This festive season, olive oil is the new bottle of wine. If booze or a scented candle used to be a fail-safe gift option for a party, retailers and food experts are reporting a surge of interest in the kitchen cupboard staple.
The trend is being driven by several factors including a decline in drinking and a shift from dining out to dinners at home. It is premium extra virgin olive oil – or evoo to the experts – that is dominating.
At Delli, an online retailer for independent brands, sales of olive oil are up 515% year on year. Bestsellers include a £14 swing-top bottle from Honest Toil and a £16 drizzling bottle from Glug. Othmana, a Palestinian brand, has more than 4,000 customers on a waiting list for £30 tins from its small batch harvest that will begin in December.
As with wine, when it comes to olive oil, flavour, quality and price points vary wildly. Rather than the see-through plastic bottles you see on supermarket shelves, these 2.0 oils come in everything from glass bottles with detailed tasting notes to micro-sized tins resembling canisters of old school car engine oils.
Mazen Assaf, an olive oil sommelier and founder of the brand The Olive Oil Guy, describes the trend as an “olive oil renaissance” and compares it to a kindred upsurge in craft coffee and bean to bar chocolate.
“It’s a gift that isn’t going to be regifted,” says Laura Jackson, an influencer, presenter and co-founder of the online retail platform Glassette. The site recently collaborated with the Jordanian oil brand Onsuri on a £26.95 glass bottle of extra virgin olive oil that wouldn’t look out of place on an apothecary shelf. “Even if you’re not that interested in food, olive oil is a key kitchen staple. We’ve taken a functional item and turned it into an object that looks beautiful on a countertop,” Jackson says.
Seyi Oduwole, the lead travel and hospitality analyst at the strategic foresight consultancy the Future Laboratory, credits sober-curious gen Z as driving the shift away from alcohol as a default gift. Oduwole describes an aesthetically pleasing bottle of olive oil as “practical yet indulgent, premium but not ostentatious. It’s something that feels thoughtful without pressuring anyone to drink”.
Assaf, who trains Michelin star chefs as part of his sommelier work, says: “It works well with so many different foods, not just bread and vegetables,” pointing to the rise of olive oil martinis and ice-cream drizzled in it.
Similar to wine tasting, Assaf says one should start by smelling the oil. “You should be getting a fresh bouquet of greens. Scents like freshly cut grass or tomato indicate freshness.”
Sarah Vachon, a sommelier and co-founder of Citizens of Soil, which sells olive oil from small producers who practise regenerative farming, advises swirling it around your mouth. A little bit of bitterness and peppery flavour are considered positive attributes.
Red flags include a buttery smell and waxy consistency. “It means it might not be evoo or could be an old oil that has lost its strength,” Vachon says. The bottle should also state the source of the olives and variety. She says: “Countries don’t have a specific profile. Regions do.” Something to bear in mind, when you find yourself wondering what to give this Christmas.
Which olive oils to try
Best if you’re on a budget
Honest Toil extra virgin olive oil mini, 100ml for £3.20 from Delli
Small enough to fit in a handbag.
Best if you want to feel like you’re starring in The Bear
Glug, £16 from getglug.com
Lets you drizzle like Carmy with a squeezy bottle. Swearing optional.
Best if you have a lot of counter space
Korontini, £23 for a litre from Delli
An industrial-sized tin made for walk-in pantries.
Best for social media
Yiayia and friends, from £20
Guaranteed to garner likes.
Best if you aspire to be on Masterchef
Two Fields, £19.50 from twofieldszakros.com
Used by restaurants including Primeur in London, Sargasso in Margate and The Pig hotel group.
Best for fashion fans
The French label known for its jeans has teamed up with the Château de Montfrin in France to create an oil “with a strong personality”. Chic.
Best if you want to go wild
Estoublon, £52.99 from Selfridges
Sourced in Provence, this award-winning oil comes in a box, which always seems fancy.
