Extra virgin from Essex? Global warming could put English olive oil on the menu in just two years, says farmer
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An enterprising UK farmer is hoping a small batch olive grove in the heart of rural Essex could kick-start an English olive oil boom - with bottles potentially on supermarket shelves in just two years from now. Peter Thompson, who runs his company Nature Based Farming at Great Oakley in the south eastern English county, is working alongside British-owned Mediterranean food brand Belazu to create small batch extra virgin olive oil from 1,300 trees.
![[Global warming has devastated many hotter countries olive oil production in recent years - including Spain, sending the cost per litre soaring although prices have now dropped back a little (Pictured: An olive grove in Epidavros, Greece)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/05/16/93756207-14251723-image-a-11_1736092966079.jpg)
Third generation farmer Thompson told The Sunday Times that he's hopeful Belazu, currently the largest importer of olives in the UK, will invest further in production if tests prove the oil to be extra virgin. If production is successful, it would be the first of its kind to be commercially made on English soil.
![[Olive oil bearing the 'Protected Designation of Origin' seal (bottom right) is more likely to have undergone thorough chemical testing before being exported]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/05/15/90740305-14251723-Olive_oil_bearing_the_Protected_Designation_of_Origin_seal_botto-a-1_1736092603018.jpg)
Thompson said: 'When people first started experimenting with English wine in the Eighties and Nineties, they got laughed out of town by our cousins in the Champagne region. 'Now they’re amongst the best in the world. Why not produce our own olive oil too?'.
![[Which?'s advice comes shortly after furious shoppers branded the cost of olive oil 'disgusting' after prices almost tripled in three years. Pictured: The price of the cheapest bottle of 500ml olive oil in each UK supermarket]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/02/10/83483833-14243463-image-a-61_1735812291539.jpg)
In a recent blog post, the farmer said the arrival of warmer weather had made English olive oil a definite possibility, saying: 'The changing UK climate means we now have a longer growing season. 'As for vines and even citrus, this gives trees such as olives that little bit more time to flower, set and mature fruit.'.
![[When shopping for olive oil, look for labels that give additional information such as the name of the grower, the variety of olive, or the exact growing region (stock image)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/05/16/90739539-14251723-When_shopping_for_olive_oil_look_for_labels_that_give_additional-a-13_1736093997137.jpg)
British-owned Mediterranean food brand Belazu is working in conjunction with British farmer Peter Thompson to try and craft the UK's first extra virgin olive oil. Global warming has devastated many hotter countries olive oil production in recent years - including Spain, sending the cost per litre soaring although prices have now dropped back a little (Pictured: An olive grove in Epidavros, Greece).
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