Oils
Rapeseed Oil
Chili Oil
Dressings
Classic Vinaigrette
Balsamic Dressing
Honey & Mustard
Chili & CuminAs the UK’s first seed to bottle producer of rapeseed oil, our British heritage is incredibly important to us! From 24th September to 8th October, the UK has been celebrating British Food Fortnight with the hashtag #BritishFoodFortnight. To show our passion for British food, we’ve been sharing our favourite recipes on Twitter each day. In case you missed these recipes, we’ve collated them all here for you. So take a look through and let us know which ones you’ll be trying next.
No self-respecting roast dinner would ever be seen without these by its side. Using our British cold pressed rapeseed oil on your Sunday roasties ensures you the crispiest potatoes. Thanks to the high smoke point of the oil, your potatoes can get nice and hot, helping them get that crispy coating.
A quintessentially British fruit, the humble plum sings in this Plum Cake recipe. With ground almonds to add a nutty flavour, this cake is fantastic for a Sunday afternoon tea, or even just to whip up mid-week for a surprise guest!
Using British beef, this recipe will always go down well when brought to the table. Simple, perfectly seasoned and deliciously succulent, it truly is a classic dish. We love our steak served with potato wedges and garlic mushrooms, but there are so many other options you could choose from.
Almond and rhubarb make perfect partners in our Rhubarb Cake, which is an easy yet impressive bake. This is a fantastic way to use any seasonal rhubarb you have, as well as impressing your family with a delicious treat for them to tuck into!
One Pot Honey & Mustard Parsnip Chicken
This recipe uses our Honey & Mustard dressing as a delicious cooking sauce. Simply pour the sauce over your chicken thighs and British parsnips, pop it in the oven and there you go, a tasty one pot dish that’s perfect to warm you up during the colder weather that British Food Fortnight signals.
Usually eaten at Easter time, British lamb can also be sourced later on in the year with a stronger, more developed flavour. Our recipe for Roast Lamb uses garlic, rosemary, lemon and plenty of seasoning to bring out the most flavour possible from your lamb.
A true British favourite, we couldn’t talk about British Food Fortnight without including these. In our opinion, no matter what meat you’re having, no Sunday roast is complete without a Yorkshire pudding brimming with gravy. Get your oil nice and hot, ours has a high smoke point which really helps, to get those puddings rising nice and high!
Blueberry & White Chocolate Muffins
The delicate flavour of Mellow Yellow lends itself perfectly to cake baking and is particularly good in these marvellous muffins. Blueberry and White Chocolate Muffins fresh from the oven will attract the entire household, so make sure to grab one for yourself before everyone else descends!
Such a simple side to make, and goes with so many different things. We like using British rooster potatoes in our Potato Wedges, but you can use any type of potato. A drizzling of Mellow Yellow and a good pinch of salt is all you need to create the most delicious wedges to be enjoyed by the whole family.
A beautifully light and fluffy lemon cake with a zesty lemon drizzle icing. Quick and easy for an everyday treat for the family but makes an impressive afternoon tea centerpiece if you’re planning a party.
Fresh Asparagus and Mellow Yellow Mayonnaise
British asparagus has to be one of our highlights of June, especially when combined with our delicious Mellow Yellow Mayonnaise. Our favourite way to serve this is by BBQ’ing the asparagus then serving it in a big pile with plenty of mayo ready for dipping!
This recipe produces a really easy, moist fruity apple cake. A perfect way to use up any seasonal British apples (cookers or eating apples) whichever you have in the garden or the fruit bowl. Served with creme fraiche, or even ice cream if the weather is warm enough, this cake is sure to be a hit!
A wonderfully unusual way to use courgettes when in season. This fluffy courgette cake with its delicious lime cream cheese filling is a coffee morning or afternoon tea show stopper!
Pastry no longer needs butter! Using our incredibly simple recipe, you can make a quick and delicious pastry with Farrington’s Mellow Yellow Rapeseed Oil. This recipe is for a fruity Blackberry and Apple Galette, perfect with a hearty pouring of custard or double cream.
British Food Fortnight has been a great way for us to shout about all the amazing food produced in Britain, but just remember to keep buying British! Tweet us and let us know which recipe is your favourite!
We are over the moon to have won not one, not two, not even three, but SIX stars at the 2017 Great Taste Awards for our Farrington’s Mellow Yellow products this year. The judges have awarded a 1 star Great Taste award to each of our Classic Vinaigrette, Honey & Mustard Dressing, Balsamic Vinegar Dressing, Chilli Oil, Mayonnaise and Garlic Mayonnaise. For most products, this is their second, or even third Great Taste award but for our Chilli Oil, this is the first time it has been awarded a Great Taste star and we couldn’t be happier!
The Great Taste awards are the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink awards, with a panel of over 500 experts judging each product, being described as the ‘Oscars of the food world’. This year, 12,366 food and drink products 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 products:
Chilli Oil: A wonderful colour and clarity. The nuttiness of the oil is retained and a subtle hint of chilli makes a wonderful condiment for cooking.
Balsamic Dressing: Lovely fruity sweetness that lifted the palette.
Classic Vinaigrette: Herbs add to the complexity of flour with all the ingredients working in harmony.
Honey & Mustard Dressing: The honey flavour balances well with the mustard. Love the ‘pop’ of the mustard seeds too.
Mayonnaise: A very good colour, and the rapeseed oil really works well here. It’s light and creamy textured, and well seasoned with a light hand.
Garlic Mayonnaise: Good clean creamy mayo with a well-judged hint of garlic. Lovely richness and mouthfeel.
We’re so proud of all our brilliant products, so if you haven’t tried them all, head over to our Where to Buy page and find your local stockist!
Do you love finding new local food producers, farm shops, restaurants and pubs? Well we do too, so we’re proud to now be part of Great Food Club. Great Food Club is an independent website that selects and recommends local food and drink independents. Based purely on merit, Great Food Club checks all its members before allowing them to be listed on the site. They use the simple criteria of ‘would we recommend this to our foodie friends?’ The great news is, they would happily recommend us!
One of our favourite things about the Great Food Club it’s perfect for finding great food in your local area. We’re incredibly proud of the fact that we are a Northamptonshire producer and so this guide is great for other Northamptonians to hear about us. By simply entering your post code, you can discover a world of fantastic foodie finds, right on your doorstep!
It is free to join the Great Food Club. Simply head over to www.greatfoodclub.co.uk and sign up. It is a fantastic way for foodies to find local producers, restaurants and shops in their local area. They will send you a membership card, which you can use in certain establishments to claim a discount.
You can find us on Great Food Club at http://www.greatfoodclub.co.uk/business/farringtons-oils/. If you love our products, which we hope you do, please feel free to leave a review and let everyone know!
Plant sterols – What are they? Where are they found? Duncan Farrington, founder of Farrington Oils, explains.
Many health-related issues are a direct result of poor diets, especially Coronary Heart Disease, which is a major killer in westernised populations. One of the biggest causes of Coronary Heart Disease is from high cholesterol. Raised cholesterol levels are partly genetic, but also partly a result of poor dietary choices. By eating a healthy balanced diet, over time you can bring your cholesterol levels back to your normal level.
In recent years, interest has increased in a particular natural food component that actively reduces cholesterol, called plant sterols. Plant sterols are fat-soluble compounds found in some vegetables, nuts and seeds, including rapeseed. They are similar in structure to cholesterol, which is found in animal fats such as meat and dairy. When eaten, plant sterols compete with cholesterol for absorption into the bloodstream. Your body finds it easier to absorb the plant sterols: they block the cholesterol from being absorbed, resulting in the cholesterol passing through and out of the body via the stool.
Plant sterols’ cholesterol-lowering effects have been known for some time. They are considered to be the most effective single food that can lower cholesterol as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. Evidence suggests that eating between 1.5g and 2.4g of plant sterols each day can significantly reduce LDL cholesterol (‘bad’ cholesterol) by up to 10% (Heart UK).
These beneficial plant sterols are present in rapeseed oil. In fact, several vegetable oils contain plant sterols, with rapeseed oil being an excellent source, as shown in the table. Rapeseed oil has over double the sterol content of olive oil, and ten times that of coconut oil.
Total sterol content of crude vegetable oils.
Adapted from Gunstone (2004) and Gunstone (2011).
As you can see, rapeseed oil contains the highest amount of plant sterols. This table is for crude oils, which means it is based on unrefined oils such as a cold pressed rapeseed oil. If we look at the refined versions of these oils, the plant sterol measurement decreases by up to 40%. This is caused by the bleaching and deodorising process. So, in order to consume more plant sterols from oils, an unrefined and cold pressed rapeseed oil, such as Farrington’s Mellow Yellow, is the best choice.
The knowledge of how effective plant sterols are in lowering cholesterol has led to the appearance of several successful food brands producing fortified foods, such as non-dairy spreads and yoghurt drinks with ‘added plant sterols’. The plant sterols added are actually those recovered from refined vegetable oils.
Although our rapeseed oil contains high amounts of plant sterols in comparison to other oils, I am not suggesting that Farrington’s Mellow Yellow alone will reduce cholesterol levels. To get your full 1.5g to 2.4g of plant sterols a day, you would need to drink around half a bottle of cold pressed rapeseed oil, which is obviously not realistic, nor how I suggest you enjoy our oil! However, by enjoying it alongside other plant sterol containing foods, as part of a healthy diet, you’ll increase your total plant sterol intake and be well on your way to reaching the ideal amount needed to reduce high cholesterol.
Duncan Farrington
For more information on this topic, see:
Gunstone F D., (2004). Rapeseed and Canola Oil; Productrion, Processing, Properties and Uses Blackwell Publishing
Gunstone F D., (2011). Vegetable Oils in Food Technology Composition, Properties and Uses Wiley-Blackwell p253-254.
Heart UK. https://heartuk.org.uk
10 years of cold pressed rapeseed oil. From a leading actress and a butcher to Michelin star chefs and business leaders; all part of this modern farmer’s story.
Celebrating 10 years, Farmer Duncan Farrington thanks the people who supported his British culinary oil with the first 10, new look bottles off the production line.
Farrington’s Mellow Yellow cold pressed rapeseed oil celebrates its 10th anniversary with a redesign and fresh look. The success of this British brand of culinary oil has been achieved through lots of hard work, as well as support from a wide variety of people. Duncan started selling bottles of Mellow Yellow cold pressed rapeseed oil to independent retailers from the boot of his car in 2005, including his first stop at the local butcher, H Johnson & Sons in Thrapston. Mr. Johnson agreed to give it a try on a sale or return basis and within a fortnight had placed his second order having completely sold out.
In 2003 Duncan became a LEAF Demonstration Farmer, as part of a network of farmers who talk to the public about their environmentally friendly farming practices. Actress Tamsin Greig launched the Farrington family farm as a demonstration farm. Tamsin was playing Debbie Aldridge in the Archers at the time, where the character had just completed her LEAF audit on the show. Duncan invited Tamsin and her family to the farm where she planted an owl box to mark the occasion. Later with LEAF Marque accreditation for his rapeseed, Duncan began producing Farrington’s Mellow Yellow rapeseed oil to the highest environmental standards and raised the bar of British produced culinary oils.
Cold pressed rapeseed oil continues to grow in popularity and is much loved by chefs and home cooks alike, who appreciate its culinary and health properties. Leading chefs to discover Farrington’s early on included Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson. Duncan introduced himself to Jamie at a consumer show in 2006, and since then has produced one of Jamie’s brands of rapeseed oil as well as being on the menu at his Union Jacks restaurant. Nigella was an early fan too, naming Farrington’s Mellow Yellow as her rapeseed oil of choice in her book ‘Kitchen’. More recently, the company was chosen by Michel Roux Jr’s Cookery School to become a partner. The school contacted Farrington’s because their chefs have been using the oil since the school opened in 2013.
Duncan also acknowledges other people who support British agriculture and who have, in one way or another, been advocates and mentors. Duncan says, “Our success has been achieved not only with a great product but also through working with great people who believed in what I was trying to achieve right from the start. From the food writers and independent shops to the national retailers and Michelin-starred chefs, all of whom I’ve enjoyed working with and who have supported us on our journey from humble beginnings”.
The ten people to receive bottles of Farrington’s Mellow Yellow cold pressed rapeseed oil are Judith Batchelar, Graham Cassie, Sheila Dillon, Tamsin Greig, Adam Gray, Nigel Johnson, Nigella Lawson, James Martin, Jamie Oliver and Michel Roux Jr.
Thank you for 10 years of cold pressed rapeseed oil, here’s to 10 more!
Eli Farrington reveals what you might not know about this underused British ingredient
1. A truly versatile all-purpose culinary oil; cold pressed rapeseed oil contains the optimum ratio of 1:2 of omega 3 to omega 6, as well as being a natural source of
vitamin E.
2. It has the lowest saturated fat content of any widely available culinary oil – half that of olive oil!
3. Cold pressing is the traditional and natural way to produce oil. It is gently squeezed out of the seed at temperatures below 40C ensuring that the natural goodness and character of the oil is preserved.
4. The delicate, gentle flavour makes it an ideal partner for almost any food, great for drizzling or dipping.
5. Farrington’s Mellow Yellow emulsifies beautifully making it perfect for dressings, mayonnaise, pesto, and hummus; a healthy complement to starters, salads and vegetables.
6. With a smoke point of 220C, cold pressed rapeseed oil is a wonderful high temperature cooking oil, making the most perfectly golden and crispy roast potatoes, and aromatic, nutty stir-fries.
7. A delicious and healthy substitute for butter and margarine, when you bake with this oil it produces deliciously moist and light cakes that feature a subtle nutty flavour. It’s fabulous used in flapjacks and brownies. When substituting butter with our oil, add a little
less, about 80% of the total weight required and make up the remainder with a liquid such as milk, rice milk or soya milk. This is to account for the milk part and the fat content of the butter. If substituting for margarine, the rapeseed oil content would need to be less, about 75% (with more milk) as there is a higher water content in margarine.
8. As we only use oil from the first pressing of our rapeseed it is the culinary equivalent to extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil.
9. There is no such thing as commercially grown GM rapeseed in Britain.
10. First cultivated in Britain by the Romans; rapeseed oil has been used throughout Europe since the 16th century.
Spring has certainly sprung and having had a “proper” winter, we are full of the joys and bursting with enthusiasm! To get you all going we are delighted to announce our new classic vinaigrette
Inspired by the desire to have an innovative British take on the ever-popular French dressing, Eli has been busy again with her trusted jam jar in our farmhouse kitchen to create this ultimate salad dressing. The ‘Classic Vinaigrette’ has a sharp, tangy taste, is extremely versatile and has been carefully crafted to complement any salad. The result is a perfectly balanced combination of FARRINGTON’S MELLOW YELLOW® cold pressed rapeseed oil, Aspalls’ white wine vinegar and just the right amount of herbs and spices.
We will launch this at IFE in London from 15th to 18th March, come and see us on stand N3131. Already getting high acclaim from food writers and journalists, we know this dressing will become a national favourite in demand by consumers – get ready to order your stock now.
In the Media ……….
We are busy in the press and are delighted to have been featured in Delicious, Good Food, Fine Food Digest, Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph, The Grocer and The Caterer this month alone! With Celia Brooks Brown from The Times Online, and cookery demonstrator, Rosemary Moon to name two, both raving about the Classic Vinaigrette, the noise can only get louder.
Duncan presses for higher standards….
Along with representatives of other like-minded cold-pressing oil companies, Duncan is a founding member of a new industry-wide body for promoting the benefits of cold pressed oils, ensuring quality and maintaining standards. Although still to find a name, Duncan is delighted to have been elected joint Vice Chairman.
Further Information
For orders and further information, please contact us on 01933 622809 or by email info@farrington-oils.co.uk ; or one of our brilliant wholesale suppliers, who are always happy to hear from you: Berryhill Merchants Ltd (Ireland); Hider Food Imports; Goodness Foods; Michael Bance (Leicestershire), Richards Catering Supplies (Cornwall), T & J Fine Foods (Lincolnshire).