The Eat Jersey Food Festival 2019: A Gastronomic Weekend to Remember

I can’t believe I’ve just returned from Jersey, again! A local resident who I met on one of my previous visits referred to me a Bean just a few days ago and at first I had no idea what they were talking about, but it turns out a “bean” is the name for a long-term Jersey resident and whilst I’m not, I’ve certainly been frequenting this island quite alot over the last few years. The weather is always (well has been when I’ve visited) sunny, it takes just 40 minutes on a flight and even though it’s so close, it feels like somewhere much further than it is with its fresh seafood and crystal clear waters.

My recent visit back to Jersey was to attend the 2019 Eat Jersey Food Festival and what a treat it was. This year the Eat Jersey Food Festival at The Atlantic Hotel ran from 22nd to 23rd March 2019, where Executive Chef Will Holland was joined by a line-up of acclaimed chefs from Jersey and Britain to celebrate the finest of island produce and dining. As we arrived at the hotel, the sun was shining once again, the grounds of the property were looking immaculate and the moment we walked back through the hotels doors, we knew we were set for a magical gastronomic weekend.

I checked into my sea view bedroom which was the same I’ve stayed in previously and I absolutely love it. Classic in style, with a colonial/nautical nod and all of the amenities I could need for my short stay.

With the balcony doors wide open, it’s the perfect place to pull up a chair and tuck into a good book if you have a spare minute or two. If not, simply enjoy those stunning views looking down onto the pool and over the bay.

Once we were settled in, we popped downstairs to the lounge for a spot of lunch, but as the sun was shining – we took it out onto the terrace. I sipped on a gin & tonic and tucked into a Caesar salad, whilst a friend of mine who was also attending Angie Silver, enjoyed a fresh plate of local smoked salmon.

After lunch, we took to the grounds of The Atlantic Hotel to enjoy those magnificent views it has to offer from the cliff edges, looking down over Le Braye as the tide was out. You might even be lucky enough to pass one of the resident grass snakes or rabbits.

For the afternoon, we took the car out and headed north of the island. An area I really haven’t explored much of before and it’s absolutely stunning up this way. Jersey can sometimes be a very foggy place I’ve been told, yet this was my first time seeing it and from up here, it really added to the atmosphere as it slowly rolled down over the hills and across the ocean.

A few miles later and we arrived at our location, Manor Farm. The farm is owned by husband and wife duo Didier and Christine Hellio who are passionate Jersey locals, dedicated in producing the very best that Jersey has to offer – particularly Jersey Royals! There’s even an honesty offering at the front of the farm to pick-up fresh fruits and vegetables daily which are grown on site.

With the famous Jersey Royal being this farms most renowned produce, we got to learn all about them, from planting, to picking. Christine suggested so many lovely sounding ways to prepare the humble potato, but most importantly – smothering then in good quality butter and a sprinkling of sea salt. Jersey Royals have been grown in Jersey for 140 years and today there are approximately 20 island farmers who grow Jersey Royals and you can see these potato farms all across the island. We got to take a bag home and they really were excellent.

Dressed and ready for dinner, I couldn’t wait for the most exciting part of our weekend escape. An evening by Will Holland and a brigade of renowned chefs from across Britain who have created a six course menu of dishes inspired by local ingredients, served with a paired wine flight. We started with Champagne and some of the most delicious canapés which made their way around the room, each different one created by each of the attending chefs. My favourite was the Hassel back Jersey Royals with creme fraiche and a dollop of caviar. Especially as we saw these same potatoes leave Manor Farm when we arrived their earlier in the day.

Once we sat down and a few speeches were made to mark the start of the evening, some delicious fluffy bread arrived, accompanied by some seaweed butter which had been created by Chris Underwood of Adam Handling’s The Frog in London. The seaweed had been foraged that day from the ocean so was as fresh and punchy as could be. The bread was also some of the finest you’re ever likely to eat too.

Next up was soft and tender pig cheeks with local Jersey scallops and sea herbs also collected during the morning. This dish was one of my favourites and was the work of Paul Leonard from the Burlington Restaurant at the Devonshire Arms Hotel & Spa. Everything was so well cooked and the execution of both the scallop and cheek was impressive given how many covers were in the room.

Most surprising dish for me was the salt-baked celeriac with hazelnut, truffle and pecorino. A dish created by a chef whose cooking has been top of my list and so I’m glad it was as good as expected, if not better. Richard Davies is the head chef at Calcot Manor and if this dish was anything to go by, a Michelin star will no doubt be coming his way in the near future. I should also apologies for my poor food photos at this point, but it was rather dark in the dining room that evening.

Lee Smith of Samphire restaurant in Jersey created our next plate of food which was a turnip pappardelle, topped with a deep-fried Jersey oyster and smothered in Champagne sauce. Wonderfully seasoned, perfectly cooked and for someone who doesn’t usually enjoy oysters, I rather liked this. Ingredients featured throughout Eat Jersey were sourced from the land and waters surrounding Jersey.

I’ve gone on and on in the past when it comes to a certain Manchester restaurant and I can only blame myself for not returning the last couple of years, but it was so good to experience that same cooking once again here in Jersey. Adam Reid is head chef of The French in Manchester and to this date, it’s still one of my most memorable experiences. Tater ’ash’ of retired Jersey dairy cow was served with mushroom catsup, thin slices of tongue and malted sourdough with beef butter. Rich and delicious – what more do I need to say. This was my favourite dish from the evening.

Chris Underwood of The Frog who created that amazing bread also created our dessert. It was a very savoury mix of artichoke ‘caramac’, peanut butter, orange and celery sorbet. I liked this dish and of all the dishes we ate, it got the table really talking. Personally however I’d have loved a more sweeter dessert given the savoury courses we just enjoyed before. I know how good desserts at The Frog can be and this was a great little experimental dish.

The next morning, as part of this two-day event, International charity Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust was once again the Festival’s partner, so we took the cars and set off on a visit to Jersey Zoo to discover the animals of the island and also a unique behind the scenes opportunity, discovering how the animals food is prepared. There are alot of bugs they like to eat and we got VERY close to some of them let me tell you!

Durrell’s mission of saving species from extinction can really be felt when you visit as the people here are so passionate about what they do and I conquered some of my own fears of being close to just about anything with wings! I walked through the new butterfly farm, stood inside a bat enclosure (I even stroked one for a whole 2 seconds) and got up close with the other zoo residents. A fantastic day out and for anyone visiting the island, this is a great day out for both children and adults.

The next day on Saturday 23rd March, the hotel’s restaurant “Ocean” embraced its ‘Social Saturday’ which was an exclusive pop-up restaurant for one day only in partnership with London’s renowned Social Eating House. A restaurant that’s been on my list but one I still haven’t gotten around to visiting so this was an amazing opportunity to experience the cooking of Social’s Chef Patron Paul Hood for a collaborative ‘four-hands’ menu of dishes and with wine flights paired by The Atlantic’s sommelier team. It all started with the most fabulous bread and seaweed butter.

Our first course was the most pristinely plated medley of raw Jersey scallops with lime ceviche, thinly sliced Jerusalem artichoke, wasabi, smoked avocado, sea herbs and horseradish. A little Japanese in its qualities, this was absolutely stunning. Sweet, salty, mouth-watering. If I could have eaten just one dish over the entire two days, I’d have picked this.

Equally as good was the retired Jersey dairy cow beef tartare with ‘Bloody Mary’, pullet egg jam, nasturtium and rye bread. I had absolutely no idea you could eat dairy cows, but this was surprisingly good, much richer in flavour and very soft in the mouth. Everything about this tartare screamed Michelin stars to me and if I was back home in London eating this, I’d be telling all my friends because it was that good.

English Channel turbot, dashi glaze, Jersey royals, spring vegetables, kombu and bonito stock and chives. Another faultless plate of food and I could taste every ingredient on the menu, nothing felt lost and nothing felt like it was overpowering the other.

We finished out lunch with dessert which was a 70% chocolate delice with cocoa nib Jersey yoghurt, tarragon ice cream and Jersey sea salt. I absolutely loved the savoury ice cream which cut into the rich chocolate nicely and the salt added just a little tang to it all. A rich dessert, but nearly not as heavy as I expected it to be.

I’ve always said I’ve never had a bad meal in Jersey, from the coastal seafood shacks to the fine dining restaurants and these meals have once again confirmed that – helping to continue to put Jersey on the worldwide gourmet map. The event is set to run again in 2020 next year and I only hope I’ll be returning for such a special event. To keep up to date with next years events at the Atlantic Hotel, visit their website or for anything Jersey related, the tourism board Visit Jersey has everything you might need to know. Jersey – I’ll be seeing you again very soon!