Charity adoptions traditionally involve a panda or a seal – but one Jersey company has instead been encouraging islanders to adopt potatoes.
The Jersey Royal Company has raised almost £2,000 for local food and nutrition charity Caring Cooks by offering rows of potatoes up for adoption for £50 each.
The adopted Jersey Royals will be grown over the next few months and harvested in the spring, when adopters will each receive a 10kg bag of potatoes.
A total of 38 rows have been sold, raising £1,900 for the charity, which supports islanders who are struggling financially by providing them with nutritious meals and food vouchers.
Caring Cooks chief executive Yvonne Corbin described the potato-adoption scheme as “a brilliant initiative” which brought together “local produce, community support and charitable giving in a really accessible way”.
“We were delighted to be chosen as the beneficiary and hope it is something Jersey Royal Company will consider running again in the future,” she added.
Jersey Royal Company farm director Adrian Baudains said: “We hope this initiative will connect with our loyal customers, as they get a behind-the-scenes look into our growing practices and get to own a part of something special from the start, all the while helping to raise funds for a worthwhile local charity.
“Jersey Royals are highly anticipated every year by foodies across the UK, and this initiative helps to promote the seasonality of fresh produce and the full journey from field to fork.”
Owners of the rows received:
- A gift pack including a welcome letter, personalised certificate confirming their row and Jersey Royal recipe cards.
- A personalised marker in the field to mark their row.
- Exclusive updates and videos from planting through to harvest.
- 10kg of freshly harvested Jersey Royals delivered to their door in April, with sharing bags provided for them to fill and gift.
Islanders can donate to Caring Cooks here.