As a certified olive oil sommelier (yes, a real thing) I believe the UK is on the brink of an extra virgin olive oil, or EVOO, revolution. People are buying better, artisan brands are booming, restaurants are putting it front and centre, and social media is full of people showing off their morning shots of “liquid gold”. Sales of extra virgin olive oil are up at Waitrose compared to last year, and sales of organic EVOO are up even more. Plucky British growers have even succeeded at growing olives in the UK and producing the first English extra virgin olive oil (the gold standard), despite the challenging weather conditions here.
Olive oil has become so trendy that even celebrity chefs are launching their own. Gordon Ramsay has just announced Krude, a line of EVOOs and infused olive oils. They’re in tins with eye-catching labels, yes, but information such as the olive variety and harvest date are not stated — at least not on the front of the packaging. If the product is as “premium” as promised then you’d expect that basic information. Plus putting “cold-pressed” on the label is just marketing spin — the only way to make extra virgin is to cold-press it. It remains to be seen whether this olive oil is any good.
It’s an ancient ingredient, but new research and increased awareness is making EVOO a modern-day health obsession. It’s about time, if you ask me. Mediterranean populations have long known the power of extra virgin olive oil. In Italy, Spain and Greece people consume between nine and 13 litres per person a year. Here in the UK we have less than a litre per person each year — the same as the Americans.
Population studies have long shown that people following the Mediterranean diet, which includes EVOO, have lower rates of chronic disease and better healthspans. But one landmark study from Spain demonstrated that EVOO plays a specific role in good health. The study took 7,000 people between the ages of 55 and 80. One group ate the Med diet plus four to five tablespoons of EVOO a day. The next group ate the Med diet, plus nuts, instead of EVOO. And the third group ate a low-fat diet.
The olive oil group had significantly lower rates of stroke and heart attacks than the low-fat group over five years, and for every 10g a day (approximately a tablespoon) increase in EVOO, risk dropped 10 per cent for cardiovascular disease and 7 per cent for mortality. Now, new research shows that as well as being good for the heart, it may also be good for the brain. A large study from 2024 showed that people who ate more olive oil had less chance of dying from dementia. But not all olive oil is created equal.
See also: Can a daily shot of ‘liquid gold’ olive oil really help you to live longer?
Extra virgin, not just olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil and standard olive oil are two very different products. Extra virgin is basically freshly squeezed olive juice. It’s made by pressing the olives and separating out the oil using a big, spinning drum. Standard olive oil is made from lower quality olives or from the pomace (residual dry material of already pressed olives like crushed pits, skin, pulp). It is then refined using heat and chemical treatments to remove impurities and fix flavour defects. What you’re left with is a bland, neutral product with no taste. Extra virgin is a fresh product, full of flavour and healthy plant compounds — olive oil contains neither. But be careful what you buy. Industrial producers will often add in a tiny amount of extra virgin to their standard oil to sell it as “extra virgin”. Seek out transparent brands and trust your senses: real EVOO will smell fresh, grassy and plant-like, not flat. It should also have some bitterness and pungency — that peppery tickle at the back of the throat.
An EVOO rich in polyphenols
Polyphenols are the healthy plant compounds in EVOO that may be behind its extraordinary health benefits. They’re essentially plant defence chemicals, there to protect it from bugs, UV light and heat. When we eat them they play a protective role in our body too, acting as antioxidants, which help to protect us against disease, while feeding our gut microbes.
A study from January compared extra virgin olive oil with standard olive oil and found that a higher intake of EVOO was linked to a more diverse gut microbiome and better brain health over two years. Whereas a higher intake of regular olive oil was linked to worse gut microbiome diversity and more cognitive decline. The thinking is, the polyphenols positively affect the gut, which positively affects the brain. Look for an EVOO that lists the polyphenols on the bottle — it’s measured in milligrams per kilogram. To be classed as high polyphenols it must have a minimum of 250mg/kg, as set by the European Food Safety Authority. However, many health and olive oil experts believe that figure is too low. I’d choose one that is 400mg/kg and above.
Buy the current harvest
EVOO is a fresh, seasonal product harvested every September to January in the northern hemisphere. Look for an EVOO from the most recent harvest, which is currently 25/26. All EVOO will go rancid eventually, losing both its taste and health benefits, but many unscrupulous producers won’t put the harvest date on their label because their oil is old. So only buy EVOO that lists a harvest date.
Single origin
If your oil says “Product of the EU” it’s a blend from different countries and won’t be of the best quality. Look for an oil that tells you where it’s from — the estate or farm.
A dark, glass bottle, not plastic
Don’t buy EVOO in a plastic bottle. Plastic quickens the oxidation process, meaning the oil goes bad faster, and chemicals from the plastic can leach into the oil. Buy your EVOO in a glass bottle or tin and keep it in a dark, cool cupboard to preserve the flavour and polyphenols.
