Jersey royal potatoes delayed by 'beast from the east'

Severe winter weather postpones season by at least three weeks and yield could be 20% lower

The jersey royal season is at least three weeks late after the "beast from the east" delayed the planting of the spring crop.

The potato's short season, usually from April to mid-July, has been affected by hard frosts and almost double the 30-year average of rainfall in December and January, which growers say left the ground saturated and "undesirable for planting".