Distinctive Jersey Largest Of The Channel Islands Mixes English, French Cultures

I’d heard things about the Island of Jersey: It was close to being a feudal fiefdom; sported cabbages with 15-foot stalks that were fashioned into walking sticks; was a tax haven of the rich and famous; and possessed a popular adopt-a-snail and/or gorilla program many subscribed to.

My curiousity was piqued.

So, a sense of disappointment washed over me as an uncharacteristic gray cloud blocked my aerial view of Jersey Island, the largest of the 11 Channel Islands that interrupt the roiling Atlantic surging between England and France.

I couldn’t see a darn speck of this ancient French- and British-influenced isle shaped, I would later observe, like a big, blowzy butterfly - its wings ruffled and ruckled by the sea-dazed winds.

And then, quite suddenly, there it was. The dense mists parted like a curtain on opening night and below me lay a tidy, verdant island checkered with pink granite farmsteads and manses (each with its own lush garden), a surprising number of greenhouses and miles of beach that trimmed the perimeter of Jersey in a pleasant ribbon of white.

As I was driven down oak-shaded country roads toward my hotel, I was interested to note the Gallic look of the place, even though Jersey was ruled by France only 200 of the last 900 years. The rest of the time the British held sway, starting with William the Conqueror, who claimed the English crown in 1066. He combined British lands with the Duchy of Normandy, of which the Channel Islands were a part.

Today, 45-square-mile Jersey’s many French accents are reflected in its 12 parishes - street names like Bagatelle Road and Clos du Paradis - and its delightful preoccupation with good food and drink.

Jersey possesses, however, distinct differences from both England and the island’s nearby neighbor, France, whose northwest coast lies just 14 miles away. Unlike England, Jersey basks in a salubrious microclimate that awards it the most sunshine of anyplace in the British Isles. Also, it produces fabulous cuisine, which, for want of a better term, connoisseurs have dubbed “nouvelle English” (quite unlike England’s bad old days of uninspired thrice-boiled vegetables and fatty beef).

Jersey is also unlike France because English is the language of choice - though ancient Norman-French can still be heard in the rural districts. And, British sterling is the coin of the realm, though there is a Jersey currency which you’re likely to be given when receiving change after paying a bill.

Finally, that cranky, toffee-nosed insularity the full-blown Frenchman claims as his birthright is wholly lacking here. The local folk are sophisticated, welcoming, friendly, courteous and glad you’ve come to visit.

Who, I queried a Jerseyman, did the island owe allegiance to - England or France?

“Well,” he replied, “Jersey is a bailiwick.”

“What’s that exactly?” I asked, a little startled.

Because of ancient Royal Charters, he informed me, Jersey was British all right. But it has its own judicial system, is free from United Kingdom taxes and owes no allegiance to the British Parliament, only to the Queen - and only in her capacity as the “Duke of Normandy.”

My frown cleared. “You get to run the country pretty much as you want; you pay your own minimal income tax (20 percent); but you have the protection of the British Crown.”

He nodded his assent.

Every country’s dream, I mushed as I trundled off to explore this quirky island.

“C” words loomed large as I became aware that Jersey was not only famous for its cuisine and bulging coffers (there are 78 banks on the island, garnering it the name “little Zurich”), but also for cows (Jersey), crops (especially Jersey Royal potatoes), cardigans (Jerseys) and castles - not to mention those giant cabbages.

It was at centuries-old Samares Manor that I located the fabled cabbage-stalk walking sticks. The manor itself possesses one of the largest herb gardens in Britain, as well as stunning grounds. It also offers rides in old-fashioned Jersey horse-drawn carts, elaborate “cream” teas, and house tours. It is only at the on-site craft shop called L’Etacq Woodcrafts that you can find those lightweight, silver-handled walking sticks created for generations out of Jersey cabbages known as “Long Jacks” that grow to 15 feet.

As you drive slowly along winding, garden-encrusted lanes, you can easily catch sight of two other famous island c’s - cows and crops.

Fawn-colored, big-eyed Jersey cows are the only breed allowed on the island, and this has been the case for over 200 years. Their milk, prized for its high butterfat content, has made them a popular breed worldwide. It’s no doubt Jersey cows originally put the island on the map.

Another worldbeater is the Jersey Royal potato - a small, thin-skinned, kidney-shaped new potato so scrumptious some 40,000 tons are exported annually.

A raft of other fresh produce prospers in the rich volcanic island soil - both outside, and in a multitude of greenhouses.

This produce, along with a plethora of fresh seafood (lobsters, crabs, scallops, oysters, and sea bass among them), are two of the reasons little Jersey is host to 177 restaurants. (Another reason the nine-mile-by-five-mile island can support so many fine dining spots and top-drawer hostelries - some 300 hotels, inns and guest houses - is 670,000 annual tourists and a cadre of rich, famous and titled folk who now call Jersey home because of its low taxes and great quality of life.) Even if you don’t count visitors and the resident glitterati, the locals appreciate good food and eat out frequently.

Consequencely, talented and highly sought chefs flock here from all points of the globe and freely make use of local provender in their award-winning dishes.

Traditional fare can still be found, including bean crock (similar to a French cassoulet), conger eel soup, black butter (really a thick, tasty apple-based preserve), and des Boudelots (apples baked in a spicy dough). But, at the majority of restaurants - tucked cozily up above a harbor or bay, below a castle, in a centuries-old farmhouse, or part of a manor-house hotel - you’re more apt to encounter roast sea scallops with jade sauce and a mustard vinaigrette, twice-baked goat cheese and chive souffle served on a bed of fresh watercress, Jersey lobster salad, and saffron poached pear with chocolate ice cream and compote of raspberries.

Another island “c” word deals with Jersey’s heritage - castles. Dramatically sited on the east coast of the island, Mont Orgueil Castle broods above charming Gorey Village and the Royal Bay of Grouville. The British began construction in 1204; they hoped to repulse numerous invasions by the French who reside a mere stone’s throw east across the water.

The castle’s tumultuous history can be relived today - on its battlements and inside, where four tableaux recreate major events. Mont Orgueil’s 100,000 yearly visitors come to explore it by day; they enjoy it even more at night when its floodlit exterior is a postcard photographer’s dream come true.

On Jersey’s south-central coast, Elizabeth Castle (circa 1594) pokes fanciful turrets and towers into the air and is as arresting as Mont Orgueil when floodlit after dark.

The mysterious and romantic ruins of Grosnez Castle (believed to have been built in the 14th century) are tucked up on the wilder, wind-swept northwest coast. Heady views of some of the 50-mile-long vanilla-white coastline are available here, and nearby lie some superior bathing beaches. There are 27 on the island, and 8 have been awarded high marks for being the cleanest, most pristine in Britain.

Beaches and a sunny, temperate clime are some of the reasons tourists annually choose to vacation on Jersey.

If sunbathers should experience the odd, cool summer day, they might well don another “c” mainstay of the island - a Jersey crew neck or cardigan sweater. For over four centuries, traditional “Jerseys” - created in carefully prescribed patterns and colors - have been produced here and on the nearby island of Guernsey.

And what about that “adopt a snail and/or gorilla” program I mentioned earlier? It, too, has a “c” connection - namely cheetahs. The snails, gorillas and cheetahs all hang out at one of the island’s most unlikely, yet most popular, attractions - the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust, known locally as the Jersey Zoo.

It was almost 40 years ago that a legendary British naturalist, conservationist, author and broadcaster arrived on the island and set up his “zoo” on the grounds of 16th-century Les Augres Manor. Today, Gerald Durrell’s inspired and dedicated efforts to care for, breed and return to the wild the world’s threatened species have earned him universal critical acclaim.

Though the charismatic Durrell passed away in 1995, his legacy lives on at 25-acre Les Augres, where wisely designed natural habitats nurture the world’s endangered species - from pink pigeons and orangutans to spectacled bears and golden-headed lion tamarins.

Visitors converge on the Jersey Zoo to enjoy its handsome grounds and manor house; dine in the Dodo Restaurant; view Durrell’s stirring 20-minute video; and, more importantly, to see and learn about the globe’s fragile wildlife.

One of the zoo’s most popular features is its “adopt an animal” program, whereby a contributor can pledge money to care for a specific animal. The zoo’s wonderful snailarium is one prime place to pursue an adoption.

A curiously quirky island indeed, this Jersey - and I mean with a capital “C.”

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO A passport is required for North Americans, but no entry visa is necessary. The United Kingdom’s time zone is 8 hours later than Spokane’s. The language is English. Official currency is the English pound, though Jersey also issues its own currency. Electricity is standard 240 volts. Renting a car is inexpensive, with plenty of companies to choose from. Driving is on the left, as it is in England. The speed limit is 40 mph (and you really can’t go any faster in the narrow country lanes anyway). Getting there: Jersey is a 50-minute flight from London’s Heathrow Airport. A new, multi-million dollar airport terminal opened for business on Jersey in May. High-speed catamarans make regularly scheduled departures from the southern coast of England for the three-and-a-half hour run to Jersey. For more information, telephone the Island of Jersey Tourist Office in the United States toll-free at (888) 454-5543.