Cold Pressed Olive Oil

Pig Cat

Pig Cat

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Suffolk
Recommendations please for a good quality cold pressed olive oil. Nothing silly money, just something very decent. I don't know, a sort of TOBS or Nannys equivalent I suppose? :? Online or supermarket (Waitrose presumably) would be fine.

Thanks!! :hungrig
 
Il Casolare is cold pressed and unfiltered, moderately priced, not the greatest but not too bad at all for that price.

Sainsbury's sell it for about £6.00 - £7.00 a litre.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.luigismailorder.com/products/detail.asp?product=Il_Casolare_Olive_Oil_from_Umbria&cat=Oils_and_Vinegars&subcat=Olive_Oil" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.luigismailorder.com/products ... =Olive_Oil</a><!-- m -->

EDIT: Thinking about it I still prefer the taste of Philip Berio EV oil to Casolare even though it doesn't claim to be cold pressed. Most if not all of the better quality olive oils in Italy are cold pressed i.e pressed below 25 deg C that's because they are harvested in Nov.
 
Have you considered a cold pressed rape seed oil instead? Farrington's Mellow Yellow is very nice, available in supermarkets (Sainsburys at least) and not very expensive either.

oil500.jpg
 
antdad said:
I still prefer the taste of Philip Berio EV oil to Casolare even though it doesn't claim to be cold pressed.
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This stuff? <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://bit.ly/hZyqGv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://bit.ly/hZyqGv</a><!-- m --> (Google Image result)

I didn't like the Berio. The only other one I've tried is Napolina, <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://bit.ly/gx7rCi" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://bit.ly/gx7rCi</a><!-- m --> (Google Image result), which I REALLY like. I'm not good with descriptions, but from memory, it has a dark fruity flavour.

Anyone tried it?

Is there a general rule? Such as, as cost increases, the EV olive oils get more bitter and peppery like the Berio?

Thanks
 
Yes that one SJ, I've bought the Napolina on several occasions but I prefer the more intense flavor of the Berio ev for general purpose use. These are both still mass market olive oil blends, nothing wrong with that but it really depends how you intend to use them and with what ingredients.

Price is not an indicator of pepperiness, that is just a particular character of the olive used. Like wine you'll will pay for quality, scarcity and complexity.

There's a lot of misinformation about olive oil grades and manufacture, if you want real quality look for "first press" and low acidity as well as cold press, usually the deeper the color the more intense the olive flavor which I happen to like. Use your senses, look at the color, smell it and then taste it, with a bit of plain white bread if need be.
 
I really enjoy Waitrose's own 100% Italian EV olive oil, though I'm no expert. It's very moreish with Ciabatta, but I don't know if it's cold pressed, only that it's extracted "by mechanical means only" which I assume is the same thing is it?

 
Thanks for the replies chaps, I'll mull them over. The reason I asked was that a friend gave us these for Christmas and they were lovely.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.lacropolidipuglia.it/shop/product.php?id_product=53" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.lacropolidipuglia.it/shop/pr ... product=53</a><!-- m -->

I'm after something similar as it's expensive buying from this Italian website but they don't seem to be available in this country. We've got a Waitrose nearby so I reckon they're worth paying a visit to. Sounds like cold-pressed isn't essential for that lovely peppery flavour.
 
You might want to try this, never tried it myself but fits the description of what you are looking for. Cold pressed and un-filtered.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/tesco-price-comparison/Oils_And_Vinegar/Farchioni_Il_Casolare_Olive_Oil_Extra_Virgin_1L.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/tesco-pr ... in_1L.html</a><!-- m -->
 
pedro083 said:
You might want to try this, never tried it myself but fits the description of what you are looking for. Cold pressed and un-filtered.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/tesco-price-comparison/Oils_And_Vinegar/Farchioni_Il_Casolare_Olive_Oil_Extra_Virgin_1L.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/tesco-pr ... in_1L.html</a><!-- m -->
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Hmmmm...yes it looks promising! My local Tesco is small and doesn't stock it so I'll have to go to a larger one but that's no problem. Thanks Pedro.
 
In my opinion Farchoni Il CasolareEV oil is really nothing special even though its cold pressed, unfiltered, looks pretty and is widely available however it is still a fair compromise on quality, quantity and price.

I do suspect that those oils you were given were a higher quality and fairly robust and flavorful so if you are looking for something similar I'd try Waitrose where they have the most comprehensive selection that is well described and that you can try and match.
 
antdad said:
I suspect those oils you were given were possibly a higher quality and are fairly robust and flavorful so if you are looking for something similar I'd try Waitrose where they have the most comprehensive selection that is well described and that you can try and match.
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Yes they were bloody lovely. The first time I'd really appreciated that olive oil can have a delicious taste that speaks for itself, as opposed to something you mix with vinegar/mustard/whatever to make a nice vinaigrette or dressing.
 
Having spent some time living in Turkey I can only say that the Olive Oil that I use to buy on the market was very nice, it was straight from the village press, it cost 6TL a Lt, approx £2.40 and was as organic as you could get. The Avatar picture was taken at the market just two days before we left. Sorry I know that don't help you with your quest for a good Olive Oil. :)
 
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