16th April 1859
First Jersey Royals are exported to London
Jersey new potatoes only found fame on the mainland after the first shipment went on sale in Covent Garden on 16 April 1859. They were an immediate hit, and three further shipments were sent before the end of the season, plus a fourth to Swansea. That was just the start of their success. Less than 10 years later, Jersey was exporting more than 4000 tons of potatoes to the mainland, and demand has been strong ever since.
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Other events that occured in April
First Jersey Royals are exported to London
- Jersey new potatoes only found fame on the mainland after the first shipment went on sale in Covent Garden on 16 April 1859.
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The death of a very wealthy shipping baron
- When ship builder Sir Robert P Houston died, he left a £7m fortune and no male heir, which was bad news for his wife.
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French catamaran, St Malo, strikes rocks
- A rescue operation swung into action when Saint-Malo, a French-owned catamaran, struck La Frouquie rock off Jersey with 307 passengers aboard.
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Channel Islanders liberated from prisons across Germany
- Channel Islanders who had been sent to prisons in Germany during the Occupation were liberated in April 1945.
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