Cost of olive oil

[Comedycook]

Wow!

Olive oil always used to be a staple for me but I switched a while back to veg/sunflower oil as much cheaper.

But today I wanted to buy some for a particular dish I'm making. I was blown away by the prices. Just a standard bottle of supermarket stuff...not extra virgin, was about £6/7. I found the tiniest bottle of supermarket own brand for £3.30...not ev or particularly special. The really decent stuff was closer to £10+.

So wondering...when you see TV chefs they start so many recipes with olive oil and I always used it too...but seems like it's going to be a luxury product now rather than a staple.

Do you use it for standard frying and cooking?

I'm another convert to cold pressed rapeseed oil here. Locally produced where possible with a delicious, delicate nutty flavour.

Sunflower oil is still a favourite for frying.

I mostly cook Mediterranean style foods. Don’t know when I last did a roast. I’d also use it for non-Med casseroles. Basically, every meal I cook has olive oil involved. That’s how I use so much.

“Big meat” 😂

Thats a new one on me. Nothing wrong with unprocessed meat. If anything, we’re being pushed the other way, into using unnatural products.

It's sad about the olive trees being destroyed by pests/disease. I saw that programme about it and it was very emotional seeing the old olive grower in tears over his livelihood & ancient olive groves having to be destroyed to eradicate the problem. Out of curiosity, can anyone on here in the know reveal if olive trees have pesticides or herbicides used on them? Thank you

I know they spray olive trees with copper sulphate AFTER the harvest but not sure what else…

Out of curiosity, can anyone on here in the know reveal if olive trees have pesticides or herbicides used on them?

unless it's labelled organic you can be sure pesticides and herbicides and fertiliser are used.

Just had a quick Google, the most common pesticides used in olive cultivation are anti-fungal chemicals and neonicotinoids. The latter were banned from 2018 throughout the EU but have been reallowed under certain circumstances since 2020.

As @greenacrylicpaint says, unless you're using a certified organic product, it's going to have been treated with chemicals of some kind.

Also, if it’s not “cold pressed” or “Extra virgin” they’ve added chemicals to the leftover olive pulp to extract the last of the oil.

Just a note on Glyphosate, unfortunately it will be in anything Soy, and also most wheat and oats.

Droughts and disease have led to smaller yields for the past two years. Spain is experiencing another drought at the moment... expect prices to rise even further this year.

A pre harvest application of Glyphosate is sprayed on Rapeseed crops, I contacted the co-operative that covers 5 Scottish farms that produce the oil in the UK.

Apologies ! You're right. I thought it was something like Ammonium Sulphamidate. But that's not been used since 2008.

https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/processed-fruit-vegetables-edible-nuts/olive-oil/market-potential#:~:text=Olive%20oil%20prices%20have%20increased,and%20the%20war%20in%20Ukraine.

Good old Brexit again. Aldi is reasonable .

No it isn’t. Butter and animal fats are full of saturated fat. Olive oil is much better for your health.

Me too. I also make cakes with olive oil. Even if I did a roast chicken I'd rub it with olive oil first.

rather than the inexplicably popular Berio which is produce of 173 different countries, all mixed in together

And has never been heard of in Italy.
Apart from an article naming and shaming the brand for being less than honest about what was in their bottles.

Il Casolare namechecked upthread is good. It's what we buy here on the rare occasions FIL's runs out.

I’m pleased someone recognises the muck behind the pretty label.
How wonderful to have your own supply
The extra virgin olive oil we have been buying here has doubled in price
We stocked up but sure it must degrade after a while.
I’m aware of Il Casolare, thanks, the one with the stopper?

Camping in olive groves in Italy, wonderful, long time ago…

I hate the taste of it too. To me it’s a cross between mustard, broccoli and petrol. Ugh.

Thank you. I'll try to find some organic olives & oil.

This. Normal olive oil a fiver in aldi..large bottle

Thanks to everyone that replied about pesticides etc plus how certain oils are blended and adulterated.

This.