CHALLENGE:

Jersey Royals are a seasonal new potato, coveted by UK chefs and loved by British consumers, however they only have a short seasonal window of three months a year and our role is to keep them top of mind throughout their brief season and show consumers why it’s worth trading up to Jerseys while they can. 

INSIGHT:

Jersey Royals are arguably the most-loved spud for Brits and have an incredibly rich heritage, having been grown in Jersey for over 140 years using traditional farming techniques and holding a PDO, of which there are only 94 across all the United Kingdom.

We know that chefs love Jerseys and can’t wait to get them on their menus.  In a sense, the chefs create the hype and consumers follow. How could we work with a high-profile chef to lead the way at the start of the season…

ACTIVITY:

Understanding the need to communicate Jersey Royals unique credentials, we partnered with celebrity chef and household name, Jamie Oliver, to act as brand ambassador for these premium potatoes. The goal was to inspire a wide audience across the UK to buy and cook with Jersey Royals, with recipe ideas and a cookery school through a trusted voice in the cooking field.

The partnership bridged digital and in-person elements, including the development of new recipes, social media videos and an interactive cooking class.

Born from Jamie’s genuine love of Jersey Royal new potatoes, and to coincide with the height of the season, we secured a partnership with Jamie from March - September 2022.

The deliverables included, three original Jamie Oliver Jersey Royal recipes and an interactive in person cookery class on how to cook Jersey Royals three ways. The cookery course was so popular that Jamie decided to run it again in 2023.

The full recipes are housed on the Jersey Royals website and were shared across the Jersey Royals, Jamie Oliver and Jamie Oliver Cookery School social channels to encourage consumers to buy Jersey Royals throughout the season and recreate the recipes at home.

RESULTS:

On Sunday 8th May, The Jamie Oliver Cookery School hosted the sold-out Great British Roast class, including three unique recipes for cooking Jersey Royals. The class featured tips for preparing a shoulder of lamb, along with how to create delicious sides including three ways to showcase Jersey Royals while they’re in season and at their best. 

Jamie Oliver has long been an advocate of Jersey Royals, but this partnership allowed us to build on this relationship further and to cement the association between Jersey Royals and Jamie Oliver. It also allowed us to promote cooking with Jersey Royals at the peak of the season through a well-respected nationwide cookery school.

To extend the reach of the partnership, Jamie filmed 2x pieces to camera which were shared across the Jersey Royals, Jamie Oliver and the Jamie Oliver Cookery School social channels. 

Sold out cookery class with Jersey Royals, repeated in 2023

102 million + reach, 22,417 in engagements

The Jamie Oliver partnership gave us a total reach on social media of over 1 million, a 40% increase in reach when compared to the chef content from last year. 

Partnering with a big name such as Jamie Oliver is proven to deliver huge results and generates widespread awareness for Jersey Royals amongst a mainstream food-loving audience.