We’re big fans of @emilyontoast here in the Mellow Yellow kitchen. A true creative at mustering up innovative, flavour-packed vegetarian meals and recipes, she has a penchant for anything on toast (as her Instagram handle suggests) and is a whizz with a bean!

Emily is known for her beautifully fresh seasonal dishes, with crisp, summer salads taking the stage in summer and warming winter stews and soups for winter. A big hit this year was her halloumi recipe series, which saw Emily conjure up a multitude of fresh vegetarian recipe ideas with halloumi – including this Mellow Yellow Potato, Pepper and Halloumi Traybake, which she made especially for Mellow Yellow.

We sat down with her to chat all things food…

What’s your desert island meal?

It’s probably a really good sourdough pizza with loads of garlic mayo for the crusts…

What do you love the most about food?

Other than the enjoyment of eating, it would have to be the creativity. The possibilities of combinations, new tastes, and flavours are endless.

Top go-to ingredient in your kitchen?

Hands down, it’s got to be sourdough bread. I’ve recently started to make my own and am completely hooked!

Most memorable meal?

It’s really hard to say one particular meal, but one side of my family is very food-orientated – we’ve lots of very good cooks in the family. On boxing day we always have the best spreads, where everyone chips in.

What is your favourite season for cooking?

Autumn without a doubt. Squash is probably my favourite vegetable. And as much as I LOVE salad season, I enjoy the shift towards more comforting meals when the weather cools down. There’s something so lovely and cosy about cooking and eating that kind of food when it’s freezing outside!

Cook Emily’s Mellow Yellow Potato, Pepper & Halloumi Traybake

Follow Emily on Instagram

Subscribe to her Substack ‘The Toast Chronicles’ for weekly recipe drops

As with most foods that you’ll find on the shelf, there are huge discrepancies in flavour, taste and texture, the majority of which come down to two things – quality of produce and production techniques.

Cultivation, ingredients, provenance, handling, packaging, storage – all of these factors play a HUGE role in how food looks, tastes and performs when we cook – not to mention the health benefits that it can bring to the table. Perfecting these processes form the foundation of everything we do here at Farrington’s Mellow Yellow, but it’s in our core method: the act of cold pressing our seeds, where the real conduit to quality and value lies.

A better way of doing things

In the same way that a cold pressed juice retains more vitamins, enzymes, minerals and antioxidants than it’s processed counterparts, cold pressed rapeseed oil offers very similar benefits. We never expose the seeds to heat, and we never add anything artificial. Our method simply allows us to extract every ounce of flavour from our seeds whilst maintaining nutritionally beneficial plant sterols, vitamins and healthy fats.

At Farrington’s Mellow Yellow our process is simple: we take the best quality seeds; mechanically squeeze them to release the oil and then filter through a large tea style strainer, before putting the fresh, pure oil in a bottle ready for you to enjoy. As part of this process, we carry out around 39 quality checks on every bottle of oil or salad dressing we make, ensuring only the very best is good enough. Simple pure Mellow Yellow pleasure!

Most culinary oils consumed globally are refined as opposed to being cold pressed. For olive oil this process includes using hexane solvent, phosphoric acid, caustic soda, water and temperatures reaching 250°C. For rapeseed oil the process includes hexane solvent and temperatures around 90°C. These industrial processes lose much of the quality, flavour and colour characteristics of the original oils. Refined olive oil is also referred to as pomace oil.

As the magic ingredient behind the healthy Mediterranean diet, olive oil is often perceived as the gold standard in oils. And it’s true – olive oil is great! But so are other oils too. And when it comes to health benefits, rapeseed oil supersedes olive oil in many ways, particularly when the oils are cold pressed.

At Farrington’s Mellow Yellow, we’re proud to produce a rapeseed oil with seeds originating from LEAF Marque grower farms and our own family farm here in Hargrave. We value traceability enormously and we are proud to be at the helm of our production line – sowing, growing and pressing the rapeseed oil into high quality, delicious bottles for you to enjoy at home.

Inflation; The cost of living; Global shocks; Food shortages; Extreme weather. The last couple of years have played host to an onslaught of major events, resulting in big price increases to the things we buy – particularly food.

We know the food service industry has been hugely impacted by these events. So, in this post we’re focusing on our Mellow Yellow values: the importance of ingredients, provenance, quality and fair pricing in the face of what appears to be huge changes for the British food industry. As producers of fine quality rapeseed oil, we understand that as chefs, business owners and fellow producers, you don’t want to compromise on values – especially when it comes to ingredients: the bread and butter of your business.

And we’re singing the praises of rapeseed oil – the gold nectar of our business – that brings a wealth of creative opportunities and quality culinary moments to your kitchen, without the same price hikes we’re witnessing across the olive oil industry.

The changing landscape of culinary oils

The Ukrainian conflict combined with the extreme heat and wildfires in the Mediterranean have led to massive inflationary pressures on culinary oils over the last two years, with prices doubling in many cases. Whilst the initial shocks of the Ukrainian conflict have somewhat subsided, the continued difficulties in olive oil producing regions due to extreme weather conditions and disease killing olive trees, is leading to a longer-term shortage of olive oil globally, with big price increases as a result.

These price hikes have inevitably imposed huge pressures on business margins, which is why, here at Farrington’s Mellow Yellow we have worked hard to keep price rises to an absolute minimum. It’s fair to say it’s not always been easy! Our electricity bill tripled at one point and the jerry cans we use seemed to be creeping up in cost with every new order. As a fair wage employer – we’ve also been conscious to ensure that our loyal team have fair pay rises. Despite these challenges, we’ve managed to pick our way through the hurdles and avoid reactionary panic price increases.

Excellent value for money

We like to think that our cold pressed Farrington’s Mellow Yellow Rapeseed Oil, Chilli Oil and range of dressings continue to offer excellent value for money, helping you maintain your margins at a time when other ingredients are escalating in price, with zero compromises on the quality of your food.

Looking at the graph below, it is clear to see how Mellow Yellow rapeseed oil compares to extra virgin olive oil (EVO) and pomace oil over the last two years, showing that you can continue enjoying the wonderful taste, versatility, health and sustainable values of Mellow Yellow, without a negative impact to your bottom line.

EVO has nearly doubled in price, while the inferior refined pomace oil has increased to the same price as Mellow Yellow. With Mellow Yellow cold pressed rapeseed oil, you have the opportunity to use a premium, sustainably produced British oil with similar provenance to EVO, whilst it’s mild subtle nutty flavour and high smoke point make it truly versatile in the kitchen; it is the oil of choice for much of your culinary requirements.

There’s no need to resort to a refined commodity pomace oil when Mellow Yellow tastes better, performs better and is better for your bottom line. A premium quality ingredient that works hard for you in your kitchen. That’s the Mellow Yellow promise. That’s the Mellow Yellow value.

Food is an opportunity to nourish, refuel and energise the body. But it’s also an opportunity to experience flavour in all of its incredible shapes and forms. And for that – you need versatile products in your store cupboard!

In this post – the 4th in our Mellow Yellow Values Series – we’re focusing on the value of versatility across our full product range and the benefits that can bring to modern cooking, modern eating and modern life.

Help! Which oil?

There are multiple choices of oils and fats to use in our cooking repertoire. Some you may use occasionally for a specific recipe; others are more versatile as store cupboard essentials; then there’s that one lurking at the back of the cupboard collecting dust because you can’t remember what you bought it for! So much choice, so much confusion. So, which oils REALLY offer the best value and deserve pride of place in our kitchen?

Culinary oils are often segregated into two camps – one for cooking, one for drizzling. But what if there was an oil that was good enough to handle both? Saving you money, but also saving countertop space without any health compromises.

Farrington’s Mellow Yellow rapeseed oils and dressings offer the opportunity to become valued store cupboard essentials. Cold pressed for maintaining nutrients and known for its high smoke point, it’s the ideal meet-in-the-middle oil that’s a dream drizzled onto salads, or into a pan or roasting dish to cook a main meal.

The original Mellow Yellow Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil is a truly versatile oil. It has a delicious subtle nutty flavour, with buttery undertones; it is clean on the tongue and unlike some oils, it doesn’t have an oily, or bitter aftertaste. This clean subtle flavour allows other ingredients to shine through, and it’s the unsung hero in a salad dressing due to its excellent emulsifying properties and subtle flavour.

Mellow Yellow for cooking and baking

Mellow Yellow is ideal for baking breads and cakes due to its clean light flavour, it doesn’t overpower or taint a cake like a more robust oil. Whilst most people are familiar with butter or non-dairy spread for baking, Mellow Yellow is an excellent and healthy option in many recipes. We have plenty of delicious recipes on our website to inspire you – our Courgette Loaf Cake and Beetroot & Chocolate Cake being particular favourites. For something a little different, you could try our Chilli Oil in making a Chilli Chocolate Brownie – the perfect melody of rich and spicy! Feel free to experiment with your own ideas too – we love to see how you use Mellow Yellow in your home kitchen.

Mellow Yellow Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil has a high smoke point of around 230°C, making it ideal for roasting ovens, stir fry pans or air fryers. Impress your family and friends as you enjoy excellent crispy roast potatoes, crunchy croutons, bruschetta and crispy tender stir-fried vegetables. No soggy food dripping in oil – just brilliantly cooked food with flavour up front and centre, just how it should be.

Mellow Yellow for drizzling

Drizzled on a simple salad with a little seasoning and vinegar or worked into your own homemade dressing – our four classic Mellow Yellow Salad Dressings are packed with robust, clean and delightful flavours to elevate your plates.

Choose from Honey & Mustard; Balsamic Vinegar; Classic Vinaigrette and Chilli & Cumin, all ready-made for you, using the same quality ingredients you would use yourself at home. Our quality dressings are also a handy way to amplify the flavours in your homemade marinades and sauces. How about salmon fillet lightly cooked in Chilli & Cumin dressing for a refreshing aromatic dish? Or our classic Roasted Honey & Mustard New Potatoes ? There are plenty of ideas on our recipes page to inspire something different for dinner tonight.

A particular favourite of ours is our Seed & Nut Granola recipe, where the subtle nutty flavour of Mellow Yellow combines perfectly with chopped nuts, seeds and oats to make a delicious breakfast treat. Or, if you’re looking for something a little heartier, there’s always the full English! Whether you opt for vegetarian or meat – the sky is the limit with Mellow Yellow. Fried eggs, potatoes, mushrooms, hash browns, baked beans – we think you’ll agree, it’s a classic that never gets old.

Mellow Yellow for roasting and stir frying

It is high temperature cooking where Mellow Yellow excels compared to many other oils in the kitchen. Both the original Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil and the Chilli Oil are fantastic for roasting and stir-frying. Whether you’re cooking the traditional family Sunday roast, or challenging yourself with more international flavours, Mellow Yellow has the taste, functionality and versatility you need to make cooking a treasured, memorable and fun part of home life. We like to think of it as the valued kitchen counter essential ingredient.

Browse our exciting recipe pages for inspiration and ideas of how to dress, drizzle, marinade, bake, roast or stir fry with Farrington’s Mellow Yellow. Happy cooking!

Everyone has a favourite culinary oil in their kitchen, you may use different oils depending on the occasion. Some people worry that some oils may be ‘bad’, and others are ‘good,’ often picked up from different marketing messages, urban myths, or the occasional extreme sensationalist social media campaign.

Like most oils on the shelf, rapeseed oil has had its share of unfair criticism during it’s time. So, in this post – the second in our values campaign – we wanted to address some of the myths and talk more about all of the good stuff rapeseed oil brings to your health and your kitchen.

Balance of healthy fats

Rapeseed oil has an excellent balance of different fats which support our general health and well-being, including heart health and maintaining healthy cholesterol levels, brain, skin and eye tissue development. It also has the lowest saturated fat of any culinary oil at 6%, compared to olive oil 14%, butter 51%, coconut oil 91%. Read more about fats here.

Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid that we get from our diets to regulate cholesterol, aid brain and eye health as well as other bodily metabolic functions. It is found in certain nuts and seeds, including rapeseed, with a content of 10% in cold pressed rapeseed oil, compared to nothing in many oils including palm, sunflower and coconut oils, and only 1% in olive oil.

Not only is cold pressed rapeseed oil the only high temperature culinary oil to contain Omega-3, it also has the perfect balance of Omega-6 which we need in small amounts in our diet. We require around two parts of Omega-6 for every one part of Omega-3 – the exact ratio found in cold pressed rapeseed oil. It’s an important balance to strike for good health, but we often see it go off course – especially in the case of highly processed western diets which can result in people consuming excessive amounts of Omega 6 – leading to negative health outcomes like poor heart health, inflammatory disease and depression.

Enriched with vitamins

An excellent source of vitamins E, K and provitamin A – cold pressed rapeseed oil is a great way to consume small amounts of these daily vitamins for general health.

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps maintain healthy skin and eyes, whilst serving as a natural immune booster. Vitamin K regulates blood clotting, whilst provitamin A (also known as

a carotenoid) is an important antioxidant in the prevention of various types of cancers, as well as playing a crucial role in heart and eye health.

Sunflower oil is a very good source of Vitamin E at 73%, with rapeseed and olive oils at 30%, whilst coconut oil only has 1%. Cold pressed rapeseed oil and other brassica crops are good sources of vitamin K. Whilst rapeseed oil has around 5 times the antioxidant properties of Carotenoids (provitamin A) compared to olive oil.

Powered by Plant Sterols

Plant sterols are natural, fat-soluble compounds found in plants that are very efficient at reducing cholesterol levels. They are considered to be the most effective single food that can lower cholesterol as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Rapeseed oil is an excellent source of these healthy compounds, with over double the sterol content of extra virgin cold pressed olive oil. Much of the plant sterol properties are lost in refined oils, but our cold pressing method ensures that Mellow Yellow maintains these cholesterol-reducing properties, making it a preferable choice for health in comparison to refined rapeseed oil. Interestingly, the plant sterols that are lost in the refined rapeseed oil process, are isolated and sold on to food manufacturers, to add back into products allowing them to claim the health benefit: “contains plant sterols.” An unnecessary complication some might argue!

Erucic acid

Erucic acid is a bitter-tasting, mono-unsaturated fatty acid produced in many green plants, constituting 30 to 60% of the total fatty acid content of mustard seed and traditional rapeseed varieties. There has been much speculation on the negative effects of erucic acid on human health, though no confirmed negative health effects have been formally documented in humans.

This combination of bitterness and potential health concerns have led to many varieties of rapeseed oil being naturally bred with lower levels of erucic acid (with a legal maximum level of under 2% for culinary rapeseed oil), resulting in a more subtle, nutty flavour. At Mellow Yellow, the content is in the region of less than 0.02% – a result of the rigorous testing we carry out on the best quality seeds before we press a single drop of oil.

The difference is Mellow Yellow

We believe a healthy, varied and balanced diet trumps the wide array of manufactured nutritional supplements you can buy off the shelf. It’s championing home cooking instead of processed food. And making authentic ingredients that are grown ethically and sustainably for health and not quick financial gain. That’s the Yellow Mellow ethos. That’s the Mellow Yellow value.

We hope you try our Rapeseed oil in your recipes, bring a little heat to the table with our subtle award-winning Chilli Oil and use our delicious salad dressings to add flavour and support the digestion of fat-soluble vitamins in your salads.

Why not browse our recipes and try something new? Not only will you be getting great quality and value for money, but a big win for health too

Global pandemics, inflation, conflicts, food shortages, climate change…. there’s no denying the fact that the world faces multiple challenges right now, many of which are having a big impact on the cost of living and consequently, the cost of food.

Here at Farrington’s Mellow Yellow, we’ve seen first-hand how this has impacted production lines – raising the price tag for everyone along the way, and eventually you – the end consumer. We’ve fought hard to keep the cost of our Mellow Yellow Rapeseed Oil and dressings as low as possible and we wanted to share a little bit about how (and why) we’ve chosen to do that.

Making good quality rapeseed oil accessible

Food brings people together and is a wonderful salve during testing times. A symbol of a life shared, cooking is a part of who we are, and we firmly believe that putting a great meal on the table, made with quality ingredients, shouldn’t cost a small fortune.

There are a few reasons why we’ve seen the prices of culinary oils explode in the last two years. The Ukrainian conflict, combined with the extreme heat and wildfires in the Mediterranean have led to huge inflationary pressures, with prices doubling in many cases. Whilst the initial shocks of the conflict have somewhat subsided, the continued difficulties in olive oil producing regions due to extreme weather conditions and disease destroying olive trees, is leading to a longer-term shortage of olive oil globally, with escalating price increases as a result.

While many oils have increased in price, at Farrington’s Mellow Yellow we have manged to keep price rises to an absolute minimum. This of course, hasn’t come without challenges! The cost of our electricity tripled at one point and the price of our glass bottles increased dramatically due to the high energy used to manufacture glass. It’s been tricky at times, but we have managed to pick our way through the hurdles to avoid the difficult scenario of hefty price increases and wage decreases, ensuring that our loyal team continue to have fair and reasonable pay. And you – our loyal customers – can continue to enjoy Farrington’s Mellow Yellow in all of your favourite dishes.

The graph below illustrates how Mellow Yellow Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil compares to a leading brand of olive oil over the last two years, showing that you can continue enjoying the wonderful taste, versatility, health and sustainable values of Mellow Yellow, without costing the earth.

This next graph shows a similar story with our delicious chilli oil which is gaining a loyal following of customers who enjoy something a little warmer in their recipes or simply drizzled over pizza, salad and favourite meals.

This final graph shows how Farrington’s Mellow Yellow dressings remain excellent value for money in comparison to other leading brands. We have compared prices against similar products, but it is only a Mellow Yellow dressing that is made from unrefined cold pressed rapeseed oil, with great quality ingredients and absolutely ZERO additives, preservatives, or artificial stabilisers.

There are of course cheaper alternative dressings, but many of these come with a long list of processed ingredients. Mellow Yellow dressings are made just as you would do at home, but with our thoughtful ingredient profile and delicious flavours, you can leave the hard work to us and simply enjoy drizzling Farrington’s Mellow Yellow on your favourite salads!

Whatever your choice in oils and salad dressings, if you haven’t already tried the delicious flavours of Farrington’s Mellow Yellow, now is the perfect opportunity to search them out knowing that not everything good costs the earth. And if you’re an existing customer who is enjoying Mellow Yellow products in your home cooking, we would like to give you our heartfelt thanks for supporting our family business. We hope that our great values continue to inspire you!

Here at Farrington’s Mellow Yellow, we are very proud of the delicious range of rapeseed oils and salad dressings produced on our farm. Ever since launching Mellow Yellow in 2005 as the first cold pressed rapeseed oil in Britain to be sown, grown, pressed and bottled on the farm, I have been driven by the ambition to produce the very best we can; to create sustainable food with quality and integrity at its heart. From our small beginnings producing a few bottles a year, to today, with the support of our dedicated team in our factory at Bottom Farm, those values remain as important today as they were on day one.

Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing with you some of the core values behind Mellow Yellow. Because in the current climate, we believe that value is imperative to get right – for you, our valued consumer, but also for everyone involved in the journey from seed to bottle.

It could be the health values of Mellow Yellow, which as a cold pressed rapeseed oil has the lowest saturated fat of any culinary oil; is high in Omega-3; and packed with cholesterol busting plant sterols (over twice as much found in extra virgin olive oil, for example). Then there is value for money. At a time when the price of food is rising alongside the escalating cost of living, Farrington’s Mellow Yellow products offer exceptional value in comparison to many alternatives, some of which have more than doubled in cost.

We’ll look at the environmental and social values of Mellow Yellow, which as an oil grown from British rapeseed to LEAF Marque standards sets the bar for others to follow. The appreciation for our team – the heart and soul of our business – all of whom are signed up to the Living Wage Foundation, ensuring jobs that are valued with fair pay for all. Indeed, we are delighted to be accredited by the Good Business Charter and VERY proud to be a recipient of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development.

Lastly, let’s not forget the values of Farrington’s Mellow Yellow in your kitchen; as an excellent roasting oil with its high smoke point, or its subtle nutty flavour – a truly versatile ingredient for so many recipes. And our delicious salad dressings – each made with quality, additive-free ingredients, so you can confidently drizzle onto salads and into marinades, knowing there’s nothing unrecognisable in our quality blends.

People often ask us what they can use their bottle of Mellow Yellow for, so we created a huge bank of recipes to inspire you to get creative in the kitchen. From breakfast and baking to dairy-free, family meals, dips (and everything else in between) there’s plenty of inspiring ways to enjoy Mellow Yellow and try something new.

Value for people and planet is at the heart of everything we do here at Farrington’s Mellow Yellow, and I hope you’ll join us as we share more about the importance of values to us as a business.

Duncan Farrington.

Another year of success at Great Taste Awards for our dressing!

We are incredibly proud of this year’s result! The judges have awarded 1 star Great Taste award to our Chilli & Cumin dressing once again and we couldn’t be happier!

The Great Taste awards are the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink awards scheme, with a panel of over 500 experts judging each product, being described as the ‘Oscars of the food world’. Every year thousands of food and drink products are entered into these prestigious awards, with only the very best products being awarded the coveted stars.

Here’s what the judges had to say about our product…

“The dressing is well-balanced with the different ingredients blending in harmony to give a tasty spicy dressing with well-judged levels of heat.”

What can it be used in?

Our Chilli and Cumin Dressing adds a fantastically vibrant flavour to anything from a simple salad to marinated salmon or chicken. We also love it as a dipping sauce. We have balanced the warm heat of chilli flakes with the gentle aroma of cumin seeds to create a deliciously daring dressing.

Looking for some cooking inspiration? We’ve got it covered…

The flavours found in our Chilli and Cumin Dressing pair perfectly when drizzled over fresh salads, roasted vegetables, fish or meat. Aromatic, spiced and versatile enough to have a starring role as a dressing, marinade and sauce, let our Chilli & Cumin Dressing add gusto to your cooking.

We’re so proud of all our brilliant products. This dressing is available from Ocado & local stockists.

If you’ve used Mellow Yellow Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil for deep frying, follow our tips on what to do with oil after deep frying…

Reuse

As Mellow Yellow Rapeseed Oil has a high smoke point, you can reuse this oil after deep frying. Once you have used your oil for deep frying, leave it to cool down. Once it is completely cool, pour it through a muslin cloth, coffee filter paper or kitchen roll into a glass bottle or jar that can be sealed. Label the jar with the date you used it for deep frying, what you used it for and the best before date. Store your oil in a cool, dark place and use within six weeks. It is best to use the oil for deep frying similar foods in case any flavour has been imparted into the oil.

Recycle

Containers of cooking oil can be recycled by some local recycling centres. Check with your local council to see if they offer this service and then take it to the recycling centre in a sealed bottle or jar.

Dispose

If you need to dispose of your oil, you could put a few sheets of something absorbent, eg, kitchen roll or newspaper into your bin and then pour the oil onto this. The oil should then be absorbed and won’t make a mess in your bin. If you don’t have anything absorbent to pour the oil onto, you can wait until it has cooled down and then pour it either back into the bottle or into a glass jar with a lid and place in your rubbish bin.

What not to do with oil after deep frying

– Touch too soon – Make sure to leave to cool fully, oil gets VERY hot, so make sure it has had plenty of time to cool down before you touch it.

– Put on the compost heap – Pouring leftover cooking oil onto your compost heap can attract rodents and slow down the composting process.

– Pour down the sink – Never pour leftover oil down your sink as it will eventually blog the pipes and contributes to larger drainage problems.

We’re so pleased to present Pestle Curry Pastes, a brand new brand that uses Mellow Yellow Rapeseed Oil as a key ingredient! We chatted to Neha, the founder of Pestle, about this exciting new venture…

First up, introduce yourself and your products!

Hi, I’m Neha Hampton, I’m a chef based in Sussex and I’m excited to share my new brand, Pestle. Pestle is a range of hand crafted curry pastes blended to capture the flavours of some our favourite dishes. This brand is not just about great food, it’s a journey of exploration fuelled by curiosity to look beyond what we know to uncover the stories of history, people and places with the aim to promote cultural unity.

How did Pestle start?

This year has presented us with many challenges and changed everything we know and love. Motivated by my desire to connect with people and share my love for food, I decided to turn a hobby of making fresh curry pastes into a small business. It all started in my local community and with a outpouring of support I decided to make it official and that’s how Pestle was born.

We’re so pleased to be used in your curry pastes. How did you first hear of Mellow Yellow and why did you choose to include us in your pastes?

I’ve been a fan and have used Mellow Yellow in my home for many years now – I love the slightly nutty flavour and the versatility with so many different cuisines. A lot of Indian curries involve slowly caramelising onions, garlic and ginger as a base and an oil with a high smoke point works best for this… Mellow Yellow is perfect and the colour reminds me of the mustard oil that my mum used to cook with. To say I was delighted to find out that it was available in larger quantities for businesses like mine is an understatement!

Your first range of curry pastes is called ‘Behind the British Curry’, can you tell us about the history of a curry in the range?

The love for curry weaves through many generations and Indian cuisine has firmly made it into the hearts and onto the plates of Britain.

The ‘Behind the British Curry’ range shares stories & flavours of the ancestral heritage of some of our favourite dishes. Vindaloo for example, is Goa’s most famous export… its origins however trace back to Portuguese traders in the 15th century who carried with them a dish called carne vinha d’alhos, pork marinaded in garlic and vinegar for their long journeys. The dish was adapted in Goa to local conditions and with no vinegar, they used palm wine and added local ingredients like tamarind, pepper & cinnamon. Chillies in fact arrived with Vasco De Gama in 1498 and eventually replaced or complimented black pepper as a source of heat in Goan cuisine.

How are your pastes made?

There’s essentially 3 stages – the first is caramelising onions, garlic and ginger in Farrington’s Mellow Yellow Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil, the second is roasting and grinding my unique blend of spices and the third is bringing these together to form a paste. The aim is to make the cooking process for the customer simple and easy – you just add in a few ingredients, cook and voila, a super tasty meal.

We know the quality ingredients are important to you, other than our oil, can you tell us about any other special ingredients used?

Spices are a real foundation to my pastes and are an important part of the culinary heritage that we share all over the world. When developing my recipes I reflect on my travels & my own experiences of these dishes and I am looking to create as near to those moments as possible. This means creating the perfect balance and blend of spices and when developing recipes, literally adjusting each peppercorn up and down to get them perfect.

We love the packaging of your products, what inspired these beautiful designs?

One of the pillars of the brand is the idea of ‘handmade’ so when it came to packaging I wanted to follow that theme. I wanted this to feel like something you could grow, like a packet of seeds and hence the envelope. The hand drawn illustrations are by a friend Mel @smithandwonder and we worked together to capture the essence of the Pestle and ingredients that go into each paste.

What is your favourite dish to cook (not including your own curry pastes)?

Wow, what a big question. As a fully obsessive foodie, I love cooking is every shape or form, from baking to making an omelette to elaborate fine dining. One of my favourite dishes to cook and eat is Bebek Betutu – a Balinese duck dish, which is covered in a spice paste and roasted for 4-6 hours at a low heat. I recently added in Farrington’s Mellow Yellow Oak Smoked Rapeseed Oil which adds the flavour and memory of the duck being slow cooked over a wood fire in Bali.

Where can we find your products and where can we follow you on social media?

You’ll find me on the socials @pestleltd – here you’ll see my journey of food and stories of people, places and history.

I recently launched with my first online retailer, The Ethical Butcher – you can buy pastes and meal kits where the pastes have been paired with incredible meats to give you a simple, easy and tasty meals at home. More retailers announcing very soon!

What’s coming next for Pestle?

This is my chapter 1 and so today I am focussed on expanding the brand and retailers. As the journey unfolds, I will be looking to expand production in my new studio kitchen and I’ve even started research and development for the next range of products. Watch this space 🙂

To buy Pestle curry pastes, visit The Ethical Butcher here.

Follow Neha on Instagram and Facebook.