As you trolley your way through your local supermarket, you will no doubt come across shelf after shelf of oils – a whole aisle of different oils from different nuts, seeds and fruits. We have more choice than we have ever had, but still, most of the oil aisle belongs to olive oil. Olive oil has formed the basis of Mediterranean cooking for thousands of years, thanks to the influence of ancient civilisations like the Romans and Greeks. Those roots are still prevalent today – we still reach for olive oil – and more than ever before, it’s important to understand how oils differ and what they’re best used for.
The truth is, not all olive oils are created equal. We all know there is a difference between regular olive oil and extra virgin olive oil, but what does that difference mean for your cooking? What about the difference between two different bottles of extra virgin olive oil? Why do two bottles look the same, but one is double the price? What exactly is ‘light olive oil’? These are questions we’ve all asked ourselves at one point or another, usually whilst faced with a vast range of olive oils to select from. Figuring out which olive oil is right for you is a minefield. We are here to answer all those questions.