Jersey Royals in ad campaign during Corrie breaks

An advert celebrating Jersey Royal Potatoes, an important sector of Jersey's agricultural economy, has been shown during the advert breaks in Coronation Street as part of a new campaign.

UK potato producer Albert Bartlett is unrolling a £3m ad campaign featuring TV chef Michel Roux Jr to mark the Jersey Royal Potato season.

It is the first time the producer has created a campaign supporting Jersey Royals since it took over the Jersey Royal Company in 2024.

The ad opens with fifth-generation farmer Nick Mourant surveying his crop before potatoes are seen rolling down the streets to be caught by the public.

The advert then cuts to Roux preparing the potatoes in his kitchen, culminating in a family enjoying them at the dinner table.

Jersey Royals can be traced back to 1878 when many different varieties were being been grown on the island.

A local farmer, Hugh de la Haye, found two enormous potatoes in a local store, and that led to the development of the Jersey Royal, now Jersey's biggest crop export, accounting for about 70% of agricultural turnover, according to a report in 2024.

The value of exports of the potato variety, according to the most recent figures from the Government of Jersey in 2017, was £32m.

John Hicks, marketing director at Albert Bartlett, said: "It's a feel-good ad that pays homage to the rich history of Jersey Royal and the traditional farming methods still deployed on the island today."

Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [email protected].