Spring-Summer Pure Jersey Part 1 with adverts:jersey Cover AW

More documents

Recommendations

Info

J’Aime Jersey How French is Jersey? Is it British through and through? The answer to these questions reveals the true character of the island, as Roger Thomas finds out. I’d just eaten a deliciously flaky, buttery croissant for breakfast. I was now driving through the heart of the country along La Rue de l’Eglise. On the side of the road I passed a pink granite farmhouse, its slatted window shutters opened to let in the morning sun. It wasn’t long before I came to the entrance of La Mare Wine Estates. No, I wasn’t in France. I was driving on the left-hand side of the road, through the lanes of Jersey. There’s only a tiny soupçon of truth in the island’s genteel, Old School image. Cream teas, classic cars and a bucolic, blazered vision of an England remembered are no longer common currency in this cosmopolitan island. For a true view of Jersey you have to look north and south, for it’s an island – culturally as well as geographically – that straddles two nations. So is Jersey French or British? It’s neither. The island is a unique mix of the two – and that’s what gives it its identity, charisma and character. It’s a blend of British common sense and French flair, Breton-style seashores and traditional beach cafés, Norman farm buildings and modern cityscapes, Gallic seafood and good, old-fashioned sandwiches, alfresco terraces and country pubs, cappuccinos and… yes, cream teas. The French writer Victor Hugo described Jersey as ‘pieces of France fallen into the sea and picked up by England’. A little history lesson is perhaps in order to reveal how it all came about. Jersey is not part of the United Kingdom but it owes allegiance to the crown. Its legislative assembly, the States of Jersey, is self-governing in internal matters, reliant on the UK government only for defence and overseas representation. And it’s not a part of the EU. Modern Jersey’s lineage goes back to the 10th century when the Channel Islands were annexed by the Duke of Normandy. It subsequently became part of the Anglo- Norman realm after William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings. Jersey’s future path was determined in 1204 when King John lost Normandy to the French and the islanders had to choose between Normandy and the English crown. In opting for the latter they gained rights and privileges that to this day are not subject to the British parliament. So Jersey goes its own way. Which means everything from speed limits (just 15mph in its tranquil ‘Green Lanes’) to taxation, and local quirks like honorary (unpaid and non-uniformed) policemen and the ‘branchage’, a twice-yearly ritual during which the roads are inspected to make sure hedgerows are cut back. If your hedge is too thick, expect a call from an honorary policeman. They have real policemen too, by the way. So don’t come to Jersey looking for a plain and simple English colony. I plunged deeper into the island’s identity when I met Geraint ST LAWRENCE GARDEN 04 pureJersey 1 book online at www.jersey.com 05
J’Aime Jersey 06 pureJersey Jennings of the Société Jersiaise, an organisation dedicated to studying and preserving all things Jersey. He explained how Jèrriais, the local ‘Jersey French’ dialect, is still spoken by around 3% of the island’s 90,000 inhabitants, but almost 20% understand it. ‘At one time Jersey was a trilingual island, speaking Jèrriais, French and English,’ he went on to explain. ‘French is still used as an administrative, legal and ceremonial language, a quarter of the population still speak it, and until 1959 we had a French language newspaper in the island.’ You don’t have to delve too deep to see French influences elsewhere. Try any bistro chalkboard or restaurant menu for a start. It was a genuine revelation to me just how universally good the food is in Jersey, from humble beach kiosks to swanky Michelinstarred restaurants. I was staying at the newly refurbished Grand Hotel on St Helier’s seafront. This Jersey grande dame has recently been born again as a glossy celebrity thanks to a multi-million pound renaissance, and I think it won’t be long before there’s another Jersey entry in the esteemed Michelin guide. On my first night there I’d eaten at Victoria’s, an excellent, informal restaurant. But this was eclipsed by my gourmet experience the following evening. The Grand’s Tassili restaurant, a partnership with Albert Roux, one of the world’s leading French chefs, oozes style and sophistication. It’s chic and contemporary, with sleek service and food that lives up to the surroundings. I can still taste the seared scallops and langoustine with green pea purée I had as a starter. The fillet of turbot with almond clams and parsley jus that followed was pretty sensational too. At the other end of the scale, I found a whole crab for sale for a bargain £1.95 in St Helier’s Fish Market. And I’ve become an enduring fan of those retro beach cafés you see everywhere selling fresh crab sandwiches for less than you’ll pay for mass-produced supermarket stodge. There are local specialities too. Bean Crock (Un Piot et des Pais au Fou) is a Jersey adaptation of the French dish cassoulet using beans and pigs’ trotters. It’s often on the menu at Hamptonne, a country life museum based at a large, rambling farm complex with buildings from many centuries, including Langlois, a house very similar to those in medieval Brittany. Hamptonne is deep in the country on the way to La Mare WIne Estates. Jersey makes the most of the fact that it’s on the same latitude as northern France by having its very own, bona fide award-winning vineyard. It’s here that I met Tim Crowley, the dynamo behind La Mare. ‘It’s classed as a French, not English vineyard,’ he explained. ‘Our biggest grape variety is pinot noir, which of course is a very famous northern French variety.’ They make cider and brandy too. ‘Cider is much easier to make than wine,’ admitted Tim. You can see it all for yourself on a guided tour of this immaculate vineyard and winery. BEACH CAFÉS, A JERSEY SPECIALITY THE SEAFOOD IS SUPERB SETTING OFF FOR ST MALO The views from Jersey are another reminder of how closely intertwined the island has always been with its French neighbour. Go to the east coast and you’ll see the Cherbourg peninsula, clearly visible just 18 miles across the water. In fact, France is such a short hop away that it’s easy to build it into a day trip as part of a visit to Jersey. There’s a roaring trade in day visits to St Malo and other French ports, as I discovered when my wife Liz and I took the busy 8.45am Condor Ferry from St Helier. In just over an hour we were sitting in Place Chateaubriand, snug within St Malo’s tall, fortified walls, enjoying a café crème. St Malo’s the perfect day trip destination. All you could possibly want to see and do are within or just outside the walls, so it’s easy to explore on foot. For fabulous views of sky and sea do as we did and take the wall walk encircling the town. Then drop down to street level to the shops and cafés and follow passageways between sober, grey-stoned buildings topped by upper stories in vibrant, doll’s house colours. And, in a town where you’re never far from a restaurant or three, you must grab a table on the terrace and enjoy a glass of wine and a dish of moules. The boat left at 5.30pm. In another hour or so we were back in the Grand’s Champagne Lounge, sipping the bubbly stuff and pondering the fact that France and Jersey are closer than you might think – in more ways than one. 1 book online at www.jersey.com 07
Page 1 and 2: For further information visit www.j
Page 3: Island Snapshots Here’s an overvi
Page 7 and 8: Jerseyfile: The Art of Life - Good
Page 9 and 10: Walking on the Moon In the late 18t
Page 11 and 12: Jerseyfile: Walking St Peter’s Co
Page 13 and 14: Life and Liberty Jersey’s experie
Page 15 and 16: 250,000 BC Jerseyfile: History and
Page 17 and 18: Festival Island 2008 Throughout the
Page 19 and 20: All at Sea WATCHING THE WILDLIFE LA
Page 21 and 22: Jerseyfile: Activity Island Surfing
Page 23 and 24: The Car-Free Challenge GRÈVE DE LE
Page 25 and 26: Jerseyfile: Island Exploration WINE
Page 27 and 28: Living the Life What’s it like to
Page 29 and 30: so Accommodating MARY ANNE AT HOME
Page 31 and 32: The Panorama La Rue du Croquet, St.
Page 33 and 34: General Information For more specif

Spring-Summer Pure Jersey Part 1 with adverts:jersey Cover AW

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?