The first Pembrokeshire new potatoes went on sale last Wednesday morning after rain halted attempts to get the first crop onto the shelves over the bank holiday weekend.

A crop grown by W. Richards and Sons on a south-facing coastal slope at Jefferston Walls, Angle, was the first out of the ground.

Two tonnes of Rocket were lifted on Tuesday afternoon to supply the wholesale trade. The grower also sold a proportion of these to the Pembrokeshire growers' co-operative, Puffin Produce Ltd, to supply ASDA stores.

The co-operative's own suppliers had planned to start harvesting last Sunday but were delayed until Thursday because of heavy showers.

Tesco was just pipped to the post by ASDA in the race to get Pembrokeshire new potatoes onto the shelves.

Barry Hathaway, one of two growers supplying Tesco through Branston Ltd, began lifting his 30-acre crop at Broomhill Farm, Angle, on Thursday morning. The potatoes were on the shelves of the Pembrokeshire branches of Tesco that afternoon.

Following the successful launch by Tesco of Pembrokeshire-branded potatoes last year, Mr Hathaway and David Dixon, of Williamston Farm, Houghton, have more than doubled the potato acreage on their farms.

Mr Dixon has also built storage facilities so the crop can be lifted in good weather to maintain consistent supplies and this year used polythene for the first time to ensure early growth.

Between them the two are growing around 140 acres of Minerva, Lady Christl and Maris Peer.

Following the initial launch at Haverfordwest and other stores in the county, potatoes from the two growers went to most Tesco stores in Wales.

Like last year, the produce will be supported by point-of-sale material with a strong Pembrokeshire and Welsh identity.

"Our strategy is to source good quality, home-grown produce and give it a strong local identity because that brings real benefits to our suppliers and ourselves,'' said Roy Maynard, senior buying manager at Tesco.