Meet the Product: Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil, How to Use It

October 9, 2026

Early harvest olive oil is made from the first green olives of the season. The flavour is livelier and fresher than a standard olive oil, which makes it a finishing oil to enjoy rather than hide. This guide covers where ours comes from, how to taste it, and how to use it so that every spoonful earns its place.

Where it comes from

Our Premium Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a single-variety oil made from carefully selected green olives, hand-picked in southern Sicily at the start of the harvest. The olives are cold pressed below 27°C using only mechanical methods, which keeps the fresh character and delicate flavour. It is 100% organic and won a Great Taste Award (1 star).

"Extra virgin" is a legal grade. The International Olive Council defines it as oil obtained solely by mechanical or physical means, with free acidity of no more than 0.8g per 100g, and with a taste that has no defects and some fruitiness. Under the marketing rules retained in Great Britain, the term "cold extraction" may be used only for extra virgin or virgin oil obtained below 27°C.

Flavour

Fresh, grassy and floral, with a gentle sweetness and a lively peppery finish. The Great Taste judges described a floral-citrus aroma, a beautiful green colour and pleasing depth of flavour.

The peppery finish is no accident. The International Olive Council's tasting method describes pungency as a biting sensation, felt especially in the throat, that is characteristic of oils produced at the start of the crop year, mainly from unripe olives. Bitterness is a separate sensation, felt at the back of the tongue, and is typical of oil from green olives. Expect both from a bottle like this, and think of them as part of the flavour, much as you would the bitterness in good coffee or dark chocolate.

How to use it

Drizzle over fresh bread, tomatoes and burrata or vegan alternatives.
Dress salads and bowls.
Finish grilled or roasted vegetables, soups and beans.
Pour over pasta or risotto just before serving.
Use for dipping with good bread and flaky salt.

Because the flavour is the point, use it raw or at the end of cooking and keep it for the dishes where you will taste it.

Technique: getting more from every drizzle

Add it last. Stir it into hot soup or beans off the heat, or pour it over pasta once it is plated. This is our advice rather than a rule, but the aim is to keep the fresh aroma that you are paying for.

Season first. A pinch of flaky salt and a squeeze of lemon on a simple dish lets the grassy, peppery notes stand out.

Make a simple dressing. Whisk the oil with lemon juice or vinegar, a little salt and a spoonful of mustard if you like. Taste on a leaf, not from the spoon, and adjust.

Match the dish to the oil. A vivid oil suits foods with a soft or sweet character: ripe tomatoes, white beans, burrata, potatoes, courgettes, grilled aubergine, fresh bread. It will compete with strongly spiced dishes.

Can you cook with it?

Yes, gently. Extra virgin olive oil has a low free-acid content by definition, and a recent study of 48 virgin olive oils found that free fatty acid level was the strongest single factor in how high an oil's smoke point is. Lower free fatty acids went with a higher smoke point. That said, this is a bottle chosen for its fresh, peppery character, so our own preference is to save it for the finishing touch and use another oil in the pan for everyday frying.

Storing it

Oxygen, light, moisture and heat all speed up oxidation, which is what makes oil go stale. Research from the UC Davis Olive Center suggests storage in the dark at 16 to 18°C, and finds that dark glass protects oil better than clear glass. In practice: keep the cap tight, store the bottle in a cupboard away from the hob and windowsill, and pour from it rather than leaving it open on the table.