RURAL - Jersey Country Life
www.ruraljersey.co.uk
SPECIAL CARS The Jersey Old Motor Club celebrates its 50th anniversary
The future of the Island’s crop
BUILDING AND BUILDINGS IN THE COUNTRYSIDE Is Jersey’s built heritage safe?
W Th HA e T ’ Fr fu ee tu S
www.ruraljersey.co.uk
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Issue 13 - Jersey’s rural, cultural and community magazine
THE JERSEY ROYAL
Welcome AT the time that this Summer issue of RURAL - Jersey Country Life magazine is published in early June, it will be high summer in Jersey. As always, there are a host of things to do at this time of year, and a selection of these are mentioned in the pages of this magazine. Such as the Summer Show at the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society (18 June), the ‘Manor Grounds and Old Houses’ run of the Jersey Old Motor Club, celebrating the club’s 50th anniversary (3 July); the St Lawrence Horse Show (6, 7 and 8 August) and the Samarès Manor Country Fair on the Bank Holiday Monday (29 August). The very full Jersey summer calendar of events certainly demonstrates the truth of the saying that ‘only boring people are bored’, when there is so much to see and do in the Island. There are three major themes to this issue: the Jersey Old Motor Club’s anniversary – as mentioned above - the built environment, and the Jersey Royal, which in June will have the end of the 2016 season in sight. John Young asks, in his article on the protection of buildings, whether the States can be trusted to protect the historic elements of the built environment – from old houses to roadside walls to the Occupation structures and everything else that helps impart a special character to Jersey. The Jersey Royal also imparts a special and welcome character - to our springtime meals, at least. But 2016 has not been an easy season. With headlines currently full of pollution scares, we try to discern a way forwards for the one crop the Island still exports in any great volume. Hoping you enjoy this issue of the magazine – and please don’t forget RURAL magazine’s own event, on 16 June: Enlightened Agriculture – what it is and how it can be achieved’ – a talk by the UK author and commentator, Colin Tudge, 8pm at the RJAHS. It’s a free event - please just let us know in advance if you are coming.
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 £10 subscription to cover the cost of postage and packing the four quarterly issues. HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT SENDING A SUBSCRIPTION TO RURAL AS A PRESENT TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY OVERSEAS?
Alasdair
Telephone us on 865334. Cheques can be sent to RURAL magazine, La Cohue Maisonette, 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 or 07797 773880
PHOTOGRAPHY Gary Grimshaw info@photoreportage.co.uk 07797 739426
www.ruraljersey.co.uk
SPECIAL CARS The Jersey Old Motor Club celebrates its 50th anniversary
THE JERSEY ROYAL The future of the Island’s crop
BUILDING AND BUILDINGS IN THE COUNTRYSIDE Is Jersey’s built heritage safe?
W H e AT ’S Th
Front cover image: Graham and Jane Le Lay in their MG model PA, 1935. Photography by Gary Grimshaw.
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SALES Siobhan East siobhaneast@hotmail.com 07797 726811
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.
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Contents
7
‘THE ISSUE’
8-9
THE JERSEY SALAMAGUNDI An assortment of ingredients of life in Jersey
SPECIAL THEME: FOCUS ON THE JERSEY ROYAL 22 - 23
FUTURE PROSPECTS Environment Minister STEVE LUCE talked to Ruth Le Cocq about pollution derived from the potato crop
24 - 25
WHY SHOULD FARMERS TAKE ALL THE BLAME? Jersey Farmers Union president GRAHAM LE LAY spoke to Alasdair Crosby about issues facing the early potato industry
10 - 12
STRUCTURE AND COLOUR IN SUMMER BORDERS By Jersey garden designer Hans van Oordt
14 - 15
BRILLIANT, BEAUTIFUL AND BANKABLE Hydrangeas - a beautiful and easy addition to any garden, by Rebecca Ransom
26
ROYAL PROGRESS The 2016 season for the Jersey Royal, by William Church
16
THE HEAT IS ON Tips for successful barbecues, by Edd de Loynes
28 - 29
20 - 21
THE THREE SISTERS Katherine, Sarah and Rebecca Ransom are the second generation to run their family garden centre
TESTING THE WATERS Jersey Water is exploring new ways to keep the Island's water supply in tip-top condition. Its chief executive, HELIER SMITH, talked to Ruth Le Cocq
30
THE FLATCAP COLUMN Testing times for the Jersey Royal – news and views from a working Jersey farmer
32 - 34
A LOCAL FLAVOUR Local produce at Woodlands Farm, Mont-à-l-Abbé
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44
52 62 - 63
ART, INSPIRED BY NATURE By our artist in residence, Anna Le Moine Gray
64
SUPPORTING AND CELEBRATING VISUAL ARTS IN JERSEY ‘Skipton Open Studios’ is back, by Skipton International MD Jim Coupe
66
OPEN GARDENS To benefit St John Ambulance
67
NATURE HAS ALL THE ANSWERS A series on natural health, by Diana Mossop
68 - 69
KEEPING OLD FARMING SKILLS ALIVE The Samarès Country Fair, by Vincent Obbard
70 - 71
NINETY MILE BEACH Sheila Jones, widow of former Hautlieu English teacher Alan Jones, talked to Ruth Le Cocq about her late husband’s anthology of poems
SPECIAL THEME: SPECIAL CARS
72 - 73
FIFTY ON THE CLOCK The Jersey Old Motor Club hits 50. We meet the president, Stephanie Constantine
IN THE KITCHEN Summer recipes by our cooker writer, Zoë Horne
76 - 77
A LITTLE BIT OF FRANCE IN JERSEY Kieranne Grimshaw at the artisan ‘Bruno’s Bakery’
SPECIAL THEME: THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT 38 - 40
IS JERSEY’S BUILT HERITAGE SAFE IN STATES HANDS? ...asks JOHN YOUNG
42
STAYING THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PLANNING LAW By Advocate Samantha Hoare of Carey Olsen
44 - 46
THE HOUSE FROM ELSEWHERE Why Mark Renouf took ‘moving house’ literally
48 - 49
THE EYES OF THE SKIN The human experience of buildings, by Antony Gibb
50
DRIÉTHE LA CÔTCHIÉTHE Jèrriais, with Geraint Jennings
52 - 53
72
54 - 55
HERE IS ONE I MADE EARLIER The motor cars of JOMC vice-president, Graham le Lay
80
IS THERE JERSEY HONEY STILL FOR TEA? Jersey beekeepers gain their diplomas, thanks to the Howard Davis Farm Trust, by Mike Stentiford
56 - 57
FOLLOWING GENEVIEVE On the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, with Geoffrey Grime
82
IN TUNE WITH JUNE Songs of an avian summer, by Mike Stentiford
58 - 59
THE GOLDEN AGE OF BRITISH RALLYING Paul Roberts writes about his collection of British rally cars
60 - 61
A PICK-ME-UP OF A PICK UP Steve Picot test drives the Mitsubishi L200
CONTRIBUTORS WILLIAM CHURCH JIM COUPE ANTONY GIBB KIERANNE GRIMSHAW SAMANTHA HOARE ZOË HORNE GERAINT JENNINGS RUTH LE COCQ ANNA LE MOINE GRAY
DIANA MOSSOP VINCENT OBBARD STEVE PICOT REBECCA RANSOM PAUL ROBERTS MIKE STENTIFORD HANS VAN OORDT JOHN YOUNG
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The Issue IT is astonishing how in Jersey so much can always be said - and argued - and written about potatoes. Opinion and comment, justified and otherwise, always remains unabated. And now, in this present season, there are again issues to discuss. In recent times, there has been precious little else other than the Jersey Royal that growers can export, since no other local crop can compete in the market-place with a mainland-produced crop. However, the Royal still has a faithful following among UK consumers - despite the fact that potatoes in general are losing out market share to other quicker-to-prepare commodities. It is not surprising that Jersey growers have always done everything possible to protect and promote the growth of the crop with pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. More so, of course, some decades back, when the levels of noxious chemicals poured into the soil would have made a modern environmentally conscious public safety inspector blanch with fright. Things are very different these days: traceability, respect for the environment and biodiversity are watchwords of our time and the modern crop is grown in an impeccably safe way. But there are still problems: first, the fact that despite land swapping with dairy farmers, the same land is often used for the same one profitable crop too frequently, which builds up infestation by pests and blight. The 45 square miles of the Island are far too small an area for any meaningful rotation of crops without decreasing considerably the total volume cultivated and sold. And it seems that the environmental sins of the fathers have been visited on their sons – pesticide residues have been found in the water supply, although not in a volume large enough to cause any real health concern.
Earlier this year Jersey Water discovered high levels of oxadixyl, a potato blight treatment last used in 2003, in Val de la Mare Reservoir and thus forced its closure. Although this chemical poses no health risk to water consumers, its discovery, along with some others, prompted Environment Minister Steve Luce to call for tighter regulations to be introduced on the use of chemical and natural fertilisers in an effort to improve water quality. Importantly, he also urged local gardeners to use weed-killer sparingly after high levels were found in a St Peter’s Valley reservoir, which also had to be shut down. So the public need not just blame the farmers for pollution – all gardeners who use weed-killer preparations in their gardens are equally culpable. In an ideal world, Deputy Luce wants farmers to grow alternative crops, which are deemed to be potentially as profitable as the Jersey Royal, as he seeks to protect the Island’s reputation as a world-class food producer. Although last winter’s excessive rainfall may have exacerbated the problem, it is interesting to note that water test results have revealed that oxadixyl is mainly concentrated in the north-west of the Island, above Val de la Mare, in an area with porous sandy soil where Jersey Royals are intensively grown. While it is laudable that farmers have cut back significantly on the chemicals they are applying, one can’t help but wonder whether the demands on the Island’s two marketing groups – to produce small, perfectly-shaped and blemish-free Jersey Royals for discerning consumers – have forced them to turn a blind eye to the long term effects that intensive farming is having on one of Jersey’s most valuable resources – its fertile soil. Fifteen years ago there were about 200 producers growing Jersey Royals each
with an intimate knowledge of the nature of the individual fields that they were ploughing and sowing. Today, there are just 20 producers eking out a living in an industry where they are still receiving more or less the same amount of money per vergée that they were getting around 15 to 20 years ago. A return to a crop rotation system, in which they give up a quarter of their land each year, could prove to be financially disastrous. So what is the answer? Some believe it is time to reduce the amount of land growing Jersey Royals by 30 per cent from 17,000 to 14,000 vergées, especially as a significant number of potatoes have had to be ploughed back into the land in recent years because more are grown than can be sold. Others believe it is time to focus on developing another niche product synonymous with the Island of Jersey – for example some sort of cold-pressed oil – which would be able to provide the Island’s farmers with a viable income alongside our flagship potato. The answer probably lies somewhere between the two. However, one thing is for sure, the existing Jersey Royal model is destined to fall apart if intensive farming practices continue to be employed, especially in view of changes in eating habits of consumers away from potatoes. Perhaps now is the time to embrace change and focus on supporting those innovative Islanders who have gone back to the future by replanting some of the Island’s commercial apple orchards. So there are plenty of issues here to help the on-going conversation along – one being: could it be that the future’s here, and the future is sustainable?
RURAL
THE JERSEY SALMAGUNDI
HAPPY 150TH BIRTHDAY THIS year’s Summer Country Fair of the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society (18 and 19 June) will be extra special. At the fair will be will be 100 visitors from around the world, who are delegates on the World Jersey Cattle Bureau Tour. They will be visiting the Island for several days, seeing many of the Island’s herds and joining in celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Jersey Herd Book. These celebrations culminate in a celebration dinner and
auction at the Royal Jersey Showground on Tuesday 21 June. RURAL magazine’s columnist, Philippa Evans-Bevan, said: ‘2016 is an important year, since it marks 150 years since the Jersey Herd book was founded in 1866 by Colonel Charles P Le Cornu. A Jersey breeder, well respected judge and author, Colonel Le Cornu foresaw the necessity for assessment and registration of the Jersey Cow so that the offspring of the best cows would be the foundation of future generations. ‘The fair will be a fitting tribute and celebration of the charming and versatile Jersey cow in her Island home, and to the many farsighted people who have identified, developed and promoted her unique qualities to improve the lives of people, past, present and future on a global scale.’
Ansom Herd
For more about Jersey cows and the 150th Herdbook anniversary, see our next ‘Autumn’ issue, due to be published in September, when the
Jersey cow, the Herdbook and the state of the industry in Jersey will be a special feature. The Summer Fair will include all the normal attractions: cattle show, sheepdog display, flower show, rose show, dog show, bird show… as well as attractions for the children, such as bouncy castle, fairground rides, ‘meet the animals at Animal Farm’ and lots more! *For more information contact RJA&HS on 866555 or visit www.royaljersey.co.uk. Entry is £5 for adults, £3 for senior citizens, RJA&HS members and children are free.
JERSEY NATIONAL PARK OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED The official launch of the Jersey National Park took place in May, at which its patron, Lieut-Governor General Sir John McColl, described it as ‘an historic moment for the Island’. He added that ‘the jewel in the crown of the wonderfully beautiful Island that we live in is, without a doubt, our coastline’. On 3 May many businesses and attractions in the Park, including Genuine Jersey, contributed to the launch event at Jersey Pearl for 150 invited guests. A number of public events were also held in the week leading up to the launch event. The Jersey National Park provides residents and visitors with a unique opportunity to enjoy, preserve and take pride in a coastal environment steeped in history, rich in agricultural and natural diversity and bustling with activities that appeal to every interest and age group. Miles of unspoiled beaches and headlands, a number of excellent restaurants and eating places plus a wide choice of recreational activities constantly ensure boundless opportunities and untold benefits, all reached within minutes of each other. The initial aims and official objectives of the Park are to protect - ‘robustly’ - conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage within the designated 1,900 hectares of national park coastline.
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Further crucial objectives are to encourage public appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of the countless qualities existing within the Jersey National Park. It is also clearly understood that the designated ‘parkland’ embraces a living, working landscape and that the essential need to cultivate economic and social benefits within its boundaries are of paramount importance. Steve Luce, Minister for the Environment said: ‘There is strong evidence that, once established, a National Park can function as an important economic hub promoting tourism, leisure and recreation. Jersey’s National Park is the first in the Channel Islands.’ *More details from: www.jerseynationalpark.com
ENVIRONMENTAL WORK INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED Jersey is home to the only agile frog population in the British Isles. It is locally endangered and protected under the Conservation of Wildlife (Jersey) Law 2000. Its decline began in the last century, and by 1988, the only place it could still be found was Ouaisné Common. JERSEY’s work to save the agile frog (Rana dalmatina) has been recognised internationally.
The cause of the frog’s decline is thought to be loss of habitat, pollution of groundwater, water shortages and the loss of breeding ponds.
The world’s oldest and largest global environmental organisation, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has featured a study of Jersey’s efforts to conserve our population of agile frog in one of its recent publications, which includes case studies from around the world.
The article, written by staff at the Natural Environment team at the Department of the Environment, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the University of Kent, outlines their combined efforts over many years, to find ways of increasing the population. The methods used are recognised as
best practice and the inclusion of the project by the IUCN allows future species recovery projects elsewhere in the world to learn from Jersey. The project involved the development of an effective conservation management programme to protect the frog’s natural habitat, and the establishment of a tadpole head-starting and release programme. Each stage was informed by targeted monitoring and research. The project has led to an increase in the Ouaisné population and the successful introduction of the species in new areas of Jersey, increasing its chance of survival here in the future. The current number of breeding females is more than 100 and this has increased from fewer than 10 in the early 1990s.
ST LAWRENCE CHARITY HORSE SHOW - 60TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW Many local riders say this Show is their ‘favourite’ event of the year! Photo courtesy of Collette Bisson
opportunity to meet the Lieut-Governor, General Sir John McColl, and Lady McColl, with displays of memorabilia and collages of photographs from throughout the Show’s long history. This year’s Three-day Show will be held on Friday 6, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 August at Tamarind Showground, St Peter, by kind permission of Mr and Mrs Andrew Tait. This is one of the most popular events of the year - for both riders and spectators - in Jersey’s equestrian calendar, which also draws showing and jumping competitors from Guernsey and the mainland.
DURING the past six decades St Lawrence Charity Horse Show has been raising funds for local Jersey charities – it is estimated that in excess of £300,000 has been raised and distributed. Generous sponsorship from local businesses and individuals - including the Show’s 2016 Principal Sponsor, Costcutter – raised over £10,000 for distribution between 20 Jersey charities as a result of the Show’s two events during 2015 alone. This year is the Show’s 60th anniversary and the small band of hard-working and loyal stalwarts who undertake the year-long planning, preparations and organisation for the Spring Heights Jumping in June, and the main three-day Event in August, aim to top anything which has gone before. A major highlight will be the attendance of participants from previous Shows during the past six decades who will have the
The Three-day August Show also offers opportunities for charities to ‘man’ stands from which to promote their services and to raise funds for their activities. Entertainment will be provided by Les Haricots Verts and other singers and musicians during the Saturday and Sunday lunch breaks. Hot and cold food, a range of drinks and other refreshments as well as ice creams will be available on site. Spectators will be very welcome; there is no charge for entry to the showground, but visitors will be encouraged to help raise funds for local charities. *For more information about St Lawrence Charity Horse Show Events please contact Jennifer Lawson on 07797 714 716 or jennythomas100@gmail.com or visit the Show’s website: www.slchs.co.uk where more information about the Show and its history, a list of Jersey charities supported, major sponsors, and this year’s Schedule and Entry Form will be found.
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Rose 'Rhapsody in Blue', Artemisia, Nepeta, Lavender and Thymes
Dwarf Pinus mugo and Lavender 'Little Lady'.
STRUCTURE AND COLOUR IN SUMMER BORDERS Garden designer HANS VAN OORDT on getting the most from your summer borders
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AT this time of year, nursery stock starts to arrive in enormous quantities at garden centres. Shrubs, roses, perennials, climbers and all manner of floriferous treats are temptingly presented. It is often a struggle to contain one’s appetite, starved of these delights as we have been over the long winter.
Lavender, Verbascum olympicum, Centranthus and annual Verbena 'Homestead Purple'.
The temptation is to fill the trolley with a bit of this and a bit of that. All too often the result is unsatisfying. You stand back and wonder why your composition bears no resemblance to the harmonious and billowing borders you see at the Chelsea Flower Show. So, here are a few of my tips to creating a satisfying composition in the border. EVERGREEN STRUCTURE Whether you are gardening in borders that enjoy full sun or in shadier conditions, establishing some evergreen structure is always a good starting point. Evergreen trees are invaluable for adding height and presence to a garden. They are the ‘bones’ of the garden. Evergreens provide a frame for the seasonal offerings of the intermingled shrubs and perennials. In sunny gardens, I like to use evergreen Prunus trees and Evergreen Oaks pruned as clear-stemmed standard trees. In shadier borders, hollies are a great choice for instant height and volume. In the mid-story area, I used to use clipped topiary balls of box, Buxus sempervirens. The ravages of incurable box blight are now so prevalent that I tend to avoid it now, but Yew and clipped Ilex crenata topiary make very good substitutes. Smaller evergreens can also be used to provide very useful groundcover. In hot, sunny borders I often use dwarf pines, like Pinus mugo and some of the smaller Euphorbias like ‘Humpty Dumpty’. The dwarf Japanese Hebe rakaensis is also invaluable as a provider of massed evergreen groundcover for larger areas. The point of evergreens is that they provide year-round structure. Come winter, when most flowering shrubs and perennials retreat, the evergreens come into their own providing interest and structure. SELECT STAR PERFORMERS Having established an evergreen framework, it is useful to select the taller stars of the border. These need to make a statement and flower prodigiously. Summer favourites would include roses like ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ with bright pink flowers and strong scent, or ‘Rhapsody in Blue’, not really blue, but lovely anyway and scented. Both of these are repeat flowering and can be relied on to provide a long season of interest. In a large border, the huge silver leaves of the cardoon, Cynara cardunculus, make a strong statement. Another favourite of mine is the Californian tree poppy, Romneya coulteri, with its papery white flowers on tall silvery-stemmed foliage. It has a rather short season but its impact is so high that it counts as a star performer in many of my planting schemes.
A deep red Rose underplanted with Verbena rigid, Geranium magnificum and Lavender. Cynara cardunculus, Heuchera, Ballota, Verbena bonariensis under row evergreen Prunus trees.
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SELECT A GOOD SUPPORTING CAST The next step is to select accompanying plants. These will complement the stars and help keep the floral show going. When making your selections for this supporting cast consider when they will flower and what space they will occupy. Some like Geranium magnificum might flower just before the main stars. Others, like the Sedums will perform later in the season. Check the time of flowering and plant accordingly so you can enjoy a constant and changing display. Some of these accompanying plants might be low-growing, understory plants. These are very useful at the front of a border for tumbling over paths or walls. Plants that I like to use include the vivid blue Geranium ‘Brookside’, white Valerian, Centranthus albus, and the vigorous Nepeta ‘Walkers Low’. Other accompanying plants might be taller subjects like the Foxglove, Digitalis purpureus, or the airy and purple-flowering Verbena bonariensis. The Oscar for Best Supporting Plant must surely go to this last one. It flowers continuously from early Summer until as late as November, providing colour and height as well as nectar for butterflies and bees. Another group of very useful supporting plants are clematis. Favourites of mine would include Clematis ‘Niobe’, and Clematis ‘Perle d’Azure’, as well as ‘Etoile Violette’. I am also always on the look out for Clematis durandii, not strictly a climber, but a low scrambler with indigo-blue flowers and a long flowering season. DO NOT DESPAIR And finally, if your borders still don’t match those in your favourite garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, do not despair. I will let you into a little secret. The Chelsea Flower Show is theatre. The gardens are meticulously planned ‘installations’. To create a Chelsea Show, an army of expert growers and gardeners will grow, plant, tweak, deadhead and manicure for months (and sometimes years) in advance. Then, for less than one week, as the Show Gardens reach peak perfection, photographers will swoop at dawn or dusk, in perfect light, and capture that fleeting moment when each garden looks at its best. We can all aspire, but rest assured, it is not reality.
A silver Leucadendron nestled between a box ball, Erigeron diaisies, Nepeta and Rose 'Rhapsody in Blue'
*All gardens and pictures by Hans van Oordt
A summer border through a purple haze of Verbena bonariensis.
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Rose 'Gertrude Jekyll' and Nepeta under evergreen Prunus tree.
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Taking your pet on holiday is optional! Here we have just arrived in Cannes after only 1 hour 40 minutes direct from Jersey
Hydrangea Endless Summer
BRILLIANT, BEAUTIFUL AND BANKABLE Hydrangeas - popular and prevalent in the Channel Islands, they are a beautiful and easy addition to any garden, says REBECCA RANSOM THE mop head hydrangea is one of the easiest plants to grow in Jersey and one of the most overlooked by our local gardeners. We have become blind to its beauty, searching evermore for a bigger and harder challenge. But if you want an easy, low maintenance shrub that flowers in summer, then look no further. There are about 100 different species of hydrangea originating from Japan, China, the Himalayas, Indonesia and a few from North and South America. They came to Jersey about 150 years ago via the massive French obsession with them. The local nursery growers loved these easy plants and they spread through the Islands with ease. A trip around Brittany and Northern France should show you the extent of the French adoration for this shrub. The French know a good thing when they find it, and they have stuck with this plant since that time – improving it and adding to it all the time. The Americans have also fallen hard for this magnificent plant, creating stunning new varieties and forms. Most species simply have a white flower but some can produce blue, red, pink or purple flowers and the type and density of the colouring often depends on the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. Alkaline soils produce pink flowers, natural soils produce creams to white and, in the more acidic soils, the flowers will turn blue. Here are a few facts about these plants that you may not have come across before. Hydrangeas produce their main flower clusters from the tips of the shoots formed the previous season; If these terminal buds are harmed or clipped out by incorrect pruning the hydrangea will not flower; Hydrangeas will accumulate aluminium which is released by acidic soils; this forms complexes in the hydrangeas flowers giving them the blue colour; White flowers remain white whereas the coloured flowers can change from pink to blue and back;
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Some Hydrangeas have the ability to reform flower buds in the spring, therefore overcoming poor autumn pruning and flower loss – Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Endless Summer’ is a variety that can do this: Most prefer morning to afternoon sun; They don’t like to dry out in their first two years of life and hate dry soils, but they do like light and regular feeds; Hydrangea love to have a mulch layer around the base of the plants to cool the roots, e.g. compost, leaf mould or bark; Pruning is not complex - the trick is to prune only the shoots that have this year’s flowers, leave the other blind shoots alone. The hydrangea we know well in the Channel Islands is Hydrangea macrophylla which appears in two forms, mop-head and lace-cap; these grow to between 2 and 3 metres high and around. The word Macrophylla literally translates as ‘big leaf’ and they do have gorgeous large and strong green leaves. There is a slight sheen to the surface of the leaves which is a protective layer helping them buffer the slightly salty winds our islands tend to experience. They do not enjoy seafront or sandy to poor soils, but give them a richer or more fertile soil and they will repay your choice with a relaxing summer flower party. The secret of their success is that they are toxic to mammals and therefore rabbits don’t eat them. They have been found to have anti-malarial qualities which may at some point in the future become invaluable. They are also very easy to propagate from cuttings, so one plant can rapidly become ten plants in just a season or two. Hydrangeas have been a garden plant for many years. Their success in the past was down to the ease of care and their tolerance to many situations, from sun through to shade and woodland through to coastal. This is a lesson provided not only by history, but by current displays, both here and throughout the world.
Hydrangea macropylla 'Koria'
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Double Dutch’
Hydrangea macrophylla 'King George'
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Schloss Wackerbarth'
Hydrangea macrophylla 'White Steel'
RURAL
THE ‘HEAT IS ON’ Tips for successful barbecues by Edd de Loynes of Ransoms Garden Centre CAST aside any fears you may have of ‘burnt offerings’ by following the Ransoms guide to cooking ‘al fresco’ on the very latest charcoal and gas barbecues from Weber, Landmann and the innovative ‘Cobb’. First, decide if charcoal or gas is your preference – remembering that there really is no difference in the taste of the food cooked on either style of barbecue. Secondly, are you looking for portability? - ‘size does matter’, or will you always be grilling on the garden patio? If your inner caveman prevails and you decide that charcoal is the way to go, here are a few suggestions to tempt you. Portable charcoal barbecues start with the Weber Smokey Joe Premium at £69, choose one of the new vibrant colours crimson, slate, smoke and green. All have the tuck-n-carry lid holder which locks the lid for easy carrying.
The Cobb Premier is the latest addition to Ransoms portable barbecue range. We include carry bag, roast holder and grill plate. With a two-year warranty also included, you have the perfect portable whose only limitation is your imagination! A key feature is that the base stays cool during cooking. The starter barbecue in the ‘stay put’ category is the Weber Compact 47cm (refers to the diameter of the grill) and at £59 it is an economical way to cook for up to 6 diners. Add another 10cm and you have the Compact 57cm which easily cooks for 8 diners. continues overleaf...
The ‘Go Anywhere’ at £79 fits neatly into the boot of your car and has legs which double up as lid locks when transporting.
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STUDIOS S TUDIOS | G GIFT IF T SHOPS | G GALLERIES ALLERIES S | C AFES
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Weber’s ‘Q’ range starts with the 1200 model in five bright colour choices and, at £199 whilst stocks last, is this season’s ‘must have’. Features include two folding side tables, electronic ignition, and built-in thermometer. Optional stand is available for the coloured models and comes as standard with the black version.
One of Weber’s greatest recent innovations is the Gourmet Barbecue System or GBS (an optional unique cooking grate for both charcoal and gas models that allows accessories to sit directly above the hot coals). These include a Dutch Oven for slow-cooked dishes such as chilli con carne and soups, a Pizza Stone for authentic Italian-style pizza, breads and even cakes, a Wok if you fancy an Asian stir-fry or Indian curry, a Griddle for pancakes, omelettes or hearty cooked breakfasts, a Sear Grate for perfectly cooked steaks and chops, a Poultry Roaster and even a Waffle & Sandwich iron.
The stay-at-home Weber Gas BBQ ranges include Spirit, Genesis and Summit and all are perfect for catering to parties of 10 or more diners. The GBS cooking system is available for all models from the Spirit E320 upwards.
The GBS grates, which are sold separately, can be added to your existing 57cm charcoal BBQ so don’t worry if you bought new last year! If you buy only one accessory for your charcoal BBQ, then do make it a chimney starter – getting your coals up to white hot cooking temperature in 15 minutes is so much simpler and less hassle than traditional lighting methods. If speed of cooking is your topmost criteria and you have decided to opt for gas, here are a few examples to whet the appetite. Kicking off the portable options is the Weber Go-anywhere gas which happily cooks for 4 and has the same swivel leg/lid lock as it’s charcoal brother.
Ash is Ransoms original ‘Hairy biker’ he loves the ‘Cobb’ BBQ! Landmann have introduced two smokers for 2016. The Grand Tennessee is a charcoal smoker offering direct and indirect cooking and the Smokey Mountain gas smoker features a suspension device for hanging food. What can be more satisfying than smoking your own mackerel, trout, chicken and many other meats? Ransoms have a great range of smoking chips in stock. Finally, a word about barbecue lids, which were invented by Weber and turn the barbecue into an oven. Always close the lid and leave it closed throughout the cooking process to ensure you serve deliciously juicy meat every time. Owning a barbecue is not just about cooking and eating outdoors; it’s also about getting together with family and friends, having a laugh while sharing great food and creating outstanding moments that you’ll look back on for years to come, or at least until your next barbecue!
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THE THREE SISTERS This year Ransoms Garden Centre celebrates its 50th anniversary. Founded by David and Janet Ransom, the business is now carried on by the second Ransoms generation: Katherine, Sarah and Rebecca. They talked to SAMUEL MASTERS
THERE is a group of rocks just off the beach at Havre des Pas known as The Three Sisters. The area has seen a great deal of industrial and environmental change over the years, but this rock formation has remained a constant feature throughout. It might seem odd to talk about a seascape in a story about a garden centre business, but there is relevance: in a constantly changing business environment, the three sisters who now run Ransoms in St Martin have become the rocks upon which this successful enterprise flourishes. Ransoms opened 50 years ago when David and Janet Ransom, with Janet’s parents, pursued a dream to run a garden centre at a time when there were very few such businesses in Jersey or the wider UK.
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Now Ransoms is in the hands of David and Janet’s three daughters. Katherine is the oldest and, according to the other two, the most articulate employing her considerable management experience to keep the business performing strongly; Sarah is the fearless one, who is a trained patisserie chef and started the tearooms with her mother – also a trained chef; Rebecca, the ‘bookish’ one, is the youngest and like her father trained as a horticulturalist at Kew Gardens. Together they make a rock-steady team. They agree that if they weren’t family, however, they would be unlikely to be working together. ’It wasn’t our intention to come together in business,’ said Katherine, ‘but mum and dad were always hopeful that we would. There was no pressure, but we have naturally fallen into it.’
The three sisters in courtyard at garden centre
The three sisters in the courtyard of Grasford, the property that Ransoms is on – with Cleo the bull terrier
‘We are very lucky,’ Sarah added, ‘because mum and dad did all the hard work, building the business when people said it wouldn’t succeed. It is our job now to grow what they created – which brings with it a raft of pressures and responsibilities not only to our parents, but to our customers and our staff, some of who have been with us for 20 years.’
It is equally important to maintain a healthy separation. As many business owners will understand, switching off is one of the greatest challenges they face. ‘The danger is that your work becomes your life,’ Sarah said.
The way business is conducted has changed significantly. In the early days, before technology was introduced, David and Janet would make their decisions on what stock to buy based on experience and gut feel. ‘Mum and dad used to be able to set a trend”, Rebecca said, ‘because the Internet didn’t exist and there was very little television, so customers had to rely on the advice of the experts to know what they should be buying. Now there is so much access to information that trends are set on Instagram and Pinterest, so getting ahead of the ‘latest thing’ is much more difficult.’ As the way of doing business evolves, the root of success for the business remains constant. ‘Our staff, our customers and our suppliers all have a relationship with the business based on loyalty,’ Katherine said. ‘It is interesting that just because we are sisters, that loyalty between us is not a given; but it does exist and we genuinely support each other and share our challenges.’
So where does the passion for a business that has been a part of their lives for all of their lives come from? Katherine said: ‘When we were growing up this was our business school. If we wanted anything we had to work for it – there was no pocket money. We would help pot up the plants, or set up a stall on the roadside to sell apples. All that is good, it has given us a work ethic that is really healthy and stands us in good stead to this day.’ David and Janet still take a keen interest in the business and are on hand to help the sisters when there are big projects to be managed. Sarah is currently planning an extension to the tearooms that will create more space, new kitchens and a family friendly area. ‘Mum and Dad can provide real clarity when we are planning big projects like this,’ she said. ‘They are able to look at it at arm’s length and apply all those years of business skill and acumen to help us arrive at the right decisions.’ So, even though the business tide may ebb and flood, the three Ransom sisters remain steadfast and constant, each one independent but collectively driving the business forward.
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FUTURE PROSPECTS THE recent discovery of agricultural chemicals in Jersey’s water supply has prompted urgent action to reduce the amount of chemicals being used to grow the potato crop. Environment Minister Steve Luce spoke to RUTH LE COCQ LAND currently used year after year to grow Jersey Royals must be rested as part of a crop rotation system to help to reduce the amount of chemicals used in the farming industry and safeguard the Island’s future water supply, believes Environment Minister Steve Luce. As a result, the Department of the Environment is trying to find niche products – perhaps worthy of EU protection by law like the Jersey Royal - which can be grown alongside potatoes to support farmers and ensure they do not face a fall in annual income.
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‘We know that Jersey farmers and Jersey soil are good enough to grow alternative crops but we can’t sell them and make money because of our labour and export costs,’ said Deputy Luce. As a former farmer himself, he knows only too well that growers are at the mercy of the vagaries of the weather. He said: ‘In a good year they might be able to leave 25 per cent of their land fallow and make a profit, but in a bad year they would need to use all of their land to achieve the same. ‘How do I tell a farmer that they need to leave one third or a quarter of their land fallow when they need to generate an income from their land?’ Not to be deterred, the Department has been exploring what farmers could grow to generate income while perhaps ten per cent of land is being rested from potatoes. ‘We need to find something that is low volume and high value so we can avoid the high transport costs of exporting produce from the Island.’
Pharmaceutical crops, where the oil is extracted before export, seem to be providing an answer and the Department is importing some alternative crop trial plants this year. Borage, evening primrose, camelina, calendula and hemp are among those which might have the potential for being grown in Jersey. Another crop for consideration is daffodil – a drug extracted from daffodil bulbs is used as an anti-cancer drug. ‘We are working with a third party who is contacting pharmaceutical companies to see if we can grow produce which can be of use,’ said Deputy Luce, who explained that cold pressed oils could be extracted at individual farms or as part of a cooperative. In the meantime, the Department and the Island’s farming community are working with Jersey Water to keep the amount of herbicides, pesticides and fungicides to a minimum while awaiting the publication of a new ‘Water Plan’. Deputy Luce is also urging local gardeners to use weed-killer sparingly after high levels were found in a St Peter’s Valley reservoir, which also had to be shut down. ‘In the Water Plan will be the ability to have even more control on all potential pollutants. It will allow the Department to, hopefully, get to grips with the problem areas - because some areas are more problematical than others. We are also looking at using more environmentally friendly chemicals and concentrating on eliminating the use of chemicals that are very soluble and persistent in water,’ he said.
Although last winter’s excessive rainfall may have exacerbated the problem, water test results have revealed that oxadixyl is mainly concentrated in the north-west of the Island, above Val de la Mare, in an area with porous sandy soil where Jersey Royals are intensively grown. Fifteen years ago there were about 200 producers growing Jersey Royals each with an intimate knowledge of the nature of their fields. Today, there are just 20 producers eking out a living in an industry where they are still receiving more or less the same amount of money per vergée that they were getting several years ago. Perhaps now is the time to embrace change and focus on supporting those innovative Islanders who have gone back to the future by replanting some of the Island’s apple orchards in an effort to increase the amount of high quality cider, apple brandy, apple brandy liqueur and apple juices for export. Is the Department keen to see more people working smallholdings? ‘I think we have to look at every option,’ said Deputy Luce, ‘but there can be no doubt about the fact that "rotation" will have to feature more prominently in the future. The one thing that appears to be coming out clearly is the fact that the continuous mono-cropping of Jersey Royals is starting to have adverse consequences. We have relied on chemicals to keep "issues" at bay, but the consequences of continuous chemical use hasn't been fully appreciated.’
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GRAHAM LE LAY:Layout 1 28/05/2016 18:44 Page 1
WHY SHOULD FARMERS TAKE ALL THE BLAME? Recently, Jersey Royal growers have faced criticism in some quarters about pollution caused by their crop. Jersey Farmers Union president GRAHAM LE LAY spoke to Alasdair Crosby about some current issues facing the industry 24 -
RURAL Summer 2016
IT has been a difficult season for the Island’s Jersey Royal growers. Record breaking levels of rainfall in January and February have not helped. But this season it is not just the weather that has made life difficult for them: pollution has been found in Val de la Mare Reservoir and there has been talk of a statutory enforcement of a longer rotation of crops to restore the soil to greater fertility.
potato industry – and vice versa - so the land rotates between potatoes and pasture land. But we could indeed do with having rather more diversity. ‘
Why had the pollution problems arisen? Surely things were supposed to be much better nowadays than in previous times?
‘Then there would need to be some other crop to grow. The problem is that in Jersey land rents are too high. You cannot afford to rent land and have it empty; you have to be growing something. You can’t say: “grow potatoes on the same land only once in three years” – because what are you going to do with it the other two years? If it were not a unique potato, only grown in Jersey, there would be nothing for farmers to export!’
‘Things are better than in the past,’ said Jersey Farmers Union president Graham Le Lay. ‘But problems have arisen now because Jersey Water are using a different assessment of water quality, and are checking for a different “suite” of pesticides, which are more akin to what is being used or has been used in the past in Jersey. The problems that they are finding relate to chemicals that were used by growers decades ago and these problems of a previous generation are being left for us to sort out. It is up to us to ensure that the chemicals we are using now will not cause a similar problem for the next generation.’ The chemical of which traces have been found in routine tests on stream water is Oxadixyl, an active element in blight spray not used in Jersey since 2003. ‘Jersey Water is now finding traces of these pesticides in the water but at such low levels that there is no health risk involved for the public. The water analysis is so thorough that it has been said that if a dog pee-ed in Val de la Mare Reservoir, the pollution would be recorded in the routine analysis! ‘ He added that all the crops that went to market in the UK were tested by the Supermarket customers in the interests of quality assurance, and no Oxadixyl had ever been detected in any crop in the past. The traces in Jersey are not in the soil or the produce, but have been washed down into the watercourse. However, this year there have been record amounts of earth washed down, and it contains nitrates. The main source of this is inorganic fertiliser, although (importantly) other sources include domestic sewage and organic manures applied to land. Graham said: ‘Fifteen years ago nitrates were sky-high in the Island’s water. Great steps have been made to reduce it in the last three years: now potato growers have used between 12% and 15% less fertiliser than what they were using previously, mainly by more scientific and technologically-assisted methods of application.
There have been suggestions that growers should increase their rotation periods for their crops. What if this suggestion were reinforced by statutory demands?
He continued: ‘The Environment Department has gone to the law officers and asked if limiting production was feasible - and they got the answer: “Yes, you can stop people growing, but you will have to subsidise them – equivalent to the amount of income that they would otherwise have made out of that land.” ‘Furthermore, both Bartlett’s and Greenvale (the owners of the Jersey Royal Company) have invested heavily in the Island on the strength of the potato crop. They are not interested in cabbages – or in growing plants for pharmaceutical oils. That is not the game that they are in. And to be quite honest, if the States are going to start saying to Bartlett and Greenvale: “Sorry, we know you have bought into the Island, but you can only grow a third of the potatoes you are growing at the moment,” they are not likely to take that lying down! I think the States would have a pretty big legal battle on their hands.’ Graham added: ‘The farmers are always blamed for pollution, but what about the non-farming public who have unrestricted use of herbicides in the form of garden weed killer? They are available from garden centres without any limitation whatsoever on their use? ‘One such chemical found last month in a water streams is Diuron which is not a product used by farmers, but a domestic product used on tennis courts and footpaths for weed control and was actually withdrawn from use in 2008. ‘Why should farmers take all the blame?’
One of the major perceptions of the Jersey Royal is that it is grown on the same land year after year and the soil is only being kept fertile by continually adding chemicals to it. ‘That in itself is not the main problem,’ he said. ‘The main problem is that because the Jersey Royal is grown so widely over the Island, all the farmers are spraying their fields with the same chemicals – including the dairy industry, which is using a lot of the same chemicals on their pastures and maize crops. ‘There’s been a lot of land swapping between the arable farmers and the dairy industry. The dairy industry needs the
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ROYAL PROGRESS WILLIAM CHURCH, sales and marketing director of the Jersey Royal Company Ltd, delivers a verdict on the 2016 season NO year in farming is ever the same and we are always at the mercy of the gods. Statements such as these have not been as pertinent for some time as they are this year!
A really positive note is the manner that so many chefs and food writers have eulogised about this year’s crop, which has been eating as well as (better than) many can remember.
years. In addition to this, some operatives continue to work with manufacturers to refine methods of application that could in turn help to further reduce rates.
As mentioned in my February piece, the early planting was somewhat hampered by a very wet January, but the teams stuck to their task and duly got everything planted pretty much on time.
On a slightly sour note, agriculture has unfortunately been in the news recently for reasons that understandably raise concern and conversation among Islanders. Reports that low level traces of oxadixyl (a product previously employed to control potato blight, but one that hasn’t been used by farmers for more than 13 years) were found in water, as well as the continued reference to the usage of nitrates loom large in everyone’s minds.
Referring back to the positive way that Jersey Royals do their bit to promote Jersey, Jimmy Doherty of ‘Jimmy’s farm’ fame, who came over to the Island in February to see some of the planting has been doing his bit to promote our potatoes to a wider audience, and even TOWIE’s Lucy Mecklenburgh got in on the act as part of a campaign for one of the retailers. It never ceases to amaze me the extent of coverage we manage to achieve across all mediums involving both traditional and social media, and long may it continue.
March and April were cool and dry, and after all the rain at the start of the year it was incredible to see farmers resorting to irrigation so early in the season in order to keep the crops growing. Demand for Jersey Royals has been as strong as ever – the nation really does like our famous potato – and this has put pressure on farmers to fulfil orders. May is without question the month for Royals with retailers guaranteeing increased shelf space in stores, and a host of different marketing and PR initiatives running to promote sales of the Island’s biggest export crop. Yields have been lower and ground clearance has been high in a complete contrast to the last two years, and farmers have been working hard, ‘chasing the crop’ throughout.
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As an industry we take matters such as these very seriously, and a working party involving members of the Jersey Farmers’ Union, the States Environment department and Jersey Water has been set up to continue to monitor all areas. The use of nitrates is important to achieve crop growth and yield, but with better monitoring systems and improved knowledge about the amount that should be applied at different stages of crop development, the rates of application have significantly reduced in recent
Recent rain and sunshine at the end of May has been very welcome, and the later plantings are growing well, and keeping the offer fresh. Seed crops are also growing well and these will be lifted in July as usual. It is a constant roller coaster of activity! À bétôt!
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JERSEY WATER:Layout 1 28/05/2016 18:58 Page 1
TESTING THE WATER
Jersey Water is exploring new ways to keep the Island's water supply in tip-top condition. Chief executive, HELIER SMITH talked to Ruth Le Cocq
28 -
RURAL Summer 2016
JERSEY WATER is planning to install a £1.5 million pipe to divert a stream vulnerable to pollution from farming pesticides and fertilisers away from Val de la Mare Reservoir, thus reducing the risk of its temporary closure in the future. It is also looking at how best to encourage Islanders to think more carefully about what chemicals they are using in their homes and gardens, and how best to dispose of them in an effort to protect the quality of Jersey’s water supply. Earlier this year Jersey Water discovered high levels of oxadixyl, a potato blight treatment last used in 2003, in Val de la Mare Reservoir, forcing its closure. Although this chemical poses no health risk to water consumers, its discovery, along with pesticides currently in use, prompted Environment Minister Steve Luce to promise tighter regulations on the use of agricultural chemicals. This stance has been welcomed by Helier Smith, Jersey Water’s Chief Executive, who has also been heartened by the agricultural industry’s response to the situation. He is looking forward to the forthcoming States of Jersey Water Strategy, which will set out new ways of safeguarding the quality of the Island’s water supply.
The company is now mapping the overall pattern of chemical pollution and how it varies throughout the year. Helier warned the concentration of oxadixyl in untreated water may increase temporarily during the drier months because less rainfall, combined with evaporation, means less water flowing into the Island’s reservoirs for dilution. This may prompt Jersey Water to apply for a dispensation from the Water (Jersey) Law 1972 – something the company has done several times in the past when nitrate levels in the water supply have exceeded the recognised regulatory limit. ‘One stream, the west stream flowing into Val de la Mare, never goes below the regulatory level for nitrates and sometimes test results show it is double that amount,’ he said. ‘There is no bypass system on that stream so we are going to put in a pipe which will rest on the bottom of Val de la Mare Reservoir and divert the stream water out to the sea. We are planning to do the same at Queen’s Valley Reservoir in 2017/18,’ he added. He explained that water is taken from all over the Island and then blended to ensure it is of the best quality for consumers.
‘For the first time farmers are giving us information before they use chemicals on the land and they are letting us know what chemicals they are trialing,’ he said.
The company is exploring how best to treat oxadixyl so that it can be removed from the water supply during the treatment process.
This means Jersey Water can anticipate more accurately when to expect problems from the risk of pesticides in the Island’s streams and introduce contingency plans.
‘We are currently using powdered activated carbon, which adsorbs some of it but that may not be the best technical solution and is quite expensive. So we are looking at all of the options available to identify the best, most cost effective outcome for Jersey.’
‘Every year we deal with the so-called ‘nitrate season’ by getting the reservoirs full before the potato growing season starts and then we divert the streams away from the reservoirs,’ Helier said. ‘Planting starts in the west of the Island on the côtils above St Ouen before moving to the East on the coast and then going inland, so the first reservoir to be affected is Val de la Mare and then Queen’s Valley.’ It was in January this year – when Jersey Water swapped to a new UK laboratory – that the presence of oxadixyl was discovered in routine test samples, albeit in amounts only marginally higher than the Island’s drinking water limit.
In the meantime, Jersey Water is planning a public information campaign to encourage Islanders, the farming community and other stakeholders to not just conserve water but to recognise the importance of the quality of the Island’s water supply. He believes some positives have come from recent events: ‘This has been a good catalyst for change in the way we protect the Island’s water resources and I think it is important we don’t lose this opportunity to work in collaboration with all the stakeholders involved.’
‘It was a wake-up call,’ Helier said. ‘We have been aware of the unacceptably high levels of nitrates - something the Island has not made much progress with over the last 20 years – but this was surprising and concerning.’ The discovery prompted routine testing of water sources to be increased six-fold as Jersey Water took advice from its specialist adviser, which also advises the World Health Organisation and EU.
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FLATCAP
TESTING TIMES FOR THE JERSEY ROYAL News and views from a working Jersey farmer EVERY time one of our Jersey Royal growers puts a seed potato into the ground he knows he is taking a huge gamble. Not only must he face all the challenges that growing a healthy crop presents, but he must do this in a way that complies with the demands of an ever more exacting regulatory framework and against the backdrop of a fierce trading environment where the old certainties no longer apply. Optimism is most certainly a desirable character trait for today’s potato grower, if not nerves of steel. In today’s world, simply producing a fine crop is not good enough. Where previously a grower saw his main challenge as overcoming the elements, the modern marketplace is far more complex and, even with the best care and the finest crops, a profitable outcome is far from assured. Nowadays the majority of potatoes are sold through the large UK supermarkets while the wholesale section of the market has shrunk dramatically. The increased dominance of the multiples means that they now hold the upper hand in terms of supply management and price setting. This is not to say that doing business with the multiples has been a bad thing, quite the reverse in fact. The ability to plan an export campaign with a supermarket customer, and be assured of significant sales volumes with a reasonable pricing programme throughout the season, has enabled those marketing the crop to modernise and expand their business model. For many years this been a mutually beneficial arrangement for both supplier and customer. Supermarket campaigns have also raised the profile of the Royal brand. Likewise, the race by the multiples to be the first on the market
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each year with the new crop has reinforced the Royal’s reputation. However, as competition between the supermarket giants intensified, with heavy discounting and bargain offers such as BOGOF (buy one, get one free), the individuality, prestige - and value - of the Jersey Royal has suffered and growers have felt the pinch financially as a result. Being a supermarket supplier also comes at a price – more demanding standards. This not only means that the product must be of a superior quality, the supermarkets also stipulate that every step in the production process has to meet rigorous quality assurance standards. These ‘protocols’ lay down the conditions governing each intervention in the growing of the crop. Fertiliser applications, for example, must be justified (by soil sampling and nutrient plans), correctly applied (the spreading machinery requires annual official certification with all operators needing appropriate training) and recorded (usage only at levels which avoid pollution). Not surprisingly, the use of pesticides is even more heavily regulated. These requirements are there, of course, to safeguard both the product and the customer and no reasonable argument can be made against them. The downside for the grower is that meeting these standards adds an enormous amount of work, administration time and cost. Faced with the prospect of major investment to get their businesses up to scratch, and with their profits being squeezed, many have decided to quit. Challenges exist on the sales side as well. Where once the Royal reigned supreme (no pun intended) it now competes for shelf space with a myriad of fashionable alternative
foods. Rice and pasta dishes, stir-fries and ready meals have gained ground over the traditional potato and the challenge for the industry is to rekindle its appeal amongst the younger generation. Over the last decade or so the commercial pressures mentioned have brought about major structural changes within the potato growing industry with fewer but larger units remaining. The truth of the matter is that, to operate in today’s export market, businesses must be robust, professional and on a scale sufficient to spread their operating costs and justify the heavy capital investment needed. And what of future prospects? Commercial pressures will undoubtedly continue to test the industry – but environmental issues are sure to assume greater importance. How will the industry deal with the increasing levels of PCN (eelworm) infestation in the soil? How can nitrate levels (not to mention pesticide residues) be reduced in the water supply? The answer can only be a de-intensification of the industry, with eelworm-infected land taken out of production and rested – and more land rotated. Fewer vergées of potatoes grown would mean less chemical inputs and a lower nitrate burden, a double bonus. A reduction in the total tonnage of Royals exported would help to avoid over-supply, and might even keep prices up. The conundrum for the potato growing industry is whether it can support the present number of businesses in the future, given that output will be lower (if the acreage grown is reduced) while market returns continue to be squeezed?
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RICHARD LE BOUTILLIER:Layout 1 28/05/2016 19:10 Page 1
Bryony Le Boutillier 32 -
RURAL Summer 2016
A LOCAL FLAVOUR Woodlands Farm- home of Richard and Nicki Le Boutillier and their family, has a simple aim: providing top quality local produce for their small farm shop, ‘The Shack’ and for their own farm butcher’s shop LET’S talk potatoes (again). But, to vary the conversation, let us introduce ‘La Bonotte’ –reputedly the world’s most expensive potato. It is grown in minute volume – the area of production is only about five per cent of the little island of Noirmoutier, off the west coast of France. The first of the crop is taken to Paris and at auction fetches up to 500 euros a kilo. But no need to travel to Noirmoutier or to expensive Paris restaurants: it is grown at Woodlands Farm, Mont-à-l’Abbé. Well…. there is one vergée of it grown there, at least. Farmer Richard Le Boutillier described it: ‘I tried them with my wife, Nicki, on our travels, and found them to be delicious. So we acquired some seed and we’ve been growing just a few of them. They could be an early season crop, but we grow them a little later in the year, when maybe some people are looking for something a bit different. They hold together beautifully so are particularly delightful in a fish stew - very small and very different from the Jersey Royal. But there’s a certain local resistance to being offered an alternative to the Royal – local people are very happy with the potato they know and love.’ Richard grows Jersey Royals, of course – passers-by driving up the St John main road past the Union Inn will have seen the sign ‘The Potato Shack’ advertising the small farm shop where the bulk of their crop is sold. He only grows seven
vergées, a steep decline from the 150 vergées that he used to grow, in combination with his dairy herd. ‘In the days of the JPMO I used to export my crop to the UK, but then, following changes in the industry in 2005, we decided to change the farm around and only grow enough to supply local customers.’ That’s how it came about that Nicki started ‘The Potato Shack’. Apart from the local customers, Nicki also sends a small quantity of Jersey Royals in postal packs to end consumers in the UK, but at postage rates of £6 a pack, demand for this service remains necessarily limited. At The Shack, however, there is always a brisk trade for the Royals and that has been helped along by re-arranging the interior so as to make more room for a few new products – all of them strictly local ones: tomatoes, fresh sourdough bread from ‘Daz’ and the Chilli Kitchen’s range of preserves among them - and there are plans to increase the range further with more home-grown and home-reared produce from the farm. Most of The Shack’s regular customers will know Richard’s mother, Joan, who has been helping Nicki run The Shack. She has been a familiar face at The Shack for many years. Now, at the grand age of 90 (still in excellent health), she is enjoying her retirement. The Shack is now run by her grand-daughter, Bryony.
Richard Le Boutillier
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‘Local produce is what ‘The Shack’ is all about,’ she said, ‘minimising the food miles and sourcing everything from within a very close radius. Our customers love the idea of ‘local’ and ‘freshness’. We would certainly like to keep The Shack open for longer in the year, rather than closing it after the end of the Jersey Royal season.’ And so, back to the current issues of reservoir pollution that have achieved publicity. ‘Everyone is alarmed to hear of chemicals in the water,’ Richard said. ‘But the growers are responsible people and the amount of regulation is so strict – even stricter than in the finance industry! – and it is going to get even tougher. The industry has taken big steps over the past years to reduce fertiliser usage.’ As for greater - or perhaps enforced rotation of crops: he made the obvious point that there was a practical limit to the amount of rotation that the large scale growers could do. Richard and his family are one of the few remaining farms with both a dairy herd and potatoes. ’For us it’s our way of farming; rotating our cows through our fields year by year in turn with potatoes or crops. It’s the way all farms in Jersey used to operate. And as many old hands will tell you, it’s the traditional partnership of the Jersey cow that brought our Royals to fame for their lovely taste.’ Did they use vraic on their fields? ‘Vraic is used on the land for moisture retention, but it’s the manure from our cows that keeps the soil so nutrient-rich, giving better tasting potatoes.’ WOODLANDS FARM has a herd of 210 milking cows, this has also decreased in recent years, but this time due to increasingly efficient breeding and better herd health. This slight surplus in dairy animals has tied in well with an increased public appreciation of Jersey beef. Nicki has been a promoter of Jersey meat since 2004 when it was available at
Nicki, Joan and Bryony Le Boutillier
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The Shack, today her son Charlie manages The Woodlands Farm Butchers, selling premium cuts like fillet, ribeye and sirloin to a few select restaurants around the Island. And most of the burgers sold in Jersey’s catering outlets now come from Woodlands Farm butchers – around 30,000 a year. The meat is still available to the public as well via the Potato Shack.
‘Jersey cows make the best burgers,’ Charlie said, ‘and the yellow fat that comes from their grass-fed diet gives Jersey beef a marvellous flavour, even if the sight of the fat puts some people off. It has a better flavour than the very best Angus or crossbred animal.’ ‘We take the entire cow and butcher it,’ Charlie said, ‘there are very few proper butchers left in the Island, most ‘butchers shops’ are simply meat purveyors, so we feel and hope that we are preserving a highly skilled but threatened local food producing tradition.’ And Richard added: ‘We’re a family that loves food! It’s a family business, and we work well together – as well as enjoying eating well together!’ .
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ENSURING LOCAL RURAL ENTERPRISE THROUGH INSURANCE The ‘Islands’ Insurance Group has extended its support of local farmers and producers THE Islands group has extended its support of Genuine Jersey through its sponsorship of the regular farm and crafts markets held in the Royal Square and at St Aubin’s during 2016. Every Saturday for the next four months, with the exception of 25 June, there will be a range of wares on offer from local craft workers and other small businesses, as well as music and entertainment and seasonal produce. The markets, which will run from 9am until the afternoon, will alternate between the two venues, providing greater choice for shoppers while adding to the visitor experience, and giving traders a welcome showcase for their goods. Islands director Jim Purkiss said the company had always maintained close links with the farming, fishing, tourism and hospitality sectors and that its aims and objectives closely aligned with those of Genuine Jersey in providing support, encouragement and opportunity for local businesses to grow and thrive. ‘As an existing sponsor, we already offer subsidised insurance cover tailored to needs of all Genuine Jersey members, but also benefit from having the backing of NFU Mutual, the leading insurer for the UK’s rural community, allowing us to provide a range of bespoke insurance solutions specifically designed for farmers and growers,’ he added. In addition to its support of Genuine Jersey, the insurance company also sponsors the junior section of the Spring and Autumn Cattle Shows run by the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society (RJA&HS) as well as the Islands On-Farm Challenge, introduced in 2014. Open to all milkproducing herds, the On-Farm Challenge allows local cattle
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breeders to exhibit the best of their herd for independent judging in their home environment. Under the current insurance scheme offered by Islands, members of the Genuine Jersey Products Association have access to combined public and product liability insurance of up to £2.5 million, with additional policy cover if required, as well as the chance to exhibit at the farm and crafts markets and other events organised by the Association. John Garton, the chief executive of Genuine Jersey, explained that obtaining adequate insurance was a significant cost for start-ups and new entrants on a small budget and that having affordable access to the collective insurance scheme offered by Islands allowed members to focus on marketing and selling their products. However, he was quick to point out that while many stallholders at the farm and crafts markets will be Genuine Jersey members they were open to all food producers and craftsmen, and to local musicians seeking a platform to perform. ‘Genuine Jersey’s aim is to facilitate the success of its members, provide them with helpful advice and assistance, and to help remove barriers to doing business, allowing them to focus on what they’re good at in the hope that they can develop their particular passion into a profitable enterprise, John said. ‘The support we’ve had from Islands over the last seven years has been key in helping us grow our membership and its success has meant Genuine Jersey is now looking at how we can develop mutually beneficial relationships with other local businesses and service providers.’
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IS JERSEY’S BUILT HERITAGE SAFE IN STATES HANDS? ‘Almost by stealth, the special character of Jersey is changing’, writes former chief Planning officer and former St Brelade Deputy JOHN YOUNG JERSEY’S unique built heritage is the backdrop of our daily lives. Our forts, harbours, roadside walls, banques, historic buildings, archaeological sites and the increasingly important Occupation structures have not survived by accident. Willie Millar in his character Study of St Helier (2005) lamented the damage done by 1960s modernism and planning policies, unlike Guernsey which maintained the fine character of St Peter Port and St Anne in Alderney. Jersey lost many of its late mediaeval cottages, Regency Houses, Victorian villas, 18th century houses and shops, working class terraces, in town locations such as Ann St, Hue St and Dumaresq St, which now need regeneration and improvement. Joan Stevens recorded our special buildings in the 1960s and 1970s. Many have worked tirelessly to conserve our heritage from the ravages of re-development, such as Mr C Brett in his Survey of St Helier in 1976, Maurice Boots the former States Architect, the National Trust for Jersey, La Société Jersiaise and Save Jersey’s Heritage. In 1972 the States approved legal powers to protect historic buildings and special places.
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Corbiere Station - grand design or carbuncle ?
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The surviving mediaeval farm buildings and grand Georgian country houses were listed for protection. Grants were available; public support was strong although there were some controversies, notably the demolition of Government House was prevented, Colomberie House was lost in the 1990’s to a modern office block but the Island Site was saved despite the efforts of the Waterfront Enterprise Board. In 2010 responsibility for historic buildings in Jersey was transferred from the Planning department to the Jersey Heritage Trust. A review of 4,000 historic places was conducted three years ago; new policies sought to protect all buildings dated before 1700, the best surviving buildings to 1850, and some ordinary Victorian buildings. These have been assigned into four advisory grades; higher grades preventing internal changes; lower grades only external protection.
Old Court House
fine historic building – worthy of “conservation area “of St Aubin
The regime is vulnerable to development pressure and given low priority by government. The dated legal framework is essentially unchanged and the registration of listed buildings is only half way through. Grants have long gone. Controversial: work in progress at Park Estate
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Unlike Alderney, the States have failed to implement their 1970s commitment to designating Conservation Areas where the character warrants special care, as in St Aubin, Havre des Pas and Gorey - areas which are gradually being ‘modernised’. Almost by stealth, the special character of Jersey is changing, becoming more like mainland towns every day. Nowhere is this more apparent than in St Helier, where high density developments dominate traditional streets. Cottages in Hue Street have finally fallen victim to improvement. New Social Housing developments demand the maximum density. Recent projects propose the loss of open space in Green Street and ‘town cramming’ in the Gas Works and Summerland sites. Park Estate
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Government is custodian of many fine historic buildings: over 50 are 200 years old, and several are vulnerable; in the last five years nearly 200 States properties have been sold. La Folie Inn, built in 1730, has stood empty and unloved for 12 years, Le Seelleur Building in Gas Place for much longer; La Motte St School is proposed to have historic covenants expunged. Are these safe from development? Would St James still be standing if it was not a youth centre? Would Piquet house in the Royal Square, a Regency gem of 1803, survive if I hadn’t persuaded the States to save it?
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Newly built office block overshadows and dominates the Grand Jersey Hotel
Empty offices line the back streets, the fall-out from the sterile Waterfront vanity project. The cause is Jersey’s relentless drive for economic growth and government unwillingness to control our population. This generates demand for public services, more schools and infrastructure, further increasing development pressure. If unchecked, this will change the face of Jersey, and damage the quality of Island life, nowhere more so than in St Helier. Jersey has managed to protect its countryside from these pressures thanks to successive Island planning policies. But we can’t be complacent, Guernsey’s countryside is spoiled by ribbon development; this could happen in Jersey. Many modest buildings in our coastal locations have been
La Folie Inn, looking empty and unloved
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demolished and replaced by ‘Grand Maisons’, such as the Zanzibar site in St Brelade’s Bay, in Park Estate, Grouville Bay, Portelet, La Coupe and many more. Maintaining the quality of Island life is as important as economic and financial considerations. It is time for Government policies to strike a better balance. Conserving our heritage is not just for the benefit of those living in the countryside and fine country houses, but to all Islanders, urban and town residents too. If we fail in this we run the risk of ruining our very special built heritage, which is so attractive to our economy.
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STAYING THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PLANNING LAW Another DIY weekend coming up? Ensure you stay the right side of the planning law and know your permitted development rights. By Advocate Samantha Hoare of Carey Olsen IT is a familiar scene, another Saturday morning and once again you find yourself in the local DIY store contemplating the weekend ahead and the work to do to your property. However, although you might have identified all the relevant measurements and materials you need, you have probably given little or no thought to whether planning permission is required for the work you are about to undertake. As a rule when you seek to ‘develop’ land, including buildings or structures, you must have planning permission. To develop without planning permission will constitute an offence under the Planning and Building (Jersey) Law. The word ‘develop’ in this context has a technical legal meaning, which is sufficiently wide to include a number of DIY projects. Given the breadth of the definition it is easy for someone to fall foul of the Planning Law by mistake. Article 5 of the Planning Law defines "develop" as: "5(1)… (a) to undertake a building, engineering, mining or other operation in, on, over or under the land; (b) to make a material change in the use of the land or a building on the land." The Planning Law then provides a non-exhaustive list of examples which include: * Demolishing or removing the whole or any part of a building e.g. removing a wall. * Creating or enlarging a means of access to the land from a road e.g enlarging the entrance to your driveway. Although the work you are about to undertake may fall within the definition of ‘develop’ this does not mean you need to make a formal planning application to obtain planning permission. By virtue of Order 2 of the Planning and Building (General Development) (Jersey) Order 2011 (the "GDO") the Minister for Planning and Environment has prospectively granted planning permission for identified classes of development on certain types of land. The GDO therefore confers upon you a number of permitted development rights. A few examples of permitted development rights include: the conversion of garages, loft conversions, the construction of conservatories and small extension to dwellings, the erection of stand-alone flag poles, and the installation of solar panels, satellite dishes and television aerials. However, it is important to bear in mind that there are exceptions, limitations and conditions that apply to each permitted development right. You must make sure that the development you undertake meets all conditions stipulated in the GDO for that class of development, and does not form an exception to the permitted development right granted. If your development does not fall squarely within the terms of GDO you will need to formally apply for planning permission. One common exception to permitted development rights concerns listed (or potentially listed) buildings, or areas designated by the Minister as being of archaeological potential. As a general rule permitted development rights do not apply to these types of buildings or places because they are protected by the Law.
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Two working examples of permitted development rights under the GDO concern work carried out within the curtilage of a dwelling house: * The conversion of a garage attached to a dwelling for human habitation; and * The extension of a dwelling by constructing a conservatory. This work will not be permitted under the GDO if the garage or conservatory falls within one of the stated exceptions, that is where the garage or conservatory: - is not accessible from the existing dwelling; - will be used for commercial purposes; - forms a separate dwelling unit; - is over the maximum height specified in the GDO; or - the total external area of all and any structures of buildings erected under that particular development right, since 1 June 2007, exceeds 30 square metres. Please note this is not an exhaustive list of the exceptions. Please also be aware that even though you may have planning permission as a result of your permitted development right, you may also need to obtain Building Bye-Laws Permission. If in any doubt, it is important that you do your homework before undertaking any work. That way you can peruse the aisle of your local DIY store safe in the knowledge that you will stay the right side of the Planning Law. *For further information a helpful guide has been provided by the Planning Department and is available on the supplemental planning guidance section of www.gov.je If you have any queries regarding the planning application process, please contact a member of the Carey Olsen Litigation or Property Group, who would be delighted to assist. This article is only intended to provide a very general overview of the matters to which it relates. It is not intended as legal advice and should not be relied on as such.
A concrete solution for Jersey’s farmers With an active agricultural industry and a considerable amount of farming happening in Jersey, Ronez continues to push the boundaries in order to offer an innovative solution for the Island’s farmers Ronez has been supplying building materials to the Jersey construction industry since the 19th Century and for over a 150 years has been developing a range of products and services in response to the needs of the Island. Operating out of St. John’s Quarry, Ronez offers a portfolio of high-quality products, including Farmcrete – a long-lasting concrete specially designed to cope with the rigours of Jersey’s agricultural environment. Farmcrete offers significantly greater resistance to impact and abrasion wear and, as such, is ideal for a wide range of agricultural applications including livestock housing, cattle sheds, silage pits, farm yards, retaining walls and grain stores. Paul Pinel, Sales Manager for Ronez, said: “Our products and services are developed with a combination of our construction expertise and knowledge of the Island, and Farmcrete is a perfect example of this. “With farming being such an important facet to the Island we knew how important it was to create a product that is economical, adaptable and easy to place. We have manufactured Farmcrete to meet and exceed all relevant British and European standards – ensuring the best possible solution for Jersey’s farmers.” www.aggregate.com/our-businesses/ronez/
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THE HOUSE FROM ELSEWHERE When Mark and Charlotte Renouf were looking for a traditional Jersey farmhouse, they found one rather too near the Airport for comfort and safety. Answer? Pick it up and move it somewhere else. ALASDAIR CROSBY visited La Maison d’Ailleurs – the House from Elsewhere Over the next 20 years, despite being a listed building, the property became more and more reminiscent of the Shakin’ Stevens’ song, ‘This ole house’is gettin' shaky, This ole house is gettin' old, This ole house lets in the rain, This ole house lets in the cold….’ Mark contacted the officer at Property Services whose name was on the demolition application notice and asked what was being planned for the property. He was told that they wanted to demolish it, which would cost quite a lot of money, as it would for the building materials (including asbestos) to be taken away. THE house was old, dilapidated and unloved – boarded up and awaiting demolition. Mark Renouf spotted it from the air one day, when he was flying off to Guernsey on a business trip. He could see it was a Georgian granite farmhouse that had seen better days and was looking really sorry for itself. He flew back to Jersey the following morning and went to have a closer look at it. There was a three-day-old States official notice on the front gate applying to demolish it. The property was called Sous L’Eglise and once, it had been a prosperous Georgian granite Jersey farm: Auckland House, St Peter, but that had been many years before. After the War the interior had been removed and it had been divided up into three flats by the late Harold Le Seeleur (who would also, on his death, bequeath his workshop in town to the States).
He continued: ‘I said – “If I wrote in to you offering to do that myself – what would you say?” There was a slight pause – “Why don’t you write in? I will put it to my superiors.’ ‘In the end they agreed that I could take the house away.’ It was not an economically viable thing to do; he and his wife, Charlotte, could have bought a similar sort of house for less, but they wanted to save the listed granite farmhouse. There was an area in the family farm’s grounds in Rue des Vignes, above La Haule, originally occupied by old glasshouses, where their new house could be located without encroaching on to fields. There was a field beside the area which could temporarily be used to store the blocks of stone from the old house, each one numbered and registered by V&V Stonemasons so that they could be reassembled to rebuild the house on its new site.
A close neighbour was the Airport; as the years passed and the Airport expanded, it became an uncomfortably close neighbour. The house was situated near the eastern end of the runway and take-off and landing were too close for comfort. One evening in the early 1980s a private jet landing at the Airport did not quite make it; it crashed into the sloping roof and took off the gable ends and the chimneys. The States rebuilt the house.
The stone work of the moved house lying in a field beside its new location, ready for rebuilding
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The granite blocks lay on the field for about two-and-a-half -years, until the rebuilding work started. What went up was identical to what had come down earlier – to the exact centimetre. Mark said: ‘The only possible justification for doing this was that it was listed as a granite farm house and we were saving it. Of course it had to come down from its existing site too near the Airport runway. It was in the Green Zone, and my parents’ farm was in the Green Zone, so there was no net development. Planning does not make exceptions to their policy of no development in the Green Zone, but they did make an unusual exception in my case, because of the justification of moving and saving a listed building.’
interior so that the light would flow through it, from front to rear, and in the stairwell, for example, there is light from top to bottom.’ Modern materials have been used wherever necessary – although it might not look like it on a cursory inspection. Thick insulation and a modern heat circulating system have been installed so electricity bills are really low. Gutters and downpipes are all traditional castings, but in aluminium and powder coated so they don’t need to be re-painted in the future. On the traditional side, much of the woodwork is from the old Colomberie House designed by Sir John Soane, such as cupboards, doors, skirting boards and fireplaces. It had been removed from the old building in Colomberie before it was demolished and then stored by the National Trust for Jersey. On the exterior, much effort has been expended in getting period details right, such as using a traditional lime mortar. A basement has been constructed, but a shaft and light-wells brings light to it so that it is an integral part of the floors above it. ‘We are still tinkering about’, he said, ‘and work is still going on: it is a slow but sure process.’ And as for the name of the new house – something that might almost be the country cousin of 16 New Street in town, Mark said: ‘We talked about it a bit and wondered what we should call it. As it had been ‘Sous L’Eglise’, we wondered whether we should now call it ‘Sans L’Eglise’!
It has taken about four years to rebuild the house on the new site and work is still going on, although enough has been done so far as to enable Mark and his family to live in it comfortably. He continued: ‘We always asked ourselves, when we were rebuilding: what would the Georgians have done, if they’d had the materials we have nowadays? So our home is a mixture of ancient and modern - but only modern in the Georgian sense – their style was effectively minimalistic, and that is what we wanted and have created: a home environment that was clear and uncluttered. We wanted to live in a light structure, not a dark house, so we designed the
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‘In the end we gave it a new name for its new location: Maison d’Ailleurs, the House from Elsewhere.’
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ARCHITECTURE is usually described in terms of scale, style and materials. Or, of who builds it: private developers, co-operatives, the state. Or who buildings are for - first time buyers, OAPs, families with children, mortgage holders. But less common is discussion about how we experience buildings. Why do we visit them? We describe the experience of visiting, say, St Paul’s Cathedral as ‘inspiring’, ‘amazing’, ‘moving’. And to experience something we use our senses - sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch – and also time, memory, imagination all the things that are part of our existential experience.
Materiality, particularly the materials used in modern buildings, reinforces this visual obsession. So many man-made materials present smooth, unyielding, perfect surfaces to the eye, or pretend to be something they aren’t - slates that aren’t really slate, stone that isn’t really stone, wooden floors that are actually vinyl. SENSORY BALANCE Yet every touching and delightful experience of architecture is multi-sensory. And it’s this we talk about when we come back from seeing whichever building has moved us.
The thesis of Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa, expounded in ‘The Eyes of the Skin’ (first published 1996) is that in Western culture sight has long been considered pre-eminent, to the detriment of the other senses.
TOUCH Touch integrates our experience of the world with that of ourselves. Anyone who has traced the outlines of worn letters in stone knows that it is the only sense which can give the sensation of spatial awareness.
He wonders if the inhumanity of some contemporary architecture and cities can be understood as the consequence of the negligence of the body and senses which has resulted in an imbalance in our sensory system that favours the eye.
And so the worn stair tread - gravity sensed by the sole of a foot - the smooth handrail – the polished door knob (the handshake of a house) – all communicate in more ways than the simply visual.
SIGHT During the Renaissance, the five senses were understood in a hierarchical system, from vision down to touch. The invention of perspective in particular made the eye the centre-point of the world.
SOUND The echoes of footsteps in the grand marble-floored entrance hall of a public building; dripping water in a ruin; muffled street sounds from outside the closed windows of a town house.
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THE EYES OF THE SKIN The article’s title comes from the Finnish architect, Juhani Pallasmaa, one of an increasing number of architects and academics who study and try to understand the human experience of buildings. By architectural and historic buildings consultant ANTONY GIBB
Every building has its characteristic sound of intimacy or monumentality, invitation or rejection, hospitality or hostility.
And so John Ruskin could say: "I should like to eat up this Verona touch by touch".
In historic buildings, the distinctive sound signature of plaster and lathe is key to the special qualities. Remove it and replace it with plasterboard and you might fool the eye, but you won't fool the ear.
Of course Ruskin was enjoying the old. And historic buildings are - at least those built before about 1900 - largely hand-made. Made by hand and placed by hand. Truly haptic buildings.
Sounds provide plasticity to a space, and articulate our experience and understanding of it. Our ears tell us straight away if a choir is singing in a cathedral or how deep a well is.
So first, let’s keep them that way. Keep the original features and you keep the hand-made. Don’t replace them with a machine made version of the same, flat and perfect and dull.
SMELL Retinal images seem dull and lifeless compared to emotions stimulated by smell.
But let’s also design new buildings in the same spirit. This doesn’t mean aping the past, but just that architects and designers should think carefully about how humans interact with buildings and the built environment. The small things make the difference – the handrails we hold, the benches we sit on, the materials we experience. Remember first how we touch, hear, and smell buildings. And only after that consider how they look.
The most persistent memory of any space is often its smell. Most people know the smell of a school corridor or an old-fashioned country house - polish, flowers, a bit of damp. TASTE Proust explores the importance of memory in our lives one of the ways in which we process the passage of time famously describing how eating a madeleine recalled events in the past. The mechanisms by which memory is accessed rely on prompts, and these are particularly powerful in taste, smell and touch.
Perhaps judge buildings not on the construction cost per square foot, but on the amount of love per square foot that had been invested in the design. If that idea could be taken forward in all aspects of building design - historic or modern, interior or exterior, single houses or whole neighbourhoods - then we might have a richer and more varied built environment to enjoy.
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Jèrriais, with GERAINT JENNINGS
DRIÉTHE LA CÔTCHIÉTHE NOU dit qu'un docteu peut tréjous entèrrer ses mêprînses, mais un architecte peut raîque aviser à sa pratique dé plianter des vîngnes. Y'en a tch'aiment sustout l'architectuthe traditionnelle dé Jèrri et y'en a d'aut's tch'aiment mus les bâtisses d'achteu, mais nou chousaîsithait aîsiement des structuthes bâties qu'nou couvréthait d'vîngnes (ou f'thait sèrvi deux-trais bâtons d'dynnamite si'en cas). Tout coumme nou n'peut pon aîsiement au jour d'aniet trouver un responsabl'ye pouor des mêprînses et avouortons architectuthels: quâsiment châque bâtisse est dé tchi grée par un conmité. Ch'est les propriêtaithes, l's architectes, et les plianneurs tchi font l'èrchette, et nou sait bein qu'trop d'couques gâtent la soupe. Tout coumme j'voulons des règl'yes - mais j'voudrêmes qu'ches règl'yes saient applyitchies auve du bouôn sens quand ch'est nous à faithe l'applyicâtion à la pliann'nie, et qu'les règl'yes saient applyitchies strictément quand ch'est nos vaîthîns à vouler bâti eune mannifactuthe, ou ouvri un clobe dé niet, ou opéther eune féthâl'lie.
50 -
RURAL Summer 2016
Nou-s'a veu des plians d'dêv'loppement tch'ont changi des contrées d'l'Île - par exempl'ye, les maîsons et tout ès Tchennevais, et les dêv'loppements du transport pouor l'aéroport, la caûchie d'La Ville, et les parqu'thies publyiques ès vaituthes. Dgieu mèrcie, y'a ieu des plians d'èrnonchis étout - coumme lé plian d'y'a pus d'eune souaixantaine d'années d'bâti eune nouvelle ville sus les mielles d'la Baie d'Saint Ouën (qu'nou faîthait sèrvi à chu temps-là coumme eune maie à tés). Épis y'a ieu d's avanches à r'tchulons; par exempl'ye la dêmolition du vièr camp d'vacanches en d'lacres à Pliémont pouor amender la natuthe. Nou-s'est pus aufait achteu pouor la convèrtithie d'vièrs bâtisses en nouvieaux usages, et y'a tchiques întérêssants amendements qué nou peut vaie: des vielles fèrmes en appartéments et offices, des vièrs storres en appartéments et offices véthe, i' sembl'ye qué nou chang'geait tout en appartéments et offices driéthe la côtchiéthe - s'nou pouvait r'chéver la pèrmission d'la pliann'nie et mett' bas l's objections des vaîthîns. Et pus nou-s'a d'appartéments, pus nou-s'a d'vaîthîns!
Summary in English:
BEHIND THE FAÇADE A doctor can bury his mistakes, but an architect can only advise his client to plant vines. Some people like traditional Jersey architecture and others modern buildings, but there are always cases that can only be cured by vines (or demolition explosives). Who can one blame for architectural mistakes when building nowadays is such a collaborative affair? We want rules - but only if the rules are applied flexibly to ourselves and rigidly to our neighbours. Development plans have altered our landscapes: for example, Les Quennevais, the airport and harbour, and car parks. Some plans have been abandoned, such as the historic concept of building a new town on rubbish dumps in the dunes of Saint Ouen's Bay. Some mistakes have even been reversed, such as the derelict holiday camp at Plémont. Instead of demolition, many old buildings are being redeveloped as flats and offices behind the façade. Which means more neighbours to lodge planning objections!
Project5:Layout 1 30/05/2016 09:17 Page 1
FUELLING THE CHANNEL ISLANDS
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FIFTY ON THE CLOCK This year, the Jersey Old Motor Club is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a series of events between July and November. The current president, STEPHANIE CONSTANTINE, spoke to Alasdair Crosby provided the impetus for an inaugural meeting of the proposed club at the ‘Harvest Barn’ pub in the Vallée des Vaux on 2 November. The annual subscription was fixed at ten shillings (50p). Right from the outset, the JOMC has been clear about its aims and objectives: to promote the ownership and enjoyment of old cars, to stimulate interest in Jersey’s motoring heritage, and to encourage the conservation (and, where necessary, the restoration) of vehicles that might otherwise have ended their lives on the scrap-heap. THE Jersey Old Motor Club exceeds the Jersey speed limit this year – with ‘fifty’ on the clock (or, rather, for the avoidance of doubt, it is celebrating its 50th anniversary). It has travelled a long distance since its foundation in 1966. Three people who owned and had a shared interest in vintage cars - Bob Kirwan, Barry de la Mare, and Derek Bonhomme got together one day on La Braye slipway and they were photographed by an ‘Evening Post’ photographer. The cars were a 1929 Vauxhall, a 1932 Austin Ten and a 1932 Humber – all three of the cars are still in the Island. A paragraph subsequently appeared with the picture of the three cars and their owners in the ‘Under the Clock’ column and generated much interest – and brought to a head the idea of founding a club for enthusiasts. Invitations were sent out for a get-together at the car park on the Route du Nord, St John; 15 cars and their owners turned up and that
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From these small beginnings, the club has grown at a steady pace. The first Boxing Day Rally was held in 1968, the forerunner of what was soon to become the most popular and prestigious event in the club’s calendar: the Twelve Churches Cavalcade. FIFTY years after the foundation of the club, the current president, Stephanie Constantine, said: ‘We remain a thriving club. You might think we would be diminishing in numbers, but we are not! We have about 210 members and some of them have quite a few cars.’ She said that it was still possible to buy a pre-1951 car at an affordable price – it was not necessary to have lots and lots of money. To own a car that qualifies for use by the members of the Jersey Old Motor Club it has to date from before 1951. Younger cars are ‘classic’ rather than ‘vintage’ and in Jersey they have a separate club and membership.
‘Vintage cars are a good investment,’ she said. ‘Certainly the only vintage cars that my husband and I ever bought have increased in value rather than decreased! I don’t think anyone would ever lose any money on buying a vintage car. But, of course, you do spend money on vintage cars – you can’t help it, as you want to improve them.’ Stephanie has always loved old cars. Her fascination started when she was a little girl – she said she was ‘a bit of a tomboy’ and she made a kart out of an old pram. After her marriage to John (who ran a garage and was also interested in old cars) their interest had to take to the back seat while their young family grew up, but once the children had left home they thought: ‘Yes! Now’s the time to buy a vintage car.’
John bought a Rolls-Royce 20 (20hp) – and later swapped it for a more powerful model, a 1935 Rolls-Royce 20/25. She owns a red MG TC 1948, which is a great car for driving through Jersey’s narrow country lanes. She has been club president for the past three years and her term of office comes to an end in November. Between now and then there is an enjoyable programme of events. However, the first thing in the calendar is the release of a new Jersey stamp issue, featuring some of Jersey’s vintage cars, due to be released on 7 June. On 3 July there will be cavalcade of vintage cars around the Island, termed the ‘Manor Grounds and Old Houses’ run. The cars will assemble at the People’s Park at 9am for a chance for the public to view them. At 10am they will set off, driving through town via The Parade, York Street, King Street, Queen Street, La Motte Street and on to the grounds of Government House, which is the start of the Manor Run. The cavalcade will finish at St. Brelade’s Bay Hotel for afternoon tea. Taking part in the cavalcade will be 29 visiting 20hp Rolls-Royces from the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club stopping off in Jersey on their way back from a tour in western France. In total, over 100 vintage cars will be taking part in the cavalcade – an interesting and unusual one to see so many vintage cars drive through the middle of town. This 50th anniversary year’s events culminate in the annual dinner at the Royal Yacht Hotel on 2 November, with an exhibition of the club through the years. Stephanie said: ‘The second of November was the actual date of the inaugural meeting in 1966 - but we had to start celebrating before then! ‘I’ve really enjoyed being president. The cars are very special – and vintage cars always make people smile.’ MORNING PUBLIC VIEWING POINTS FOR SUNDAY 3RD JULY Cars assembled in People’s Park King Street Queen’s Street St. Saviour’s Church Grouville Church Royal, St. Martins Trinity Church to Right
9.30 10.03 10.08 10.39 10.55 11.30 11.55
AFTERNOON PUBLIC VIEWING POINTS St. John’s Church St. Ouen’s Parish Hall Rugby Club Pavement Quennevais Route Orange St Brelade’s Church
2.10 2.28 3.08 3.10 3.20
This is a rough guide. Advice is to be there earlier. This is 1st car timings. Possibly 20 mins to the last car.
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HERE IS ONE I MADE EARLIER… Jersey Old Motor Club vice president Graham Le Lay owns three vintage motor cars, one of which he rebuilt from rust bucket to gleaming blue runabout THERE is a tactile quality to any top quality motor car, young or old, which is only reinforced when the motor car is a gleaming vintage car in pristine condition. One wants to touch and stroke it, as if it were a thoroughbred animal. That is the case with the just renovated MG model PA, 1935, belonging to Jersey Old Motor Club vice-president, Graham Le Lay. It is hard to imagine it as a rust bucket, which was its state until Graham started its renovation two years ago. It might be equally hard to imagine him in the persona of Dick van Dyke, but the restoration job is worthy of Chitty-chitty-bang-bang. Graham told the story: ‘It was my late sister-in-law’s car. She lived in North Wales and bought it some 50 years ago. Then family came along, and the car was stored in an old forge, where it lay for 38 years. After my sister-in-law died, her husband told me that the car was just sitting in the forge building, rotting away. It had been his late wife’s wish that it should be restored and put back on the road, rather than sold as spare parts. ‘I felt honour bound to renovate it – and as I had just retired, I had the opportunity to do so. I had every nut and bolt off it, totally renovated it – and now it is fantastic and unique car – very few of these original MGs are left.’ The series of pictures shows the original state of the car – Graham, and his wife, Jane, are shown driving the restored vehicle on this issue’s front cover.
His second car is a Triumph Roadster, the same make and model as the one driven by ‘Bergerac’. He said: ‘This is the car that I use on long rallies in France and the UK. My first car was a Triumph Herald and I suppose we all have fond memories of our first car and that is probably the reason that I had for some time had the desire to own another Triumph, eventually finding this Roadster in the UK. It’s a good work horse and has served me well having covered some 10,000 miles in the past six years.’ The third car is a 1934 Morris Cowley – another rare car. Bought in Jersey in 1934, it is one of the few cars in the Jersey Old Motor Club not to have left the Island. The reason why so few Jersey cars survived the Occupation is obvious: all the cars were confiscated either to be crushed or for their metal to be used for German tanks. Some of the better ones – and certainly farmers’ lorries - were taken to mainland Europe to use on the front. He said: ‘The only people who were allowed to keep their cars were doctors, and other essential workers. Some farmers stripped their cars, took the engines out, put one bit in one field and another bit in the cow stable. In 1943, the Germans said that any motor parts needed to be handed it, because they needed the metal so badly. ‘I bought the car from fellow club member Jurat Geoffrey Allo. He had never been able to find out why the car wasn’t crushed or taken away during the Occupation; it had belonged to a farmer at Maufant. Only recently, looking through the minutes of the Jersey Farmers Union, it appears that the day before the Occupation began, the farm where this Cowley was kept – Modderfield Farm, on the present site of the Maufant Village development – was infected by foot and mouth. So the farm was cordoned off - even the Germans couldn’t go in. So I can only assume, that’s how it survived the war.’ His Morris Cowley was one of the 15 cars that took part in the meeting on the Route du Nord, in 1966. Graham has been a member of the Jersey Old Motor Club for 12 years – ‘It’s a great hobby that I can enjoy with my wife, Jane, and it’s a great club, with members from all walks of life - united in their interest and love of old motor cars.’
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GRAHAM LE LAY:Layout 1 30/05/2016 09:23 Page 2
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FOLLOWING GENEVIEVE Jersey Old Motor Club member Jurat Geoffrey Grime has been 46 times on the London Brighton Veteran Car Run. He talked about the Run and about his cars to ALASDAIR CROSBY AT Jurat Geoffrey Grime’s boarding prep school in the UK, there was one film that was regularly shown, once a term: the 1953 comedy about the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run: ‘Genevieve’. Its main star was a 1904 Darracq car happily still with us, and every year she travels from her retirement home in a Dutch motor museum to take part in the Run. Jurat Grime has now taken part in the London to Brighton Run 46 times, usually driving his own 1902 Gladiator. The first London to Brighton took place on a wet Saturday in November 1896 to celebrate the recent amendment of the law that increased the speed limit to 14 mph, and made it no longer necessary to have a man with a red flag walking in front of car. To celebrate, an ‘Emancipation Run’ was organised from London to Brighton. The Brighton Run has never been a race, but some people do get there as quickly as they can. He did his first Brighton run in 1968, in a 1903 Panhard et Levassor, and was ‘completely smitten’. Last year he did his 46th London to Brighton Run. There is never a shortage of people happy to come along with him for the ride; his two grandsons and two granddaughters usually take turns in alternate years.
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‘It is a great occasion. If you go to London on the first Sunday in November to Hyde Park Corner at first light, and you will see 500 motor cars made before 1905 – steam ones, electric ones, but mainly petrol cars. I guess you have got to be fairly eccentric to want to want to drive an open car from London to Brighton on the first Sunday in November! But there’s a great camaraderie.’ The cars have to be classified as ‘Veteran’ to qualify to take part, i.e. they should date from before 1905 and have to have the dating certificates from the Veteran Car Club to validate their entry and to make sure that the engines are original. Jurat Grime drives a 1902 Gladiator, a French make with right hand drive, acetylene gas headlamps and oil lamps on the tail. There are only about 30 Gladiators in existence today, so it is a very special vehicle. At the moment the Gladiator has a slight health problem, as one well expect of a 114-year-old lady. Jurat Grime bought his first car when he was 16 years old – even before he was legally entitled to drive a car on the public highway – a 1929 Humber. The car had been standing in a cotton mill in Lancashire for years, with water dripping from the roof into the car. ‘It was an absolute mess, so I spent my last two years of school holidays rebuilding it – at least the manual labour bit, since I am not a skilled mechanic. From then on I developed this passion for old cars.’ His family lived in Lancashire, and used to come to Jersey on holidays. ‘In 1965 we saw at the back of a showroom in St Helier a 1927 Rolls Royce, which was in bad repair. It had stood on Gorey Common for a number of years and had been badly neglected. My mother, sister and I persuaded my father to buy
this car so he obliged: he bought it for £500. The car was shipped to Liverpool and from there we drove it up to Blackpool. The motor was good, but the leather was rotten and it had a rotten hood. A grower, who had owned the car, had tried to strip the paintwork with a wire brush, and had gauged into the aluminium body. We had it re-painted and restored and it came back to Jersey in due course when I came to live in the Island.’ It is still in his possession, together with a ‘3-4½ Bentley’ bought from Neil Dangerfield in Jersey, who had restored it. The car’s first owner, in 1926, was Frank Clement, the first person to win the Le Mans in 1924. ‘There’s no suggestion my Bentley was ever raced, but apparently it was a demonstrator car at Bentley’s London showrooms and potential customers would have been driven around the West End by Frank Clement. ‘My son and I took it to Le Mans, in 2000 because that was the 70th anniversary of Bentleys coming 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Le Mans 24-hour race. There were 200 old Bentleys there - we did a couple of laps of the main circuit – 13 miles, part of it on main roads, part of it on a closed circuit, early in the morning, before the race began at 4pm. Boys with their toys!’ Then he showed his 1930 Austin 7, bought for £120 – and now, worth just a bit more than that, He also has a 1957 Bentley, but that does not qualify for the JOMC. Nevertheless, he said, it was a wonderful car. There is only one trouble about driving his cars – he has a bad back - and unfortunately bad backs are not the best combination for sitting in veteran cars.
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THE GOLDEN AGE OF BRITISH RALLYING Paul with Pat Moss (signin g on the roof of URX) Ann Wisdom (Riley) with hus band Peter Riley
Paul Roberts has been collecting cars for many years and specialises in works rally/racing cars from the golden age of rallying in the 1960s. He describes some of his collection: ADU Works SUNBEAM Tiger owned by Paul competing in the Acropolis Rally of 1966 WHEN I was 17 years old, my father bought me an Austin Healey Sprite - that is where my love of Austin Healeys started. At the age of 22 I bought a Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing from a friend for £3,000, my entire life’s savings at the time, but to my later regret, I sold it two years afterwards – although I had doubled my money - that car would be valued at over £1m today. In the 1960s, you never thought of buying cars for investment, you just
followed your passion - and that is the best guideline for buying cars. I have always had an eye for beautiful things, so the style and rakish lines of a car are all important, sometimes referred to as ‘art on wheels’. However, over the past years, I have gained much pleasure in researching their history and this has created for me a passionate interest in cars with performance history, whether racing or rallying. The 1960s was, without doubt, the most successful period in British
Rallying history. The decade was dominated by the Austin Healey, then by the Mini Cooper, with the Sunbeam Tiger knocking at the door, so that is a good place to start. My collection is made up mainly of British cars and the most important ones are ‘Works’ cars from the 1960s. A ‘Works’ or ‘Team’ car is a specially prepared car by the manufacturers sent to their Competitions Department, to be prepared for racing or rallying as a form of advertising. These cars are the most collectable of them. Some of the cars in my collection include: *An Austin Healey 100/4 Grand Prix Racer. It was one of the rare sports racers to compete in a Grand Prix - the inaugural 1954 New Zealand Grand Prix. Although not a Works car, it was specially prepared and, with two other AHs, sent over in December 1953. All three cars completed the 210 miles, 100 laps at Ardmore. My car finished 13th out of 38 starters, narrowly beaten by a young Jack Brabham in a Cooper Bristol MKII.
Paul with FMO on the 2004 Monte Carlo Rally at the top of the Col Du Torigne
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*A Morris Mini Cooper, 569 FMO. It finished third in class in the famous
1964 Monte Carlo Rally. The humble Mini beat Ferraris, Porsches, Alfas and the best cars and drivers that the rest of the world could put up. Driven by Rauno Aaltonen and entered with two other Works Minis, FMO won the Team Prize for BMC. This car has now appeared in many car shows, including the Vienna Motor Show promoting the New BMW Min and the Jersey Festival of Motoring. It has also been driven at the Goodwood Festival of Speed for ten years, by Rauno Aaltonen, and famously rolled by Paddy Hopkirk, accompanied on many occasions by my wife, Bunny. *Sunbeam Tiger ADU311B, the world's first production Tiger and class winner of the 1966 Acropolis Rally. ADU 311B is a ‘Works’ Sunbeam Tiger with a fascinating history. It was the first Tiger to roll off the production line in June 1964 and was immediately sent to the Competitions Department in preparation for its first rally, the San Martino di Castrozza in Italy. The car was lying first when it ran out of fuel, due to the gauge showing incorrectly. ADU was the first of the Works cars to be entered in an international rally and appeared in nine rallies in total, winning its class in the
1966 Acropolis Rally. The car is completely original and survives with original body, chassis and engine and is at present undergoing its second rebuild. *The ‘Big Austin Healey’, registered URX 727, which Pat Moss and Ann Wisdom entered in the 1960 Liege-Rome-Liege Rally. It was soon to become the world's most famous rally Healey of all time. In the same car they had already finished second overall in the prestigious Alpine Rally, but the Liege Rally, known as the ‘Marathon’, was the next on the calendar: 3,100 miles of torturous unmade roads without an official stop. Pat drove for 90 of the 96 hours over mountain passes, including the notorious Stelvio Pass, and arrived in Liege, not knowing that she had won an outright victory. It has been called the ‘stuff of legend’. Since owning the car it has appeared at all the big shows but, most importantly, it was invited to appear at Pat’s funeral - she had also personally owned the car. URX 727 has been part of my collection for the past 12 years.
*Austin Healeys have always been a favourite of mine ever since my very first car. My first Works Healey, UJB 143, was driven by Peter Riley in the Midnight Sun Rally in 1961 and again by Pat Moss and Ann Wisdom in the Corsican Rally, finishing first in Class. The car went on to compete in Australia and after 25 years was repatriated to Britain; soon afterwards I was fortunate to buy it. The car has since been raced at the Goodwood Revival Meeting, appeared at the Jersey Festival of Motoring and Silverstone. Why do I love collecting these cars? Simply because, for me, they evoke a very special time in British motoring history.
Paul with iconic Austin Healey Racer on show at the Race Retro in February this year
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La R Route oute St A Aubin, ubin, St Helier, Helieer, Jersey Jersey JE2 3SD 01534 880606 8806 606 www.mansell-mitsubishi.co.uk www.mansell-mitsubishi.co co.uk 1. List price shown excludes GST, VED and First Registrati Registration ion Fee and is for an L200 Series 5 Double Cab 4Life manual. manuaal. Metallic paint extra. extra. Model shown is an L200 Series 5 Double uble Cab Barbarian Manual with metallic paint at £24,229 (excludes (excludes GST, VED and First Registration Fee). Fee). On the roadd prices range from £23,979 to £31,035 and include VAT, VEDD and first registration fee. Prices correct at time of going to print. 2. All new L200 variants come with a 5 year/62,500 m mile w arranty (whichever occurs first). For more information please p warranty visit www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk/warranty.
TEST DRIVE:Layout 1 30/05/2016 09:35 Page 1
A PICK-ME-UP OF A PICK UP STEVE PICOT test drives the Mitsubishi L200
60 -
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THE ‘pick-up’ has often been seen as nothing more than a builder’s workhorse, but as the Americans have realised for decades, it can be so much more than that. In the States, the Ford F150 pick up has been the bestselling vehicle by far, for years. Originally designed for the working man, it quickly became more refined. Drive it for work all day then to the drive-in at night. The Japanese took notice and were quick to realise that imitation is the best form of flattery. They looked at what was, at that time, the best in the market and used their skills to refine it and rework it for the Japanese and the Europeans. From their initial foray into the market, the vehicles were well built and well thought out, with some of the earliest crew cabs seen on the market. They were most ‘un-truck like’, despite their appearance, and the build quality was on a par with their cars. The stunning L200 is an evolution of Mitsubishi's first steps into this market. As with all things in this modern world, safety has seen cars grow in stature and become so much safer. This L200 is no exception but it is no old builders hack - it is so much more, with no less than seven airbags offering full protection in the event of an accident. It has hill start assistance to prevent rolling back so, when you are loaded or are towing a trailer and you stop on an incline, the car works out you are on an incline and ensures you don't slide back. It has active traction control as well so, no matter where or what the conditions, you will not lose traction or get stuck. By far and away my favourite though is the TSA or ‘Trailer Stability Assist’. Now this vehicle is designed as a workhorse so at some point many of them will be used for towing. If you have ever been towing and suddenly had that awful feeling that your trailer has a mind of its own - as you feel the whole vehicle become light - then you know what I mean. It is not something you want to happen to you.
The L200 will never put you in that position. If the vehicle detects a movement in the trailer it automatically applies braking force and cuts the throttle to keep you safe. If you are towing a horsebox or a car trailer or a boat, then believe me, this is an amazing feature. Although it may never happen to you, the reassurance that this system is there is worth its weight in gold. If you have ever towed or carried a load with a 4X4 then you will know fuel consumption is awful - but not here. The L200 has the ability to remain as a 2 wheel drive truck until the going gets tough. It means you can tow without the drag of four wheels and pass more petrol stations in the process. As for the inside – this is a truly stylish and practical interior, with a choice of cloth or leather seats - so comfortable! No skinny plastic builders’ seats. You could do a lot of miles in this and feel fresh as a daisy. An attractive, modern and very well equipped dashboard greets you when you first sit down, with a quality feel that belongs in a vehicle in a much higher price bracket. Everything you would expect is there with electric windows, climate control and even a touch screen sat nav. Oh, and on this model, there is also a reversing camera - a boon on any car, but a total godsend on a bigger vehicle. If you have never used one you don't realise how useful they actually are. Select reverse, watch the screen and it shows you the perfect line to park. So there you have it: the 2016 Mitsubishi L200 from Mansell Mitsubishi. It is an economical, practical, safe, everyday vehicle that will never let you down. Yes, it's a pick up but what a pick up! It is the evolution of years of refining the craft. Not just a spacious capable load carrier but a well thought out modern and very stylish alternative to the usual 4x4's. Did I mention the five-year warranty and the superb build quality? If your lifestyle means you need an all rounder that ticks every box look no further than the Mitsubishi L200. It looks fantastic too! Go down to Mansell Mitsubishi and book a test drive you won't be sorry.
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Summer evening at Green Island
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By our artist in residence, ANNA LE MOINE GRAY After a wonderful afternoon kayaking around Seymour Tower (under the expert guidance of Derek Hairon), we arrived at Green Island just before sunset. I made two sketches, one looking towards the east (with tall pines and the last rays of sun) and the other one towards the west (with the rising tide circling the small islet of green and earth in the shadow of the falling light). It led to the painting of this canvas.
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SUPPORTING AND CELEBRATING VISUAL ARTS IN JERSEY With a record 63 local artists throwing open their doors to the general public it can mean only one thing Skipton Open Studios is back. Jim Coupe, managing director of headline sponsor Skipton International, looks at how the event has evolved into a truly community-centric celebration of art in Jersey FOR any art lover, the opportunity to get up close to pieces of work and meet the artist in their own environment is a very special occasion, and thanks to Skipton Open Studios this is an experience that visitors and Islanders are invited to enjoy during this bi-annual event that we are proud to support. With the aim of making art accessible to the wider population, Skipton Open Studios is organised by the Jersey Arts Trust to showcase the depth of artistic talent that exists in Jersey and when we consider the kaleidoscope of creativity offered in this year’s programme alone, it’s clear there’s something for every taste. Skipton Open Studios is all about enabling creative Islanders to get their work out in the public domain, to support each other in showcasing talent and collectively demonstrate the exciting work being produced right here in Jersey. From a home studio hidden down a country green lane to a shared temporary studio in a Jersey Heritage Site, visual arts are displayed for two weekends showing the talent of individuals living and working within our community. This is the one event that really offers some very exciting opportunities to gain insight into how and where works of art are created within our Island and witness the inspirations and techniques involved.
Whether learning about the modern techniques of the forge or observing the mastery of sand and grass art, Skipton Open Studios 2016 promises to open the mind to the creative forces while also showing the skills and experience that exist locally. For those who enjoy the more formal viewing of art in a gallery space, the Skipton Open Studios Taster Exhibition at the CCA Galleries offers a selection of works curated by the Jersey Arts Trust to offer a rounded view of the type of artists involved. This runs for the two-week period and should whet the appetite to encourage people to visit the artists’ studios during the open days. Skipton International is proud to once again back the Jersey Arts Trust in delivering this wide-reaching community initiative to support local artists and create exciting events for Islanders of all ages to get involved in. It is an event that has gathered pace over the past few years to the point that this year we are talking about open studios, gallery exhibitions, workshops and beach fun all rolled into a two week programme of activity. As sponsors of the Skipton Art Series, of which Skipton Open Studios is just one element, we are able to contribute right to the heart of the entire arts community in Jersey. It’s also important that our staff and customers can get involved in the initiatives we support, and once again we are all very much looking forward to going behind the scenes of the studios, meeting artists and getting a first glimpse of some exciting new work. Skipton Open Studios celebrates the wealth of talented artists and makers in Jersey and we support each artist individually and collectively as they
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represent the very best that Jersey has to offer.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2016 SKIPTON OPEN STUDIOS Seaside Shenanigans on Saturday 18th June at Havre des Pas offers a full day of activities for all the family based on the traditional seaside fun, including participation from some of the artists and photographers. Taster Exhibition at CCA Galleries, Hill Street daily from Thursday 16th June to Saturday 2nd July. Who Am I - Story Exchange Sunday 19th June at Signtech, Lewis Lane, St Helier. West Open Studios Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th June. East Open Studios Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd July. Details of the full programme are available online at www.skiptonopenstudios.je or in the free directory which is available from the Jersey Arts Trust offices, CCA Galleries or any number of locations Island-wide.
Get involved Skipton Open Studios Skipton International is proud to support the Skipton Open Studios for the fifth consecutive year alongside long-term partner The Jersey Arts Trust. Part of the Skipton Art Series, Skipton Open Studios involves a record-breaking 63 artists throwing open their doors to show their work to the wider public with some also participating in a two week exhibition at the CCA Galleries, St Helier. The aim of Skipton Open Studios is to provide a chance for the public to meet local artists and gain an insight into how, and where, their work is produced. We look forward to a wide variety of arts-focussed events.
www.arts.je
Get Involved Taster Exhibition at CCA Galleries 16th June to 2nd July Seaside Shenanigans at Havre de Pas 18th June West Open Studios 25th and 26th June East Open Studios 2nd and 3rd July
skiptonopenstudios
OPEN GARDENS TO BENEFIT ST JOHN AMBULANCE Two garden events to benefit St John Ambulance are taking place in June and July: a garden party at La Maison de la Fontaine, St Lawrence, and an open garden at Les Aix, St Peter LA MAISON DE LA FONTAINE, the home of Philip Hewat-Jaboor, is the location of a garden party on the evening of Wednesday 15 June, from 6pm to 8.30pm. The location of the property is Mont de la Perrine, St Lawrence. It is a small, intimate garden, artistically set out around a cottage and with a viewing area which affords an excellent view of the garden. Entrance is £15 per person, which includes a glass of wine and canapés. To reserve tickets, telephone 722566 or e-mail stjohnambulanceappeals@gmail.com.
There is also an afternoon open garden on Sunday 3 July at LES AIX in St Peter, the home of Richard and Ariel Whatmore. They bought ‘Les Aix’ in 1984 and from then on the garden has slowly but surely developed. Ariel said: ‘By living and working on site, ideas about design have gradually transpired that hopefully suit the period of the house. Nevertheless, virtually the whole area has been rearranged and replanted.’ Examples are the drive - lined with oak, hawthorn trees and a mass of hydrangeas, colourful borders, a courtyard garden, avenues of lime trees, topiary designs in the hedges, climbing roses, a water feature and a maze. In short, the gardens are spectacularly beautiful and will delight anyone - even those who are not habitual garden visitors – as these pictures demonstrate. The garden will be open from 2pm to 5pm; entrance £3 with children under 12 free. There is free parking, teas and various stalls. Ariel is an artist and some of her garden paintings will be on display during the garden opening for those interested.
NATURE HAS ALL THE ANSWERS A series on natural health, by our columnist, Diana Mossop
RIGHT FROM THE START BIRTH AND EARLY CHILDHOOD WORLD-WIDE research points to the fact that a natural child birth free from chemical intervention is much more satisfactory and allows babies to bond quicker and to progress healthily. ‘Natural Childbirth’ is nature’s gift to your baby and each stage of birth is related to the release of hormones such as endorphins that give your baby a wonderful boost for survival. Of course pain is not pleasant, however, drugs and procedures used during childbirth, such as Epidural and Oxytocin induction drugs, have many listed side effects, even for the baby, the most common of which is ‘Excitation of the nervous system’ [in other words hyperactivity]. Of course drugs used during childbirth may save yours and your baby’s life, in which case, they are wonderful but when unnecessary should always be avoided. Prepare for natural childbirth by consulting with your midwife. Do breathing and muscle exercises to strengthen and support you to make childbirth a rewarding and intensely spiritual experience. Natural birth stimulates hormones for breast feeding and it is also known that drugs interfere with your ability to breast feed.
As your child progresses you can be more adventurous and the more flavours you introduce at this stage the less fussy your child will be when they are older. Young children should be given lots of succour, nurture, natural food, fresh air and regular exercise. The Institute of Phytobiophysics has produced two valuable harmony packs called Birthing Harmony and Childhood Harmony. St John Ambulance offers valuable First Aid training for young mothers. The training includes such help as saving a choking baby and I strongly recommend that all young parents should attend. *For more information, e-mail info@phytob.com www.dianamossop.com Or phone Diana Mossop Clinic 01534 738737
If you bottle feed your baby, make sure that they tolerate the milk and never heat baby milk in a microwave. Mothers who cannot breast feed often feel heartbroken but the alternative is to nurse and cuddle your baby which offers very powerful bonding. When breast feeding avoid spicy and acidic food such as chilli, curry, citrus, white wine, shell fish, pork and cut out all preservatives, additives and synthetic hormones. Supplement with Flower Formula 9 Bluebell to support breast feeding. Weaning your baby onto solid food is also a very special time for babies and although there are numerous baby and infant foods available there is nothing better than making your own baby food with fresh, organic ingredients free from additives. Some suggestions to start weaning your baby; Mashed banana with stewed apple. Eggs [free range or organic] Scrambled egg is a very unique whole food for babies and I think that most little ones are weened with eggs. Rice: wonderful together with stewed fruit apple, or sieved vegetables such as carrots and peas and mashed potato.
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KEEPING OLD FARMING SKILLS ALIVE THE Samarès Manor Country Fair takes place every year on August bank holiday Monday. ‘It is my favourite event in the Manor calendar,’ writes the Seigneur de Samarès, VINCENT OBBARD
IN the centre of the farm courtyard is a massive working threshing machine, which processes grain, like wheat, separating it from straw and chaff and cleaning and grading it so that it can be milled into flour or used to feed animals. It produces a lot of dust too, as it whirrs, threshes, sieves and beats the corn into its constituent parts.
I have always been intrigued by all the different processes there used to be on a traditional farm in Jersey. This stemmed from my childhood and the joy for me of being able to explore and sift through the contents of the farm loft. There was all sorts of stuff dating from the time of the Second World War and before. I wondered what it was all for.
There is also a working apple crusher, complete with horse, a juice press producing juice from apples and a working bread oven producing Jersey cabbage loaves. Classic car enthusiasts, the owners of antique farm engines and tractors, stallholders and charity stalls take up their places on the Manor lawn, there is music, dancing, archery, swings and roundabouts, story telling, face painting, food and drink galore and all the fun of the fair.
Everything had been kept for a purpose, even if the purpose had long gone. There were plough shares for outdated ploughs, horse harness and cultivators (to fit horses long dead!), pieces for cider presses, bachins for black butter, milk cans, cream dishes, tools for a wood-fired oven and bread making and so much more from a world of which I could then only dream about.
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Farms were self sufficient places, so best use was made from raw materials, like milk to make butter, apples to make cider, wheat and flour to make bread. I began to admire local crafts, especially the blacksmith who could sharpen plough shares by beating them. I watched the cows being milked, the herdsman making butter, the gardener extracting honey. At that time in my childhood, Jersey was, literally, a land flowing with milk and honey. The tools and spare parts which I had found in the loft needed to be used. Twenty years later, I learnt how to milk the cows myself and to plough the land for myself. Some of the tools and spare parts came into their own. I bought a farm horse and, in due course learnt how to fit a collar on him and harness his strength for pulling a cart. I discovered that work was under way to rediscover all the traditional Jersey cider apples. It was imperative for me to plant some of my own and harvest them. Then there came the time that we opened the Manor to the public. Which processes were the most crowd friendly, the most impressive? Take apple crushing. Hundreds of granite apple crushers have become garden features. Why not make one work? Using my own apples? Bringing the Manor cider apple crusher into service with my own horse and setting up a traditional juice press using my own apples has been like making a dream come true.
A threshing machine? No I didn't have one of those, but I was lucky enough to know someone who did and a good friend who could make it work. Threshing machines are as big as a small house and difficult to move. We got over that problem too with the help of my good friend, Charles Le Couteur, and borrowed one from the late Leonard Pipon and, later, another year, another from the Steam Museum, by courtesy of the Pallot family. Charles has since restored his own machine and stores it at Samarès. A bread oven? No I didn't have one of those either. My son, Edward, was keen to build one and there was a stonemason, the late Michel Briand, who was keen to build one. The time came, starting in 1990 and developing each year from then, that we started demonstrating the use of the Manor apple crusher, and we grew a crop of grain specially to demonstrate the use of a threshing machine. We now demonstrate both every year and, simultaneously, fire up Michel's bread oven to demonstrate making the Jersey speciality, cabbage bread loaves. What is the future for this kind of re-creation of obsolete processes and practices? Not only is it fun and a tradition, but it keeps alive the knowledge of how to make, from scratch, the best cider, and the best speciality bread. Finally, it reminds us all it was not that long ago that we all depended for our existence on the hard work and expertise of those who worked on the land.
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SHEILIA JONES:Layout 1 30/05/2016 09:53 Page 1
NINETY MILE BEACH Last Autumn an anthology of poems was published by the late Hautlieu English teacher, Alan Jones, reflecting all aspects of his life, many of them inspired by Jersey. His widow, Sheila, talked to RUTH LE COCQ
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A COLLECTION of poems expressing the thoughts and feelings of a man who inspired hundreds of Islanders to appreciate literature is continuing to raise funds for the Jersey Brain Tumour Charity. Alan Jones, who died in 2013 at the age of 72, mentored and encouraged other writers during his longstanding career as an English teacher at Hautlieu School, and as co-founder of a creative writing group. Last year’s first Jersey Festival of Words was dedicated to his memory with a launch event consisting of readings from his work and personal recollections. This coincided with the publication by Alan’s widow, Sheila, of Ninety Mile Beach, an anthology of poems reflecting all aspects of his life, including teaching, gardening, family, travel and history with many being inspired by Jersey. As a child, Alan lived near Howard David Park where open-air productions first sparked his lifelong love of Shakespeare. He also helped his father to tend an allotment in St Helier, which encouraged him, as an adult, to become a passionate gardener intent on coaxing the inhospitable soil at his Les Landes home to yield all sorts of fruit and vegetables. Sheila still lives at their family home, Heather View, not far from the racecourse, and is surrounded by an oasis of wonderful plants and trees chosen by her late husband over a 40-year period. His love of the garden, which resembled a flat football pitch when they first moved to the area in 1971, has inspired her to nurture the existing greenery while bringing her own thoughts and ideas about how the garden can continue to evolve in a manner that will bring enjoyment to future generations. Walking up the steps from the house to the garden through a rockery flanked on one side by a wildlife pond, Sheila took a winding path through the trees to a wooden seat surrounded by a circular area planted with bushes and shrubs. ‘There was a large tree here that needed to be felled and it seemed like an ideal opportunity to create a special place where we can sit quietly and
remember Alan,’ she said, before adding that one of the poems in Ninety Mile Beach called ‘Shooting Stars’ reminded her very much of her late husband. ‘It’s so evocative of special evenings when summer nights were balmy and no house lights or moon dimmed the heavens above and it is reminiscent of a very happy time in our garden with our friends.’ Wearing a smile, Sheila then pointed to an array of bright blue bottles, turned upside down and balanced on protruding branches and bamboo sticks, dotted all around the garden. ‘Of course, it’s not difficult to remember Alan because he always used these bottles as safety markers so he didn’t get poked in the eye as he pruned the trees and bushes.’ Recognition as a poet first came in 1979, when Alan was a prizewinner in a competition run by New Poetry magazine. Later, he won the Jersey Evening Post Writing Competition twice and had work published by the Jersey Arts Trust. In 2009, he won the Jack Higgins Trophy at the Jersey Eisteddfod for his poem, Ninety Mile Beach, and in later years was successful in national competitions staged by publishers Salisbury House and Peterloo Poets. As Sheila turned the pages of Alan’s diaries chronicling significant events in Jersey’s literary life scattered amongst examples of his own work, she reflected on whether Alan’s self-effacing nature would have deterred him from going down the publishing route had he lived longer. Life events meant that it was left to her, encouraged by Chris Bright, the former editor of the Jersey Evening Post, and Christine Buckland, one of Alan’s former colleagues at Hautlieu School, to ensure that his life’s work, expressing his feelings and ideas and evoking an intensity through his distinctive writing style and rhythm, was shared with others.
ASH (A recollection of a memorable holiday spent in Iceland)
Breakfast conversation stalled over pickled herring. Once, outside this window, Armstrong and Aldrin explored the flickering light across a halo of furrowed slopes; Hverfjall, that sinuous, curving ash cone on the horizon, formed in a single day’s eruption. Its magnet drew us onwards. At mid-day we reached the summit, sat in silent worship, oblivious of the ice-free lake, its ochre lava towers gleaming in the distance behind us, eyes drawn only by the rain-eroded fissures radiating to the crater floor with its small dead central cone. No question of spoiling this symmetry, venturing down into the arena, soiling the clear ash with our boot prints so we took our time returning, lingering over explosions of pink thyme, white campion, bleached twigs against the black ash and scoria-cinders, the long scar where water bubbled in dark rocky pools, the ice-cracked basalt columns, where fertile ash – hugely inconvenient and dirty – nourished bright yellow spurge; the curving beak of the whimbrel on the gorse bush at the edge of the pumice fields, its rippling whistle-trill a promise the sun would not set that day.
The publication, Ninety Mile Beach, sponsored by legal firm Carey Olsen, is available for purchase from their offices at The Esplanade, as well as the Jersey Museum and the Jersey Brain Tumour Charity, also at The Esplanade.
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IN THE KITCHEN Summer recipes with Zoë Horne I LOVE making scrummy food on the weekend to share with my family and friends, but I don’t want it to feel like a chore. That’s why these recipes are ideal, as they are quick to make and delicious too. So whether its brunch, lunch or supper, kick back, relax and enjoy a feast with your friends.
OPEN SUMMER SANDWICH Serves 4 A fresh and seasonal sandwich, perfect for brunch or lunch or as a starter in the evening. 200g asparagus 4tbsp fresh pesto 1tbsp olive oil 1 large ciabatta 125g pack Boursin Light Cheese 4 slices parma ham rocket, to garnish 1 Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) mark 7. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the asparagus for 2min, until just tender. Drain and put in a bowl with the pesto, mix to coat. 2 Halve the ciabatta lengthways and halve again to make four pieces. Drizzle the cut side with the oil. Cook in the oven for 8 mins, until slightly crisp. 3 Divide the ciabatta amongst the 4 plates, spread over the Boursin, top with the pesto coated asparagus, lay over the parma ham and garnish with the rocket to serve. Zoë’s Tip: Next time, mix it up by changing the asparagus for green beans or even frying the parma ham to make it crispy.
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RAINBOW SALAD Serves 4 A bright and colourful salad, perfect on its own or as an accompaniment with a BBQ. For the salad: 200g quinoa 1 orange pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped 100g plum tomatoes, quartered 1/2 red onion, finely sliced 100g shelled edamame beans, defrosted 2 large handfuls of rocket 25g shelled pistachios, chopped For the dressing: 2tbsp white wine vinegar 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1tbsp dijon mustard
1 Cook the quinoa according to the packets instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. 2 Put the cooked quinoa into your serving bowl and add the chopped pepper, tomatoes, onion and edamame beans. Stir to combine and season to taste. 3 In a small jug or bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dressing and drizzle over the quinoa. Stir through the rocket, garnish with the pistachios and serve.
1 garlic clove, crushed Zoë’s Tip: I get my edamame beans already shelled, they are available in a bag from the freezer aisle in Waitrose. They are a great alternative to peas.
SMOKED SALMON GNOCCHI Serves 4 A twist on a carbonara, it’s so quick and easy, but seriously tasty! 500g gnocchi 180g pot reduced fat cream cheese 1 garlic clove, crushed 1tbsp freshly chopped dill, plus extra to garnish zest of 1 lemon 100g spinach 100g smoked salmon, chopped 1 Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the gnocchi according to the packets instructions, or until they bob to the surface, about 3mins. Drain. 2 In a pan heat the cream cheese, garlic, dill, lemon and spinach until hot. Add the gnocchi and mix together until coated. Stir in the smoked salmon and season to taste. Sprinkle over the remaining dill and serve immediately. Zoë’s Tip: Next time, instead of using gnocchi try this dish with any sort of pasta. *See Zoe’s website: www.zoes-kitchen.com
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WHAT’S FOR DINNER? THE FUTURE OF FARMING AND FOOD PRODUCTION – IN JERSEY AND ELSEWHERE What sort of farming do we want in the future? Is there still a viable place for the ‘small mixed farm? Can we – and should we – give more emphasis to producing more food locally for local consumption? Can we still combine agriculture with a traditional countryside and plenty of diverse wildlife?
A series of four UK speaker events in 2016 organised by
RURAL – Jersey Country Life magazine and sponsored by the Howard Davis Farm Trust The series of talks will take place at the Royal Jersey Showground (Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society, Trinity) Starting time: 8pm.
Next Speaker: COLIN TUDGE 16th June at 8pm The subject of his talk: ‘ENLIGHTENED AGRICULTURE – what it is and how it can be achieved’ Colin Tudge is the author and co-founder of the Campaign for Real Farming. His most important book has the rather lengthy title: 'So shall we reap - How everyone who is liable to be born in the next ten thousand years could eat very well indeed; and why, in practice, our immediate descendants are likely to be in serious trouble.' It gives the likely flavour of his speech!
FREE PUBLIC EVENT TO REGISTER, OR FOR DETAILS OF FUTURE EVENTS THIS YEAR E-mail: alasdair.crosby@ruraljersey.co.uk or call Alasdair Crosby on: 865334
THE TWO FOLLOWING SPEAKERS: 30th September 2016 Graham Harvey
24th November 2016 David Wilson
Author and agricultural advisor to 'The Archers' radio programme. An exponent of 'Real food'. His first book, The Killing of the Countryside, was published to critical acclaim in 1997, and was winner of the BP Natural World Book Prize. He is also co-founder of the country’s leading conference on ecological agriculture – the Oxford Real Farming Conference.
Manager of the Prince of Wales' organic farm at Highgrove. His theme: 'The advantages of selling irregularly-shaped carrots'!
THE EVENTS ARE FREE, ALTHOUGH A RETIRING COLLECTION WILL BE TAKEN TO HELP COVER COSTS.
SIX STEPS BACK TO THE LAND Why we need small mixed farms and millions more farmers A new book by the next speaker in the ‘What’s for Dinner?’ series of talks, Colin Tudge Review by Alasdair Crosby ‘BACK TO THE LAND’ – it is beguiling concept and it has beguiled countless generations. However, the modern history of this concept starts with a Papal Encyclical, Rerum Novarum, (1891), enjoining a ‘Third Way’ of life, which was neither Capitalism or Socialism. This inspired the Distributist movement of the 1920s and 1930s, led by Hilaire Belloc and G K Chesterton. More recently, the book ‘Small is Beautiful’ by Fritz Schumacher was a more modern re-statement of this Distributist philosophy. The common thread in ‘Back to the Land’ is a call for people to take up smallholding and to grow food from the land on a small-scale basis, whether for themselves or for others. And now we have a new book by the respected science writer, biologist and author Colin Tudge, who has a lifelong passion for food and agriculture. His book is the most up-to-date expression of Distributism. The first paragraph in ‘Back to the Land’ sets the scene for all that follows: ‘Everyone, everywhere, could have plenty to eat. Farming could and should once again be seen as a desirable, enviable pursuit – assuming its rightful place at the centre of human affairs. As never before, humanity could be at peace with itself and with our fellow creatures and the biosphere at large. We, humanity, might all be looking forward, realistically and with equanimity, to the next million years – when our descendants might draw breath and contemplate the following million. All this is eminently achievable, all that now stands between us and a long and glorious future based on false ideas that happen to be convenient to the people with the most power: ideas rooted in a debased ideology that puts short-term wealth and dominance above all else.’
His book is a plan of action on how to bring about an agrarian renaissance. There are three sections to the contents: The road to enlightened agriculture, agroecology - and the summation of his thought - the agrarian renaissance. For such a renaissance to take place, the western world needs many more farmers – he says (quite rightly) that we have far too few farmers at the moment. The renaissance needs to be rooted in localism and local trade within communities. Hence the title –‘Back to the Land’. An example quoted approvingly in the book is Hornton Grounds Farm in the Cotswolds, a mixed farm owned by former Jersey farmers Catherine and Graham Vint. All of this might seem an impossibly idealistic one-man crusade, but he has a good track record for getting things done: he is an originator of the Oxford Real Farming Conference, held at the same time as and to challenge the Oxford Farming Conference: it began as a small fringe event – now it is attracting as much interest as the long-established and corporate farming main event. Those interested in his ideas can view his website, Campaign for Real Farming (www.campaignforrealfarming.org) and, just launched at the time of writing, his College for Real Farming and Food Culture (www.collegeforrealfarmingandfoodculture.org). Colin Tudge is the guest speaker in the ‘What’s for Dinner?’ series of talks at the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society, at which Colin will be speaking on the evening of 16 June, starting at 8pm. There will be copies of the book available to buy from the rear of the meeting. This is a free event, but we only ask that those wishing to come should register with acrosby@live.co.uk (or telephone 865334) so we can keep a track of numbers coming.
A LITTLE PIECE OF FRANCE IN JERSEY Like French bread but can’t get to France? Don’t worry - there’s a little haven of France here in Jersey, at Bruno’s Bakery in York Street. KIERANNE GRIMSHAW met Bruno Bodnar Bruno
BRUNO’S BAKERY in York Street is ‘all things French’ - from the products to the owner himself. Just sitting outside the Bakery, is testament to its success alone. Early in the morning a constant stream of people enter the bakery and leave with boxes or bags of delicious smelling patisserie and loaves. The aroma of fresh bread and coffee fills the air. An occasional ‘Bonjour Bruno, ca va?’ adds to the French feel of the place, perhaps proof that the presence of Bruno Bodnar is about as important as his authentic products. Bruno is a very personable and experienced Baker. At the tender age of eight, he wanted to be a Baker (little did he really know about the lovely split shifts). At only 14, he studied at the Rouen College of Baking in Normandy, qualifying at 16 and as a pastry chef a year later – two types of bakery work requiring very different skill sets.
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This Bakery was first established by Monsieur Le Gall in 1998 and Bruno took it over a decade later, keeping the French element throughout. We now have the best of both worlds: A French Baker, multinational staff and delicious produce for all our tastes. People are becoming more health conscious nowadays. They want to know what is in their food. This suits Bruno, as his produce is as natural as possible. ‘Bread is a basic staple food but it is wonderful to see the end product using just a few simple ingredients,’ he said. Bruno normally starts work at 5am and finishes around 2pm for a well earned siesta. A recent challenge he’s taken on is to train up an apprentice baker; this means starting work even earlier. At least his valuable experience will be passed on to keep this wonderful Bakery going.
Another demand of the job is to keep self-motivated. Bruno’s passion for his work keeps him going. It’s no wonder that when he does take a well- earned holiday, he just wants to relax, especially as the Bakery is only closed for three days a year. After 29 years of baking, Bruno says it still feels like a ‘juggling act’ - he cannot predict what customers will buy. The demand for different types of bread changes like fashion itself and trends come and go. For the moment, his most popular products are the vanilla slice and the rustic baguette (or baguette traditional). When you taste them, it’s evident why. The latter is a golden brown piece of deliciousness. They say in France a good bread is perfect with any butter, well with these baguettes it’s hard not to bite off most of the ends before you get home. Bruno uses traditional recipes for his bread. When you eat one of his baguettes, the texture is light, crisp and wholesome (a taste of France in one bite). The classic ingredients provide that je ne sais quoi found in those baguettes we eat both in France and at Bruno’s Bakery. So, why does the bread always taste better in France? The French will tell you that a good baguette needs to look,
feel, taste, sound and smell the part. Thanks to the French Government recognising that something this good needed protecting, and passing the Décret Pain (Bread Law) (1993), we seem to have the ‘perfect’ product: The Law stated that French Bakers were only allowed four ingredients in their baguettes; flour, water, yeast and salt and that bread should be made and sold on the premises. Unlike the English, who have been buying sliced bread since the 1930’s, the French refuse to buy these pre-packed versions, which contain more chemicals and preservatives. They prefer to buy fresh every day; it’s ingrained in their culture, with the only exception being for that famous Croque Monsieur. The baguette has become the iconic symbol of both French bread and the nation and long may it last. It’s far more tasty and healthy than processed varieties, so we are lucky to have an authentic French Bakery to keep us going until our next trip to France. Contact details: Email: bruno@brunosbakery.je; Tel: 767355; Website: www.brunosbakery.je
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FUELLING AN ISLAND ICON THE Jersey Royal potato is as famous as the Jersey Cow, Lillie Langtry, and Bergerac. But how the renowned kidney shaped tuber gets from field to fork is an untold tale. Most people notice when the fields are planted out because sheets of plastic cover the côtils and they also know when the crop is being lifted because the countryside roads and lanes are teeming with tractors and heavy machinery of all shapes and sizes. The season officially runs from January to the end of July during which time nearly 25,000 tonnes of potatoes worth in excess of £24 million are harvested, destined mainly for the UK market. Timing is everything because getting our new potatoes on to the shelves of supermarkets ahead of those of our competitors is essential to the continued success of this Island icon, and the industry and livelihoods it supports. The biggest operator and the largest agricultural land manager in the Island, is the Jersey Royal Company, which is a fully integrated produce company farming over 4,000 acres of land. The business grows, grades, washes and packs the potatoes for export and at the peak of the season in May and June up to 500 people are employed in the business. State of the art technology is employed alongside traditional methods dating back to the earliest Royal Jersey Fluke (as it was called when it was first pulled from the ground), with some côtils still hand-harvested and vraic used as a natural fertiliser spread on selected fields to improve the soil. Barrie and Glen Hamel of the Jersey Royal Company come from several generations of farmers, and have been growing potatoes themselves for almost half a century. The Jersey Royal Company work 1,600 fields covering 9,000 vergées of prime agricultural land spread across the Island, with five main sites from which they operate their business. A large fleet of mechanical equipment, with over 200 vehicles including tractors, vans, minibuses and a coach, as well as assorted other equipment have to be kept running round the clock during the busiest months. Although they have some vehicles that can run on battery power or gas the majority of
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their fleet is powered by diesel, and that means being supplied on a regular basis. There are over 10,000 litres of oil per site, at each of the five sites. The tanks are linked to a sophisticated Merrydale fuel system, with secure coded driver access so that the Company can keep track of how much fuel they are using; they can also see how individual farm vehicles are performing: a spike in usage will indicate a mechanical problem or inefficiency, perhaps due to the age of the vehicle, which means action can be taken swiftly and fuel is not wasted. The company also owns accommodation for its staff, including a hotel, all of which requires heating and again the chosen system is oil-fired central heating because of its efficiency and cost. Fluctuations in the price of oil can have a massive impact on a business of this scale. The Jersey Royal Company knows it cannot do much about global oil prices, but what matters to them is a reliable supplier and they have chosen RUBiS for more than 40 years. Barrie Hamel said that knowing that their tanks would be kept topped up is essential; equally important is the response of the supplier in times of emergency. The ability to act immediately in these situations requires a great deal of experience, significant infrastructure and a guaranteed supply. RUBiS has 60 years’ experience in fuelling the Island economy and community, not just in ensuring its products are competitive and available, but working with customers to understand their business needs.
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IS THERE JERSEY HONEY STILL FOR TEA? Jersey’s beekeepers gain their diplomas, thanks to support from the Howard Davis Farm Trust. Trustee Mike Stentiford explains THANKFULLY, public understanding on the importance of pollinating insects, be they bees, butterflies or hoverflies, has vastly improved of late. We now know that, thanks to their daily need to collect pollen, nectar and water to nourish themselves and their larvae, honey bees, in particular, likewise feed us by pollinating the fruit, vegetables and crops that are so essential in our daily lives and to our healthy living. Thanks to the skills of the beekeeper, any surplus honey finds its way, neatly potted and deliciously sweet, on to our breakfast tables. The art of the beekeeper, therefore, is an age-old recognised custom that we probably now rely on more than ever before.
This two-day training course was held at the headquarters of the National Diploma in Beekeeping, a centre close to the town of Sidmouth in East Devon. It was originally hoped and envisaged that training might be given in Jersey by experts arriving from the UK. But, because of the practical use of infectious material (which for obvious reasons could not be imported) alternative arrangements had to be made.
In the summer of 2013, however, Jersey’s beekeepers were experiencing the worst outbreak of a notifiable bee disease the Island had ever seen.
Consequently, having successfully gained a grant from the Howard Davis Farm Trust, ten members of the Jersey Beekeepers Association attended the course which they all passed with flying colours.
Internationally known as American Foulbrood, the disease took hold of the Island’s bees and hives resulting in a third of them having to be destroyed.
One of the principal aims of the JBKA is to provide opportunities for its members to improve their skills and knowledge in the art and science of beekeeping.
This previously unknown disease had a devastating impact, not only on the bee colonies in Jersey, but throughout much of the British Isles as well.
It is a goal to be applauded and one that the HDFT was delighted to support.
Such major unexpected losses quickly focused the minds of members of the Jersey Bee Keepers Association who feared the likelihood of other potential threats to their bees and their hives.
In order to keep ahead of any developing situations, the JBKA applied for a grant from the Howard Davis Farm Trust to allow members of the association to attend a ‘bee disease recognition’ course in the UK.
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SH ER AT ON K I TCHENS Exclusive to Pastella
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Mike Stentiford has the last word
IN TUNE WITH JUNE Songs of an avian summer – Jersey’s musical summer visitors PROOF, if indeed proof were ever needed of the increase in daytime temperatures is now being fully endorsed in a variety of natural ways. Just like farmers, gardeners or anyone else, in fact, with a penchant for getting things done outdoors, wildlife too has been making hay during all those wee small hours of the morning, noon and eventide. June, after all, is the month when new-born wildlife takes its first wobbly steps into a world where trials and tribulations become the normal order of each new day. For birds, in particular, these extra hours prove of paramount importance not least because of the annual commitment towards family responsibilities. To say that they don’t regard such annual obligations with anything like the gravest seriousness would belittle the dedicated workload many of them have taken on. There can be few places where such frenzied deliberations appear more visible to us than in and around our garden nest-boxes. It’s here that great and blue tit parent birds respond to a frenetic round of commuting to and from the nearby ‘caterpillary’ supermarket. ‘Grub up’ doesn’t come more literal. In a way, though, while family commitments are now probably at their peak, by mid-summers day - June 24 - most wildlife watchers attuned to the melodic sound of birdsong are likely to be in a wistful state of mourning. The month of May, you see, has passed into yesterday’s memory-box taking with it the utter joy of peak-time birdsong. It’s never easy to put a finger on exactly what it is about birds socialising on their avian network that induces such feel-good factors.
Whatever it is, it’s done little or no harm to an army of poets and composers who, collectively, have capitalised on the tweets, chirps and flourishes of birds that can certainly deliver a good tune when they have to. But, while songbirds start to put away their song sheets for another year, life for the feathered fraternity continues apace. And, if there’s one good thing that’s currently putting a broad smile on the face of any local watcher of birds, then it’s the presence of summer migrants. As the name implies, these are the species we only say hello to during the briefest of summer months. While some manage to honour their seasonal obligations by arriving on cue each spring, others fail to do so although through no direct fault of their own. Principal among these absentees is the cuckoo and just to hear a single call these days is regarded as something of a privilege. The reason why the species has apparently turned its back on us here in the Island is clouded in uncertainty. There’s certainly no shortage of habitat or, for that matter, in finding a motley selection of unsuspecting foster parents. No, a cuckoo’s woes seem to occur somewhere deep in the African sub-continent where war, famine, drought and a number of other unnatural complexities have become commonplace. Sadly, such problems have not been the sole copyright of the cuckoo: other once familiar summer visitors are also having to face up to the same big challenges. Swifts, for instance, once the movers, screamers and shakers above the rooftops of St Helier, are in nothing like the numbers they were even a decade ago. It’s all rather sad and the list of certain species unable to return to the Island each summer tends to lengthen annually. All the more reason for us to celebrate the hardy migrants that, somehow, do manage to adhere to their air miles I’d say!
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Clear investment. Pure energy.
ELECTRIC HEATING PLEASING CROWDS IN GROWING NUMBERS
HOW ABOUT YOU? Hundreds of customers in Jersey are now converting their homes to electric heating. It’s greener, it’s cleaner, it’s sustainable, it’s 100% efficient. Electricity is the energy of the future. Thousands of Islanders are ready for that future. Call 505460 and we’ll take a look at your existing heating system and help you get ready for that future, too.
Tel 505460 www.jec.co.uk
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