It would be a surprise to no one if you found the olive oil aisle a tad overwhelming these days. Liquid gold has come a long way from the days it was sold in transparent bottles (a big no-no, we now know) and simply in two categories: extra virgin or olive oil.
Today EVOO — foodie parlance for extra virgin olive oil — comes with a new set of buzzwords (single origin, early harvest, polyphenols are just a few). It’s not just for dressings or cooking but drizzling over puddings or adding to bakes — the dessert of summer last year was chocolate mousse finished with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.
It’s why we have asked Italian chef Francesco Mazzei, who runs the luxury Mezzogiorno restaurant at the Corinthia London hotel, to give us a rundown of the best — and worst — of what’s available in the supermarkets.
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But first, his rules for buying. Always go for extra virgin. “It’s the best quality,” he says, “and the best for you.” To be considered extra virgin it has to meet strict standards, which include the one per cent rule: EVOO must have a free acidity level of no more than 0.8g per 100g of oil. In short, this guarantees purer, higher quality oil.
Also look out for the term “single origin” or at least “single country”, he says. This means the oil has been produced from olives harvested from the same country or, ideally, the same estate. “Avoid blends as much as you can, unless they are from the same region or same country,” Mazzei says. “Otherwise you end up with an oil that is made from olives from all over the world. There’s no control; there’s just one big mix and you have no idea of what you’re consuming.”
Olive trees in Valensole in southeastern FranceGetty IMAGES
The bottle must also be dark. Once upon a time olive oil was produced and sold in clear bottles. Over time, ultraviolet rays damage the oil through photo-oxidation, causing the deterioration of the oil’s flavour. “Always buy a dark glass bottle — never plastic,” Mazzei urges. “It’s terrible for EVOO. I am not a big fan of tinned oils either, to be honest. This isn’t as much of a risk in the UK but elsewhere they can warm up a lot in the summer.”
And once you’ve bought a great oil, you need to store it correctly too. “Keep it in a dark room, out of direct sunlight and use it up within three months. Extra virgin olive oil doesn’t last for years,” Mazzei says. “Most of all, though, enjoy it as much as you can.”
The 13 best supermarket extra virgin olive oils
1. Aldi Specially Selected PDO Terra di Bari Castel del Monte extra virgin olive oil
£5.49 for 500ml (in store only)
★★★★★
A very fine olive oil I’d save to dress my best salads. It’s got a great deep green colour, notes of fresh cut grass and artichokes and then comes the spicy flavour with punchy bitterness. This over fresh tomatoes — heaven!
2. Filippo Berio Villa Berio extra virgin olive oil
£14 for 500ml
★★★★★
Wow, this is very, very good. The colour, the smell, the taste, the acidity — full marks. Think fresh grassy notes and a long-lasting flavour. Too good to cook with.
3. Tesco Finest Italian extra virgin olive oil
£7 for 500ml
★★★★☆
Ticks all the boxes — real body, a bitterness that comes at the end, and it would work well for frying or salad dressings. It’s not as acidic as I’d like, and tastes quite rich, but it’s a lovely oil.
4. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Greek Athinoelia extra virgin olive oil
£7.25 for 500ml
★★★★☆
I really like this one. It’s peppery on the back of the throat with an aroma of cut grass and greenness.
5. Waitrose No 1 Valli Trapanesi extra virgin olive oil
£13 for 500ml
★★★★☆
A bit too fatty for my liking but there’s a lovely bitterness. I’d dress a tomato salad with it or use it to cook a bolognese.
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6. M&S Toscano extra virgin olive oil
£11.50 for 500ml (in store only)
★★★★☆
It’s lighter than the oils I tend to like, but in an elegant way. It has a thin, delicate bitterness that I love.
7. Lidl Deluxe Puglian extra virgin olive oil
From £5.49 per 500ml (in store only)
★★★★☆
This has the beautiful balanced bitterness I’d expect from a good Italian variety. With notes of grass, sage and citrus, and a tickly pepperiness on the tongue, this is a steal for just over a fiver.
8. Filippo Berio 100% Italian extra virgin olive oil
£9.99 for 500ml
★★★☆☆
A good colour but it has a strange aftertaste — it’s very, very bitter. I can tell it’s made with lots of different olive varieties, so the flavour profile is a bit confusing. Still, it’s not bad.
9. Belazu Early Harvest extra virgin olive oil
£24.98 for 1 litre
★★★☆☆
A good mid-range oil but very rich, so I wouldn’t dress a salad with it. I wouldn’t mind using it for cooking.
10. Odysea PDO Kalamata extra virgin olive oil
£8 for 500ml
★★★☆☆
A lighter oil that’s nice and green on the nose with some acidity. The taste doesn’t linger though, so it’s best to use this one for cooking.
11. M&S Italian extra virgin olive oil
£7 for 500ml
★★☆☆☆
Incredibly fatty and lacks the deep green colour I look for. I’d fry aubergines in this, but I wouldn’t put it anywhere near my salad.
12. Waitrose extra virgin olive oil
£8 for 1 litre
★★☆☆☆
A nice rich colour but I wouldn’t buy this — no notes on the nose and it’s very flat in flavour.
13. Morrisons Organic extra virgin olive oil
£6.75 for 500ml
★☆☆☆☆
I knew I wouldn’t like this after just a sniff — it’s much too harsh. Rich and fatty without the required acidity.
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Ellouze 1870 Signature olive oil
£39.99 for 500ml
A blend of Chemlali and Koroneiki olives from Tunisia, this shows it can pay to look beyond the obvious regions. Well balanced with pronounced fruitiness giving way to a peppery finish.
River Cafe Felsina Pendolino 2024 extra virgin olive oil
£70 for 750ml
Beautifully balanced, with an intense lime green colour, notes of tomato and olive leaf, and a peppery finish. Perfect with burrata and antipasti.
Rise & Fall Polyphenol Rich extra virgin olive oil
£25 for 500ml
A diffusion line from the luxury fashion and homeware retailer Rise & Fall: early harvested Hojiblanca olives from Spain produce an oil of exhilarating green intensity.
Citizens of Soil Portuguese Extra Rare
£40 for 500ml
Citizens of Soil has a huge range of unusual oils and I’ve never had one I didn’t love. This one, from Alentejo in Portugal, smells of freshly cut grass and finishes with a clean spiciness.
Odysea Good For You Polyphenol extra virgin olive oil
£7 for 250ml
Another favourite brand, another favourite oil, this time from Greece. The polyphenols lend the distinctive bitterness, but here they are balanced with a lovely citrus grassiness.
Dining and Cooking