REALLY Good Olive Oil

Am starting to develop a taste for this, but stocks are limited in this neck of the wood and I'm wondering if any of you foodies out there would care to share the brands you prefer AND if they are available online.

 

Oops, sorry, wrong topic!  Have asked a mod to move it.

Two suggestions:

http://www.alolivier.com/index_a.php

And also, we've tried a lot of olive oils, and in my experience - those from Cyprus (bar none) always seem to taste the best. 

We have bought Cypriot olive oil from our local deli, and also when we've been in Cyprus (and/or the in-laws get us some because they have a place there).

The Leeds city market also has a great Greek stall - where you keep your glass jug & just take it to be refilled when you've emptied it, and that olive oil is pretty nice too.

I use the sainsbury's extra virgin olive oil - in the dark green bottle.  It's not bad and someone from Spain who cooks even recommended it to me. 

Expat, those A L'Olivier oils can be mail ordered from France (we bought some one time at the store in Paris which sadly we just ran out of that one last week).  Unless you're wanting something flavoured - I'd go for the Silver Tin (Mediterranean) oils (there's a couple of Greek ones there).  Most of them are under 20 euro.

Of if you've contacts in Glasgow/Edinburgh - are there any good delis around up there that sell olive oil?

IMO, there's as much a 'terroir' thing about olive oil, as there is with wine - most olives are grown in the Mediterranean, and of these - IMO, the best are Greek/Cypriot.  Your mileage may vary. 

IMO, there's as much a 'terroir' thing about olive oil, as there is with wine - most olives are grown in the Mediterranean, and of these - IMO, the best are Greek/Cypriot. 

Agree and agree.  Although I like Italian and Spanish oils as well, there's just something about Greek olive oil that sets it apart from the rest. 

i have to disagree on the olive oils that are available on the shelves at our supermarkets.

i tried most of them . you name it , from organic to super extra virgin olive oil here in the uk , but nothing beats the olive oil i used to have in lebanon. my dad's friend owns a small business for making virgin olive oil . he own a big field full of olive trees!
and oh my god , the smell , the colour and the taste are so heavenly !!! i used to dip a piece of bread into the oil and have it! mouth watering!

once you have tried it , you feel how much you have missing out!


i have been looking for good olive oil here but i cant find any nice ones:( join the search....

moon, maybe you ought to start importing his olive oil up here? 

I have not yet tried any olive oil from Lebanon, but I imagine it's delicious!

Reminds me of the little Greek man who is often on our bus.  He's just left for Greece where he has property and grows his own grapes and olives!!  We're hoping he'll bring us back some of the olive oil, if not the wine!! 

I saw this thread when it was in the immigration area and wanted to add something.

I don't have a view on where to get olive oil, but I do have a very modest olive grove that produces annually.  Each year I add more trees to it.  

If anybody else grows or tends olive trees, I'd love to compare notes with them.

Reminds me of the little Greek man who is often on our bus.  He's just left for Greece where he has property and grows his own grapes and olives!!  We're hoping he'll bring us back some of the olive oil, if not the wine!! 

Did you ever go to the Greek stall in the Leeds city market?  And if not, if your hubby is still over here now - you must send him there on a mission! 

Did you ever go to the Greek stall in the Leeds city market?  And if not, if your hubby is still over here now - you must send him there on a mission! 

Don't remember the Greek stall.  Sounds enticing!

Don't remember the Greek stall.  Sounds enticing!

It's awesome!  I found this off a blog:  "Kostas’ Olive Stall, a Greek market which sells some fine cheese, meats and sweets all direct from Greece. And I mean direct – for a few pounds you can buy Olive Oil from his family and when you're done, bring back the bottle and get a refill."  They also have Greek pastries there.  Yum!

I saw this thread when it was in the immigration area and wanted to add something.

I don't have a view on where to get olive oil, but I do have a very modest olive grove that produces annually.  Each year I add more trees to it.  

If anybody else grows or tends olive trees, I'd love to compare notes with them.

That's very cool!  Still too cold up here for that, however.   

I adore olives of any kind.

The UK climate makes the olives tough and small.  It's the leaves that make the hobby of growing them in the UK worthwhile.

Not having a view on where to get olive oil, I'm happy to add my own recommendation of any oil marked 'Collina di Brindisi'  - from the south facing slopes at the south-east corner of Italy.  It's a blend.  I can only find it in Strasbourg.

Secondarily, I agree with the quality of olives from Cyprus as posted above.  Outside of 'thieves pot', there's not much going for Cypriot cuisine, but the olives have a life of their own.

Beyond that, the olives not mentioned in this thread that might seem exotic are those from the Crimea region.  But while they might sound exotic, they are actually basic mediocre.

The UK climate makes the olives tough and small.  It's the leaves that make the hobby of growing them in the UK worthwhile.

What's so great about the leaves?  I'm now curious.