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
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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A crane falls into St Helier Harbour
- A 25-year-old crane operator drowned when his crane fell from Victoria Pier into St Helier harbour.
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Pilot helps yacht in distress
- When a pilot spotted a yacht in distress while flying his aircraft from Jersey to Heston Airport, he dropped down low to see if he could help.
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Jersey Airport crash kills 26 on a plane
- The only survivor of a fatal crash at Jersey Airport was the stewardess, 23-year-old Dominique Sillitere. 26 others were killed.
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