Comments on: Tasting oil

By: goodshoeday

goodshoeday — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Caroline: thanks for the tip re 'mild & light' – I saw this at the time but chose to go with the full on version. I'm going to do a re-taste soon and include the lighter version.

By: Caroline Thompson-Hill

Caroline Thompson-Hill — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:15:00 +0000

Hi there, thanks for writing about GOOD OIL! It is great to see more people interested in British oils, especially those with great health benefits such as ourselves. We also produce a Mild & Light version of GOOD OIL down at our farm in Devon, which we developed specifically for those who found the Original a bit strong. Maybe give it a shot and see how you like it? Hopefully it will become a permanent addition to your kitchen as well!

By: Nick Saltmarsh

Nick Saltmarsh — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:53:00 +0000

Great tasting notes – and thanks too to Mark for his additions. I hadn’t put my finger on the pea taste but it rings true.

By: goodshoeday

goodshoeday — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:47:00 +0000

Thanks for putting me right on what the purple flowers are. And also reminding me thats its going to asparagus season very soon – I LOVE asparagus -I’ll definitely be trying it out BBQ style with rapeseed oil sounds great

By: Duncan Farrington

Duncan Farrington — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:47:00 +0000

Delighted everyone is catching on to the wonderful properties of cold pressed rapeseed oil. We produce Farrington’s Mellow Yellow on our farm in Northamptonshire, and not only is it wonderfully versatile, but also extremely healthy with very low saturated fat (half that of olive oil) and full of Omega 3. Please visit our website for recipe ideas, my personnal favourite will be here soon which is BBQ British asparagus.
The Romans introduced rapeseed to Britain, but it really took off in the 1970’s. All rapeseed is yellow, with the purple fields being linseed or borage. You are right about hay-fever, as the pollen is too big and sticky to get air borne, unlike Scandinavian pine tree pollen which is in the atmosphere at the same time as the yellow fields are visible. Rapeseed does however give off natural phenols which are sometimes noticed as a cabbage like smell, which do irritate some people. We grow the crop as part of a rotation under LEAF Marque systems to ensure there is no monoculture, and care is taken for the environment.
Mellow Yellow is available nationwide from farm shops through to select multiples.

By: goodshoeday

goodshoeday — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:11:00 +0000

Since I did this tasting I've also tried another cold pressed rapeseed oil from Munns in Cambridgeshire which I also enjoyed. I'm definitely a convert to rapeseed and am surprised I'd not discovered it before now.

Mark: thanks for the tasting hints - I can see the similarity to peas now you mention this.

Jules: I think I've seen the Mellow Yellow brand in my local Waitrose so I'll give that a go next. I can definitely see the balance in my cooking shifting away from olive oil.

By: Jules

Jules — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:08:00 +0000

I’m a big fan of rapeseed oil and now use it more than olive oil. I mostly use a brand called Mellow Yellow. I get it from my local farm shop, but Waitrose apparently sell it.

By: Mark Bush

Mark Bush — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:37:00 +0000

Different brands of cold pressed rapeseed oil will have different flavours, and each brand may have a slightly different taste from year to year. This due to the simple way in which the oil is extracted, i.e. no other flavourings or preservatives are added. We produce a ‘cold pressed rapeseed oil’ in Scotland, some people say they can detect a slight taste of asparagus, other say peas.