It was true in every particular, though the irony of politicians eager to clamp down on offshore finance centres sitting down to fare provided by one of the jurisdictions that they may have in their sights will not have been lost on some of the sharper guests enjoying Mr Brown’s hospitality.
That said, we shall probably never know whether the Royal offering spurred any table talk, although we can be confident that, from the culinary point of view, there can have been no better vegetable accompaniment to the banquet’s main course.
We can also be confident that such prominent positioning of one of the Island’s finest products will have been worth a great deal in promotional terms. It is the sort of publicity that money simply cannot buy.
Part of the credit for staging this coup must, of course, go to celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and the team of young chefs from his restaurant, Fifteen. They visited the Island last week as part of their search for the very best produce that Britain can offer and decided that our famous potatoes fitted the bill perfectly.
However, perhaps even more credit should go to Ted Egré of Aigremont Farm in St Saviour, who grew the ten kilos of potatoes sent to Downing Street for the Best of British feast. Royals are almost always an utter delight, but only the very best will have been selected for such a prestigious occasion with such distinguished guests.
It is too early to say whether this year is going to be an average, poor or particularly good potato season, but it could scarcely have begun on a higher note as far as marketing is concerned. As John Garton, the chief executive of Jersey Product Promotion, has said, the combination of the Royal, Jamie Oliver and Barack Obama could scarcely be bettered as a showcase for this year’s crop.
Meanwhile, it is possible that, contrary to popular but erroneous perceptions, our Royals will remind some of the world’s major movers and shakers that Jersey has an identity and a proud heritage based on far more than its position as a location for financial services – vital as those services are as our prime source of wealth in this modern age.
