sea wall situated between Le Braye Café and the El Tico.

Lot 1 measures:

16 Vergées 2 Foot

Lot 2 measures:

11 Vergées 22 Perch 12 Foot and includes a German bunker used for storage

For sale by tender - Deadline is Thursday, 21st June 2018

60 -

RURAL Summer 2018

PAGE 61:Layout 1 23/05/2018 15:14 Page 1

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BIRDS SUMMER:Layout 1 23/05/2018 15:24 Page 1

BIRDS OF A PECULIAR FEATHER It’s not all fun for birds of a genetic disposition, says MIKE STENTIFORD FROM time to time, well actually more times than we might imagine, sharp-eyed Islanders come across certain individual birds sporting unusually coloured plumage.

More often than not such observations relate to black-plumaged species such as the crow, starling, or - the king of the songsters the blackbird.

Such abnormalities tend to involve white wing-bars, scattered pale smudges or, on occasion, a pristine white head.

Birds that show these irregularities are known as leucistic, which, in biological terms, means that the affected plumage has a deficit of melanin pigment.

This causes a genetic mutation that confusingly shuffles the colours normally found in the bird’s feathers.

In some instances, such abnormalities leave a leucistic bird completely white, a situation that easily, but wrongly, often assumes that the bird is an albino.

To qualify as a member of this particularly august fraternity, pink eyes are an officially recognised requisite.

Leucistic blackbird by Dennis Simpkin

Unfortunately, it would be contrary to belief to imagine that being either leucistic or albino is a hard-fast guarantee for a long and fruitful life.

On the contrary: the reduction of pigment in leucistic birds tends to cause acute wear, tear and weakness in the feathers, a disability that makes flight difficult and hazardous.

Also, white can never be considered the most inconspicuous of countryside colours.

To any would-be predator, the flaunting of a snow-white ‘banner’ clearly indicates a fairly easy-to-catch mealtime takeaway.

If that isn’t enough, life for a leucistic bird is often short and solitary because, rather bizarrely, finding a compatible mate often proves fruitless.

Should successful breeding actually occur, then the chances are that any leucistic irregularities are then passed on to the following generation; a situation that is neither fair nor helpful.

While some birds need to deal with their leucistic disorders as best they can, others have a somewhat similar issue but with a far darker shade of ‘disorder’.

This abnormality is known as melanism and can affect a wide range of familiar species including blue tits, robins and finches.

It’s a genetic mutation caused by too much melanin that replaces much of a bird’s lighter plumage with patches of brown or black.

This generally ensures that a bird’s usual bright and colourful bib, hood, wing bar or eye stripe is completely ‘overrun’ by a much darker covering.

In a recent project undertaken by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) - and aptly named the Abnormal Plumage Survey - some 58 species of birds were recorded experiencing such peculiar dis-colouring.

By no means accepted as a common occurrence, Jersey nevertheless has its own fair share of local genetic oddities.

Local reports of leucistic house sparrows and blackbirds as well as melanistic wood pigeons and blue tits have obviously led to a great deal of confusion from those witnessing such peculiarities.

However, whether on the lighter side of dark or a browner side of pale, neither of these colour mix-ups are the sole copyright of birds.

Whether it’s leucism, albinism or melanism, all three irregularities have been recorded throughout the entire animal kingdom.

Hence the occasional surprising discoveries of animals such as pure white wolves and beavers and jet black lions and zebras.

What it all proves is that nature has few qualms when it comes to colour- coordinates.

Melanistic blue tit David Robinson 62 -

RURAL Summer 2018

TRIATHLON:Layout 1 23/05/2018 15:25 Page 1

RURAL SPORTS

TRY TRIATHLON CHLOЁ BOWLER on making the most of fresh air for health and fitness. Don’t be just a gym bunny – SUMMER in Jersey is in full swing. It is wonderful to see the beaches full of people, and I always find it amazing how many different sports people can take part in here, from paddle boarding and kite surfing, to golf and cycling, there is so much to do outside in the fresh air.

I have always felt that exercising outside is so good both mentally and physically. The natural terrain is more demanding than a gym floor or cycling machine and the fresh air seems to really benefit our mental health as well.

There are numerous clubs in Jersey you can visit to find out more about hundreds of activities. There is a long list of clubs on the jersey.com website, where you will find contacts for surfing, kayaking, archery, pétanque and many more.

One of the highlights for the summer is the endurance event made up of swimming, cycling and running, the Accuro Jersey Triathlon, which this year is being held on Sunday 1 July.

Jersey hosted the 2015 Island Games Triathlon, and the same course is now used in the annual Jersey Triathlon. It is the most stunning course, with the swim taking place in front of Elizabeth Castle, and the biking taking participants right out to the length of the West Coast and back.

If you are a seasoned triathlete, it is likely to have been in your diary for some time. Many athletes are local, but the event also attracts competitors from much further afield.

Although the thought of a triathlon can seem daunting, the great news is that there are different race distances available, so there is something for everyone.

If you are not tempted to take part, it is also a great event as a spectator, whether you stick to Elizabeth Castle to watch the swim, or station yourself out in St Ouen to watch the cyclists stream by, you can’t help but feel the excitement of the competition. The whole day has a fantastic atmosphere, and does a great job of promoting outdoor sport in Jersey, and how lucky we are to have such a beautiful ‘gym’!

To find out more visit www.jersey-triathlon.com or if you’d like to learn more about triathlons in general, or to have a go, then get in touch with the Jersey Triathlon Club http://jerseytriclub.com *Chloë is a Personal Trainer, and owner of HEALTHCHEF.JE delivering weekly healthy meal packages

RURAL Summer 2018 - 63

HEMP:Layout 1 25/05/2018 14:44 Page 1

A PLANT FOR ALL REASONS Hemp – a plant that is incredibly versatile and has a myriad different uses (all of them perfectly legal) - is an imaginative and exciting diversification for Island farming. GILL MACCABE spoke to the three founders of ‘Jersey Hemp’: Blair Jones, Kevin Mars and Dave Ryan

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RURAL Summer 2018

David Ryan (L) and Kevin Mars of Jersey Hemp

HEMP:Layout 1 25/05/2018 14:44 Page 2

THREE former fire fighters who quit their day jobs to fight for a plant that many people thought was illegal have been rewarded with the first licence to grow hemp commercially in Jersey.

By mid-August more than 240 vergées of the plant - which can grow over six feet tall - will be grown around the island, the first time since the late 19th Century when the plant was used to produce rope and sails for ships.

Its uses are many and diverse and if Jersey Hemp is successful, this nutrient rich eco-friendly product - which contributes to the health of the soil - could offer an alternative and more efficient source of energy, provide health and nutritional benefits and even be used in construction.

At this point, one thing must be made clear: hemp is not marijuana.

While it originates from the same plant, cannabis sativa, hemp does not have significant levels of THC - the ingredient that gives you a high.

But why are the three men - Blair Jones, Kevin Mars and Dave Ryan – now interested in vintage combine harvesters and risking everything to take on the lease of the Warwick Farm site?

Instead of taking their families on holiday, why have they swapped their fire hazard uniforms and hero image to be, well, essentially pioneering farmers?

Dave and Kevin first met when they served as young Royal Marines with 45 Commando, based in Arbroath and carried out many overseas operations together. They later became States of Jersey fire fighters and met Blair. Naturally, part of their intensive training involves having an interest in how things are built, the fire resistance of materials, toxic vapours and temperature regulation.

As Blair explained: ‘The three tenets of our training were to protect people, protect property and protect the environment - and we learn that hemp does all of this.’

The question of why hemp wasn’t grown locally captured their imagination and they started researching, becoming hemp amateur-experts and driving their familes mad in the process.

They uncovered more uses and benefits of this ancient plant, which behaves just like a weed.

It requires little irrigation and grows vigorously, while its deep roots use ground water and can draw nitrates from the ground as well as stabilising and enriching the soil.

Hemp is also wholly suited to our climate and grows 6cm a day from seed, taking only 100 days from seed to harvest.

Trials have been carried out over the last year and on 16 May this year the licence to cultivate and possess cannabis sativa low THC Hemp was issued.

It means planting is now firmly underway at various locations across the island: four farmers and two landowners have allowed their fields to be used in rotation with their normal crops, in addition to the land also available at Warwick Farm.

The trio have invested in machinery capable of extracting oil from seeds and they are already selling Jersey Hemp culinary oil at £3 a bottle.

Meanwhile, a bottle of CBD oil - the first of its kind to be made in the Channel Islands – costs £60. It provides a high quality nutritional supplement from cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid extracted from the leaves and flowers of the hemp plant.

‘Basically, this year is key,’ said Dave. ’We will not be sitting down at all. The trials are over and it is real now. We are planting one tonne of Hemp seeds and at the end of the growing season will extract the seeds and package the raw Hemp fibre into bales.’

The men - plus local boy Dr Chris Callaghan, whose specialism is seed genetics and breeding - are particularly interested in the plant’s bio-fuel qualities, which could reduce our reliance on the French grid.

When mixed with lime, the inner, woody core of the plant can also be made into hempcrete - as used in construction and insulation.

Meanwhile, Hemp has already been used in car manufacturing.

And at the other end of the scale, the men have also been experimenting with ground, milled, seed protein power, which contains more protein per 100g than chicken and can also be used for animal feed. Jersey Zoo is currently looking into it as a fibre- boosting replacement for primate fodder.

‘This is just the beginning, we are in this for the long haul, said Kevin. ‘We have had so much support from the States of Jersey. ‘We are forging a path to a more environmentally and sustainable future for the Island - and of course taking delivery of our vintage 1959 Bamford Clayson combine harvester was pretty exciting.’ *Rural magazine will be following the first year of Jersey Hemp Limited over the next four issues.

END PIECE:Layout 1 23/05/2018 15:26 Page 1

A FUTURE FOR AGRICULTURE DAVID WARR has the last word AS I write, the Jersey Royal potato season is once again in full swing. The crop has been delayed this year due in part to the adverse weather conditions provided by ‘the beast from the east’.

Traditionally, the Jersey Royal would be on the supermarket shelf in April, well ahead of its competitors. As the first new crop potato it has always been able to achieve a premium in the highly competitive potato market. Both geography and climate have historically been kind to her producers and with a focus on quality the industry has been an economic success.

But what of the future?

The delay this year will inevitably mean that the period over which a premium can be achieved for the Jersey Royal will be shorter than usual. This could be just a one-off, but climate change is occurring globally and making the weather far less predictable than it once was. The challenge for the producers is how to build resilience.

With the development of ever more complex supply chains and improved barrier packaging the modern day consumer is used to having what was once described as ‘seasonal’ all year round. There will no doubt come a time when the ‘new’ potato will be new all year round. So how does a small place like Jersey stay ahead of the game?

The brand clearly plays a significant role. Champagne and Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee are origins that have managed to protect their margins through aggressive use of legal protections. The Jersey Royal is unique in the potato world with an EU protected designation of origin (PDO) status which it has held since June 1996, but it is the quality of taste that will ultimately determine whether it continues to deserve its premier league reputation.

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RURAL Summer 2018

I believe there is a huge opportunity to build this Island’s agricultural reputation and in turn help to diversify her economy. It needs a long term strategy in a world with a short term focus. That means that some of our tax pounds will need to be used to support the projects I have in mind.

It starts with a major investment in Agronomy; that is the scientific study of soil management and crop production, including irrigation and the use of herbicides, pesticides, and fertilisers. The last bit is the part I’d like us to get away from. We need to be sponsoring students to go to University and build knowledge in this area which can then be applied locally. We need to be pulling away from chemically manufactured herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers and manufacturing local, natural equivalents. Pie in the sky for some, but a degree course for others.

Then there’s the equipment we use to manage the land.

Heavy tractors destroy soil structure and the land’s ability to absorb moisture. Why aren’t we thinking about new generation machinery in this area? Another degree course and of course turning Jersey into a test bed of innovation.

We should be craving knowledge in every aspect of agriculture.

We should have the best soils, the best natural fertilisers and finally the best crops known to mankind. We should then be sharing that knowledge around the globe building Jersey’s reputation as a world leader in agricultural innovation that is protecting the planet and our long term health.

If we are serious about this we will create worthwhile and well paid jobs and Agriculture can once again become a jewel in the crown of the Jersey economy.

Project1:Layout 1 23/05/2018 13:56 Page 1

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ADVERT:Layout 1 19/01/2018 13:33 Page 1

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