JERSEY ROYAL POTATOES

I’m a potato person, and I’m proud of that fact. Roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, dauphinoise, gnocchi and rosti are all life-affirming, starchy stalwarts of my cooking, but when spring comes around, bringing with it Jersey Royal potato season, all the other spuds go out the window. The flavour of this variety is something so exceptional, I tend to try and smuggle them into as much of my cooking as possible.

As a child, they were a favourite at our springtime Sunday lunches, cooked with a sprig of mint until tender and creamy, then liberally buttered and showered with sea salt and lots of black pepper. There was an excitement and ceremony to my mum and dad’s fondness for them, and that’s stayed with me over the years. While they’re a particularly lovely accompaniment to blushing roast lamb and minted peas, I’d also argue that, especially at the start of the short season (which runs from the end of March to July), they’re