Although the best olive oils have always come at a premium, the cost-of-living crisis has seen prices increase across the board, while the olive oil industry is also suffering lower yields, dropping from 3.5 million tonnes in 2022 to just 2.3 million expected to be produced this year. The reason? It’s affected by the climate crisis, from droughts during summers to unexpectedly warmer winters, which have a negative impact on olive trees.
All of this means steep price increases that have earned olive oil the moniker of liquid gold. Though, beyond the price tags, the nickname still rings true, as olive oil is such a versatile ingredient, with incredible taste profiles. Whether you’re drizzling it over pizza, pasta or even ice cream, or using it to stir fry veg, it can add vibrancy to a whole range of food.
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is the most premium type of olive oil and is associated with healthier diets across the world’s Blue Zones – areas where people tend to live longer, often having Mediterranean diets and using olive oil instead of butter or other fats.
The wider health benefits of olive oil include lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and even Alzheimer’s, thanks to EVOO’s polyphenols (plant compounds that naturally occur in fruit, vegetables, nuts and even the bark and roots of trees and plants).
Greeks top the chart when it comes to the amount of olive oil consumed per person, on average getting through about 20l of the stuff annually, compared with the average Brit, who only consumes about 1l a year. So, consider this a gentle nudge to get dipping and drizzling more often, as we’ve rounded up the best olive oils on the market.
How we tested
We’ve tested a variety of different olive oils and extra virgin olive oils, tasting them neat as well as dipping bread into them and drizzling them over pasta and salads, to get the best out of their flavours. During testing, we considered the oil’s taste, how it was produced, its overall value and the design of the bottles, too (we looked for oils that come in containers that prevent sunlight from damaging the precious liquid contents). Here, we’ve included olive oils from across the price spectrum, from good-value supermarket ranges to high-end bottles from department stores and independent brands championing regenerative farming methods. Keep scrolling, to discover our favourites.
The best olive oils for 2024 are:
M&S nocellara del belice extra virgin olive oil
If you love those chunky and buttery nocellara olives as much as we do, you’ll also love this olive oil. Giving a fresh medium fruitiness, it’s well rounded, with a touch of butteriness.
It has a PGI (protected geographical indication) status, protecting the regional product, which comes from Sicily. It’s made from a single variety of olives and we think it sings best when used on simple white fish dishes and in leafy and pulse salads.
It comes in a rather dashing bright blue tin with gold embossed lettering, giving it that premium feel (while also not having a huge price tag) and it’s one that looks great left out on the kitchen worktop or shelf.
Buy now £10.00, Ocado.com
Sainsbury’s extra virgin olive oil
One of the most affordable litre bottles, this is even better value, considering it’s an extra virgin olive oil, and not just a blended oil, as you might expect for the price. It’s also the only plastic bottle on the list (which is entirely recyclable after a good rinse), though it wins points for its dark colour, protecting the liquid inside from degradation from sunlight.
Made using olives from Spain, the taste is very herbaceous to begin with, before building into a long peppery aftertaste. We think it’s best used for dipping, dressing and marinades and anything in your everyday food, considering its low price point.
Buy now £8.40, Sainsburys.co.uk
Brindisa Arbequina extra virgin olive oil
Founded in 1988 by Monika Linton, you might know Brindisa best for its mini chain of Spanish delis and tapas restaurants, which began opening in London at a time when Spain had little representation in the UK. The brand’s name is derived from the word brindis, meaning to raise a glass in a toast.
Made using 100 per cent Arbequina olives from northern Spain’s Navarra region, this oil is delightfully rounded with quite bold flavours, including a fruitiness, with grassy hints of green tomato and a light peppery aftertaste. It’s one of our favourites for bread dipping, and we love the design of the tin.
Buy now £25.00, Brindisa.com
Belazu early harvest extra virgin olive oil
A certified B-Corp, Belazu is one of the most recognisable olive oil brands you’ll see on the supermarket shelves. The early harvest press gives a more vibrant flavour, including hints of grass and almond, with a touch of pepper. ‘Early harvest’ means the olives are picked in early October, so you’re getting the best flavour of the olives – as they’re not fully ripe, you get a more intense flavour. For this reason, we think early harvest oils are best used drizzled on grilled fish and vegetables or over soups. This option is made in Catalonia, on a family farm that uses traditional huge granite stones to press the olives.
Buy now £14.45, Belazu.com
Guglielmi Coratina extra virgin olive oil
This is an intensely fruity olive oil, with bright notes of ripe green tomato and plenty of pepper throughout. It’s complex and well rounded, so it can stand up to hefty flavours, including red meat, tomato sauces and oily fish – drizzle it over a beef or sausage ragu at the end of cooking, or over a beef carpaccio.
The Guglielmi family has been making olive oil since the 1950s, using the very best Coratina olives, which are grown in Puglia. The bottle comes in a gift box, making it very gift-worthy, too.
Buy now £46.00, Souschef.co.uk
Odysea organic Greek Kalamata PDO extra virgin olive oil
Odysea has cemented itself as an excellent importer of high-quality Greek and Mediterranean foods since 1991, and this olive oil is no exception.
Coming with a PDO (protected designation of origin) status, it’s made using hand-harvested koroneiki olives, which are pressed just hours afterwards being picked. The olives are grown in the mountainous Kalamata region of Greece – an area renowned for its superior category of olive oil, which isn’t to be confused with the kalamata olive variety, which aren’t used in this oil.
It’s a full-bodied, herbaceous oil, with plenty of bitterness and a pepperiness throughout that stands out even against foods with big flavours, such as red meats and rich tomatoey sauces.
Buy now £13.50, Sainsburys.co.uk
Lina Stores organic extra virgin olive oil terracotta pot
From everyone’s favourite Italian deli (which began life back in 1944) comes this extra virgin olive oil in a hand-painted terracotta jug. It’s another great one for gifting, as well as refilling and keeping on the worktop, as it just looks so good.
Made with Apulian olives picked by hand, it’s cold pressed on the same day of harvesting, which helps give the oil an intense herbaceous and full, buttery flavour. You’ll also get hints of spicy notes in the aftertaste.
In true Italian style, it’s best enjoyed with pasta, whether that’s meat or fish based dishes; drizzled over grilled vegetables; and, of course, for dipping freshly baked focaccia. Choose between the splattered or striped bottle, both of which come with a wax-sealed cork, making these bottles feel extra special.
Buy now £36.95, Linastores.co.uk
Yiayia & Friends lemon oil
What this dinky 200ml bottle lacks in size it certainly makes up for in its sense of fun, with its bright yellow bottle and big eyes motif. The yellow bottle is unique to the lemon flavoured option – there are five others in the range, each with a different colour and flavour, including basil and chilli.
The oil is made on the Greek island of Crete, using the cold pressed method, and flavoured with real lemon, which gives it a well-balanced zing. We like it drizzled on everything but especially on simple grilled fish and green leaf salads, to give them an easy hit of citrus.
Buy now £22.00, Fenwick.co.uk
Alziari extra virgin olive oil
Instantly recognisable, thanks to its cylindrical metal tin, complete with Mediterranean design, this olive oil has far more to it than just a pleasing aesthetic. Hailing from the south of France, this oil is very light, with a floral hint and the slightest peppery aftertaste. Its fruitiness makes it a good option for adding to raw and cooked vegetables, salads, fresh pasta and fish, and is best used with a metal pourer, to avoid it getting stuck in the rim of the tin.
This oil is made using a secret 100-year-old recipe, using cold extraction of ripe olives, which are pressed using a traditional stone mill, helping to preserve their buttery mellow flavour.
Buy now £22.50, Waitrose.com
Citizens of Soil Croatian extra rare extra virgin olive oil
B Corp Citizens of Soil aims to improve transparency within the olive oil market, by working only with regenerative farmers, while also offering refills and a take-back recycling scheme, and giving farmers a fairer deal by paying above market price.
This Croatian bottle is part of the extra rare range, which includes an oil from Portugal, too. Yes, it’s expensive at £30 for just 375ml, but it’s very worthy. Coming from the Istrian Peninsula, at the top of the Adriatic coast, just 1,100 bottles have been made (each label is numbered) and is made using olives from a family-owned organic farm.
It’s incredibly high quality with intensely fresh grassy notes and plenty of fruitiness, with a decent amount of pepper to it and plenty of green veg and green tomatoes. Pair it with rocket salads, vegetable risotto and soft cheeses – it’s certainly one to savour.
Buy now £30.00, Citizensofsoil.com
José Pizarro Spanish extra virgin olive oil
Spanish chef José Pizarro is often nicknamed the godfather of Spanish food in the UK, after his decades-long efforts to showcase the best of real Spanish food, with a number of restaurants, including the newly opened Lolo.
Pizarro has a range of Spanish imported foods on his website, including the famous leg of jamon and his own pimento spice, along with a range of oils. This Spanish extra virgin olive oil is the latest addition. It’s mild and builds into a real peppery aftertaste and is made using 100 per cent manzanilla cacereno olives, which are native to Madrid and known for their high quality.
Buy now £15.00, Josepizarro.com
Good Phats extra virgin olive oil
As the name suggests, this brand’s raison d’être is to change attitudes towards fats (spoiler: they’re not the enemy). Instead, Good Phats wants to encourage shoppers to understand more about good fats, and steer away from using poor-quality fats that aren’t as good for our diets.
This is another bold oil, as it’s made with coratina olives from Puglia, which help give that big flavour profile, with notes of grass, tomatoes and a lengthy peppery finish.
As well as extra virgin olive oil, the range includes an organic oil, an avocado oil and even a ghee made from organic milk from grass-fed cows.
Buy now £22.00, Ocado.com
Galantino Fruttato Medio extra virgin olive oil
Puglia is one of Italy’s oldest olive-growing regions, and Bisceglie, where Galantino olive oil is made, is said to produce more olives than anywhere else in the world.
This is another oil with PDO status, and the family producing it has been doing so for three generations, since 1926. Traditional stone mills are used to press the olives, which provide a mild and medium fruitiness, with only a hint of bitterness. We like to drizzle this oil on salads and pasta, as well as dipping freshly baked sourdough into it.
Buy now £17.99, Souschef.co.uk
Waitrose Duchy Organic extra virgin olive oil
Waitrose’s Duchy Organic range is known for its quality produce, and this olive oil does not disappoint. Made from olives grown on an organic farm in Italy, this oil is also one of the more affordable options available. It’s a milder oil, with fresh grassy and herby notes, with an almost citrus hint, and a nice peppery finish that’s great for seafood, pasta and salads.
Proceeds from each product in the range are donated to the King Charles III Charitable Fund, which has so far raised more than £30m towards helping good causes.
Buy now £7.75, Waitrose.com
Karyatis blended oil
At less than £11 for 2l, this is a bargain tin of oil. Though, it’s important to note the reason for its low price point is it’s a blended oil, made up of 80 per cent sunflower oil and 20 per cent extra virgin olive oil.
It’s still a great option, however, as the olive oil used is excellent quality – Karyatis is the mainstream range from the Odysea brand (also featured in this list). The olives come from the southwestern Peloponnese region of Greece, giving the oil a pleasing and mild taste of green olives with a light peppery finish.
Sunflower oil has become the main alternative for shoppers lately, as olive oil prices continue to rise. This blended oil has a much thinner consistency than the 100 per cent olive oils included in this round-up, so, it isn’t the one we’d reach for when looking for something to drizzle over salads. Instead, it’s great for using in the pan when stir frying vegetables.
Buy now £10.60, Sainsburys.co.uk
Olive oil FAQs
What is the difference between olive oil and extra virgin olive oil?
Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed form of olive oil and is made by crushing olives using the cold pressed method. This means the pressing process has been done without using excessive heat (no higher than 27C), usually within 24-72 hours of the olives being harvested, and ensures as much of the olive’s nutrients and flavours are retained.
To make regular olive oil, the extraction process can use heat above 27C. The oil can be paler in colour and milder in taste. It’s also better for cooking with; can often have a slightly longer shelf life than extra virgin olive oil; and it’s also usually more affordable.
How do olive oil flavours differ?
Much like wine or chocolate, olive oil is an expression of its terroir and gives a sense of place through its taste. The type and colour of olives used and the process they’ve been through contribute to the taste of different olive oils. Of course, they differ by region, too, as each has its own microclimate.
Flavour profiles range from spicy and bitter to herbaceous and vibrant, as well as fruity and subtler notes. In terms of country, generally, French oils are often milder and paler, while Spanish oils tend to be fairly mild, too. Then there’s the grassier herbaceous Italian oils that can often be darker in colour, and the Greek options, which are usually more robust and have the biggest flavours.
You might also see the phrase "obtained by mechanical means" on labels. This may sound vague but its following regulations from the International Olive Council and the European Union, and it means the oil was produced using only mechanical or physical methods, which doesn’t alter the oil’s quality by using heat or chemicals, or washing or filtering it.
Can you cook with olive oils?
Extra virgin olive oil has a smoke point of 190-210C but, despite this, many chefs believe it’s best used to finish off dishes, to get the most from the oil’s delicate flavour. This can be done by either adding a glug in the last few minutes of cooking or drizzling it over dishes just ahead of serving, instead of using it as a fat to fry or roast with. Some studies have shown using olive oil at a higher heat point can degrade some of the compounds that make it healthier, compared with other types of oil.
Regular olive oil has a slightly higher smoke point of 200-240C, so, it can be used for frying, though always check the label first, for suggestions.
The verdict: Olive oils
The world of olive oils and extra virgin olive oils is almost as wide-ranging as that of wine, and these bottles should be seen as comparable products. For us, the overall winner is the M&S nocellara de belice extra virgin olive oil, thanks to its well-rounded and buttery taste, good price point and attractive tin. While at the pricier end of the scale, we also really rate Lina Stores organic extra virgin olive oil and Guglielmi’s Coratina extra virgin olive oil, both of which would make excellent gifts, too.
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