Best olive oil UK
Which is the best olive oil in 2024?
VIEW OFFERBest of 2024: Find the right olive oil in the UK
Used throughout the world for its wonderful flavour and health benefits, everyone should have a bottle of good olive oil in their kitchen. However, with such a wide selection of products available, knowing what one is the best olive oil for your culinary needs is not always obvious. Olive oil is not the most accessible of products for everyone. Many will not have grown up using it. So it’s helpful to know what you are looking for before you buy it. Check out this guide for all the info you need to buy the best olive oil.
The 10 best olive oils in the UK (October 2024)
The bestseller list compares olive oils from multiple brands
- Natural: Cloudiness and solidification at cold temperatures are normal and reversible.
- Vegan: Suitable for a vegan diet.
- Quality: Superior oil obtained directly from olives by mechanical means.
- Versatility: Ideal for salads, dipping, sauces, marinades, and various dishes.
- Freshness: Cold-extracted, retaining nutrients and flavor.
- Purity: No preservatives or artificial colors; 100% Koroneiki Greek olives.
- Process: Cold-pressed maintains nutrients and taste integrity.
- Flavor: Rich Fruity Flavor, ideal for marinating or dipping.
- Quality: Certified Organic ensures purity and natural cultivation.
- Versatility: Perfect for a variety of dishes.
- Quantity: Suitable for bulk purchase and food service.
- Quality: Ideal for daily cooking, enhancing roasts.
- Purity: Ensure the oil is 100% pure, without blends or additives.
- Origin: Check for olives sourced from reputable regions like Italy or Greece.
- Quality: Look for extra virgin, cold-pressed olive oil for best health benefits.
- Health: Rich in monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, and Vitamins E & K.
- Flavor: Rich, fruity flavor enhances fresh ingredients in recipes.
- Quality: High quality, sourced from Mediterranean olive trees.
- Harvest: Hand-picked and pressed within hours, ensuring freshness and care.
- Flavor: Full-bodied, herbaceous with a pleasant peppery aftertaste, and aromatic hints.
- Quality: Superior category oil, extracted mechanically, ensures flavor and health benefits remain.
- Volume: 5ltr size provides long-lasting supply.
- Versatility: Ideal for salads, dressings, and various culinary uses.
- Quality: Must be Extra Virgin Olive Oil to ensure premium taste.
- Frying: Ideal for high-heat cooking due to its resistance to high temperatures.
- Protection: Green bottle guards against sun's rays, preserving benefits.
- Quality: Made following Mediterranean tradition with the strictest quality norms.
- Origin: Hand-picked from family groves in Chania, Crete.
- Health: High phenolic content offering numerous health benefits.
- Quality: 100% organic, EU certified, and globally awarded.
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- Read the definitive olive oil buying guide
- View the olive oil picks and see how they rank in the top list
olive oil buying guide
Do you want to buy a good olive oil? This is all you need to know.
A short explanation: What are olive oils?
Extracted from whole olives, Olive oil is a cooking oil that is one of the most popular in kitchens around the world, due to its wide variety of diet and its popular flavor. The best olive oil is consumed without chemical refining procedures and has the best flavor. There are a variety of olive oils on the market such as extra olive oil, virgin olive oil, pure olive oil and refined olive oil, all have its own unique taste and flavor.
What are the benefits of good olive oils?
Olive oil is not just one of the most popular oils used in cooking, but it is often promoted as being a very healthy oil. For instance, it is the focal point of the Mediterranean diet, which is one of the most healthy diets in the world. A great extra virgin olive oil is packed full of antioxidants that can act as an anti-inflammatory, while lowering bad cholesterol. It is also great for the stomach, making it perfect for heavy carb eaters. Good olive oil is not just healthy but tasty, too. The popular oil is the focal point of the Mediterranean diet, which is one of the most healthy diets in the world.
How to choose the best olive oil in 2024?
Some of the best olive oils are those you can use for a range of purposes, but finding a quality oil is a different story. Here are some things to look out for when you trying to find the best olive oils:
- Best Before Date: While true for most food produce, always check the best before date and ensure you are buying a fresh olive oil. The main reason for this is freshness impacts the taste of the oil, so if it doesn’t specify a date of harvest or a date of best before, it likely isn’t a great olive oil.
- Harvest Date: As mentioned above, the best olive oils are renowned for their taste, which is directly linked to their freshness. The best way to determine how fresh the oil is to check the harvest date, looking for anything that is between six months to a year for the best quality. Never buy an olive oil if you can’t find a best before date, and if possible try to find one with a harvest date.
- Origin: One of the easiest ways to guarantee the quality of olive oil is to check its origin as there are many great regions for this oil. Tuscany in Italy is widely considered the best region for olive oil, although many other parts of Italy make fantastic oil, as well as Spain, Greece, and Portugal. While it may not be a dealbreaker, it's always a good idea to check the origin of the olives used in the oil.
Which types of olive oils are available to buy in the UK?
There is a massive range of options when it comes to types of olive oil, with some much better than others. Here are some of the most widely available types of olive oil:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The best olives are used to produce extra virgin olive oil, which is considered the best type of olive oil by many. It is made by pressing olives to extract the juice, and is the thickest and most flavourful olive oils. Indeed, it is the type of olive oil that offers the most amounts of subtle variations in flavour, with factors such as the variety of olive, type of terrain, and amount of sunlight all affecting the taste.
- Virgin Olive Oil: Made from the second pressing of olives, this type of olive oil is slightly lower in quality than extra virgin olive oil but still great quality compared to the other types further down this list. As a result, it is also a bit cheaper than extra virgin olive oil, and it also has a much milder flavour.
- Refined Olive Oil: A much cheaper quality of olive oil best avoided. Refined olive oil begins with substandard virgin olive oil that is then refined using flavorless solvents, while it is also known to contain an alarming amount of free oleic acids.