A little while ago, we tried some Rapeseed oil from Hillfarm and it has become a staple in our kitchen. I really like the nutty flavour and it has so many health benefits, it is very high in omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.
There are many different varieties of rapeseed oil available now and we decided to taste and compare a selection from across the UK. We tried and compared Oleifera, Mellow Yellow, Sussex Gold and of course Hillfarm.
| Name | Oleifera |
| Location | Northumberland and the Scottish Borders |
| Price | Approx £6 per 500ml bottle according to website prices & delivery |
| Bottle | Most striking bottle, beautiful but a little on the tall side - I had difficulty getting it into a cupboard, it now lives in the cupboard under the stairs! |
| Colour & Texture | Very yellow in colour and quite thin in consistency. |
| Pour-ability | The thin consistency, in addition to an open-necked bottle, made it fairly difficult to control pouring and it dripped down the side of the bottle. |
| Taste | Light and mild in flavour with a nutty taste. |
| Name | Mellow Yellow |
| Location | Bottom Farm in Hargrave, Northamptonshire |
| Price | £4.75 per 500ml bottle |
| Bottle | A really beautiful bottle. I love the flowers on the label, admittedly it’s a little ‘girly’ but it’s my favourite of this group. |
| Colour & Texture | Thicker in consistency and less yellow than Oleifera. |
| Pour-ability | Better controlled pouring with a drip-free spout. |
| Taste | Mellow Yellow has a tangier flavour and had less of a nutty after-taste. |
| Name | Sussex Gold |
| Location | Sussex Weald |
| Price | £5 per 500ml bottle + p&p |
| Bottle | Nice bottle, nice label but not exciting. |
| Colour & Texture | This was the thickest and most yellow of the selection. |
| Pour-ability | Good controlled pouring with a drip-free spout. |
| Taste | Very flavourful, more tangy and less mild compared to the rest of the selection, it is more ’spicy’. |
| Name | Hillfarm Oils |
| Location | Halesworth, Suffolk |
| Price | £6-£7, online ordering and national stockists |
| Bottle | The only bottle dark bottle from the selection, which protects the oil from sunlight. |
| Colour & Texture | Not as thick and yellow as Sussex Gold but still fairly thick and more yellow than Oleifera or Mellow Yellow |
| Pour-ability | Good controlled pouring with a drip-free spout. |
| Taste | A nutty flavour, not as mild as Oleifera, not as tangy as Sussex Gold. |
As rapeseed oil has a high burn point, it is ideal for roasting, so we tried making potato wedges with each oil. We ate all the Hillfarms wedges before I took the photo!
The Oleifera wedges were very crispy and quite sweet, they had a lovely nutty after-taste. The Mellow Yellow wedges were sweeter still but not as crunchy and seemed more oily. The Sussex Gold wedges were the least crispy but had the best flavour in our opinion - not too sweet but quite tangy. The Hillfarms wedges were similar to the Sussex Gold, in that they were not too sweet but they were a little more crispy.
Despite the lack of crispiness (which could be blamed on our unreliable oven!), Sussex Gold was our favourite for flavour, with Oleifera coming a close second.
We also tried the selection in a basic salad dressing with white wine vinegar, salt & pepper. All worked very nicely, imparting a nice nutty flavour to the salads and were a fragrant alternative to the usual olive oil I use.
Overall, Sussex Gold was our favourite from this selection, we really liked the tangy, not too sweet flavour.
Are you a fan of rapeseed oil? Have you tried any the varieties we’ve featured in this selection, or do you have a different favourite?
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4 Comments on "Rapeseed Oil Taste Test"
I’m a big fan of Mellow Yellow and use it more than olive oil in my kitchen. I find it makes the best yorkshire puds and roast potatoes. I’d be interested to try the other makes to see how they compare.
I’ve tried the Mellow Yellow as I used to live down the road and felt ‘local’ was a really good call! It is LOVELY and I have had great results in baking, salad dressings and the occasional roast potato. We all love the flavour, and I must agree with Jules we do use it probably more than olive oil now.
Thank you for your comments about Mellow Yellow. We have found from recent retail shows that people are becoming so much more aware of the various health benefits of cold-pressed rapeseed oil and many are abandoning olive oil in favour of it. We have some delicious recipes on our website, both sweet and savoury and would be delighted to receive any gems you may have!
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