Chefs Archives - Farrington Oils

We’re often asked why we don’t label our rapeseed oil as extra virgin cold pressed. After all, our gentle, minimal processing mirrors that of the highest-quality olive oils — cold pressing our seeds to preserve that authentic flavour, colour and nutrition.

So why don’t we use the term?

Quite simply, “extra virgin” is a standard rooted firmly in the world of olive oil — a category with its own rich heritage, regulatory benchmarks and traditions. We have huge respect for the olive oil industry and everything it represents. That’s why we choose not to borrow it for our rapeseed oil, even though our values of quality, care and authenticity are very much the same.

We believe every oil has a place at the table. Whether you’re drizzling, roasting or baking, what matters is how it’s made, where it’s from, and the people behind it. That’s why we champion production on a smaller scale, and why transparency, sustainability and taste are at the heart of everything we do.

Great oil doesn’t need to imitate — it just needs to be really true to its roots.

We were thrilled to welcome the team from Young’s Pubs to our farm in Northamptonshire to give them a first-hand look at how we grow and press our award-winning rapeseed oil. Development Chef, Holly and her team joined founder, Duncan and Commercial Manager, Rachel in our golden fields to explore what we call the ‘process of no process’.

From planting and harvesting our rapeseed to the simple yet careful steps of pressing, filtering, and bottling, we were delighted to share the Mellow Yellow life cycle with one of our most important customers. But more than just a visit, this was an opportunity to bring grower and chef together—to deepen the understanding of ingredients at their source and celebrate the best of British food.

We know that when chefs connect directly with the land and the people who grow the food, incredible things happen. We’ve experienced it many times with local chef James Peck, back in November when Executive Project Chef, Dang Pham from Lexington Catering came to visit, and again more recently when Executive Chef, Stuart Purdy from Bespoke Food Group joined us for a full farm tour. Similar sentiments were echoed by Michelin star chef and friend, Adam Gray in an interview with Mash + Mint about his life in food. Adam has been using Mellow Yellow for the past 20 years and is a great example of a chef who cares deeply about provenance and seasonality.

When a connection is made, the appreciation for quality, sustainability, and innovation in the kitchen only grows stronger, creating dishes that champion real flavour and provenance.

A huge thank you to Young’s Pubs for making the journey—here’s to more collaborations that bring field-to-fork storytelling to life.

Mellow Yellow has proudly sponsored the culinary students at Westminster Kingsway College since 2020 – supplying our cold pressed rapeseed oil to the kitchen, where it’s worked into an array of traditional and innovative dishes under the guidance of Jose Souto – Chef Lecturer at the college for 20 years.

Part of Capital City College Group, London’s largest college group, and one of the country’s leading colleges in hospitality and culinary arts, Westminster Kingsway is renowned for nurturing some of the most famous chefs of our generation including Jamie Oliver, Ainsley Harriott and Anthony Worral Thompson.

The food landscape has changed a lot since these chefs burst onto our screens, but through quality educators like Jose, the quest for quality ingredients has remained integral to the training of chefs, with sustainable British ingredients in high demand as we head towards 2025. Not only do these young chefs want to learn how to make marinades, mayonnaise and confit potatoes, they are more engaged than ever in ingredient provenance and the importance of sustainability.

As a producer of carbon-neutral cold pressed rapeseed oil, it’s been encouraging to see a fresh wave of chefs wanting to connect with ingredients with genuine interest and curiosity. Chefs are looking for so much more from a culinary oil than quality and high smoke point. They want to understand the making of ingredients, the history of how – and where – they’re grown, and why preserving traditional production methods is important. Because ultimately these are the things that shine through the food they produce in the kitchen. They are part of the food story, part of their journey as a chef and part of the narrative the customer wishes to see when they sit down to eat.

Mellow Yellow ticks the quality, versatility and cost boxes for chefs. But it also carries that story of provenance, family history and British ingredients, as well as being the only sustainable, carbon-neutral choice for professional kitchens. Totally un-processed, it is a premium alternative to frequently used pomace oil, and a more cost-effective option than imported Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

From the many farm tours we’ve carried out at Bottom Farm this year, it’s clear that we all share the same common goal: to celebrate age old techniques and quality ingredients nurtured by British soil, whilst ensuring sustainability remains front and centre in our food systems.

We supply our Mellow Yellow oil to pubs, restaurants, hotels, business & industry, education & healthcare, travel & leisure. Find out more about Mellow Yellow for Food Service.