Filippo Berio is showing its mild side in a bid to appease adults and children who don't like the strong taste of traditional olive oils. The company has blended a mild extra virgin olive oil for the UK market to cater for consumers' preference for milder flavours.
The new mild variety has been created for everyday use, including in general cooking and for the preparation of sauces and salad dressings. It is available in the standard 500ml glass bottles (rsp: £3.99).
The Village Press olive oil, sourced from Hawke's Bay on New Zealand's North Island, has been stocked in Tesco stores since April. Imported and distributed by Old Fashioned Foods, the 250ml and 500ml bottles retail at £3.99 and £5.99 respectively.
The initial launch is the peppery-flavoured barnea variety, but the brand portfolio also includes manzanillo, frantoio, leccino and picual.
?Oleoestepa olive oil from Spain is making its way to the UK this month. The Kerfoot Group is launching its Estepa Virgen olive oil - which it claims is known for its sweetness and fruitiness - targeting high quality retail outlets.
A spokesman says: "Although the Oleoestepa brand is popular in areas of China and Japan, and on the West Coast of the US, it still remains one of Spain's best-kept secrets. We think it is about time that British consumers had an opportunity to experience this olive oil for themselves."
Research group Campden & Chorleywood has developed a method to test whether olive oil has been adulterated by hazelnut oil.
The new approach combines extraction of DNA from the oil with detection of hazelnut-specific DNA.
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