Food
and cooking articles and information:
RAPESEED
OIL . . . no not just Rapeseed Oil but cold pressed
Extra Virgin rapeseed oil
by Hub-UK
 What
is it about the world as you get older? Everything seems
to get stood on its head! When I was growing up the
women in the family all used lard and beef dripping
to cook with, we even smothered bread in dripping as
a treat. Was it an attempt to ease the burden on the
National Health Service by sending my generation to
an early grave?
Every adult, however old, will I am sure
recall being told how something is good for you to eat,
good for your health, only to be told at a later date
it is bad for you! In recent years a lot has been impressed
upon us about the great benefits of the Mediterranean
diet with Olive Oil at its heart. So olive oil is good
for us . . . or is it?
I like to eat healthily but it will never
be at the cost of enjoying what I eat. I have grown
to like a good olive oil, often eating it from a bowl
with just some rough chunks of fresh bread. On a visit
to my doctor last week (good old high cholesterol)
I was told that I should seriously reduce the amount
of olive oil I eat . "But Doctor, its healthy,
its natural and its good for you - all the experts say
it's healthy!" Apparently not as it has a high
fat content - healthier than most such things but still
bad for me!
I'm still going to carry on eating olive
oil regardless of the doctor's advice because I enjoy
it.
Three days later saw me at the Aldeburgh
Food Festival, with this conversation still fresh in
my mind, and through one of life's strange coincidences
the first stand I came across was selling locally made
cold pressed Extra Virgin rapeseed oil.
I vaguely remembered reading something
about cold pressed rapeseed oil which suggested it was
healthy but had taken no notice. For me the rape crop
was something the Common Market had got farmers to grow,
in order to reduce other crop production and still pay
them. In other words a useless crop with some vague
suggestions it was used for making bio fuels. With that
in mind I approached the stand with a rather negative
attitude!
I am now the proud owner of a bottle of
cold pressed Extra Virgin rapeseed oil.
WHY CHOOSE RAPESEED OIL?
- Low
saturated fat
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How
much saturated fat does
your cooking oil contain?
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Extra
Virgin Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil has the lowest saturated
fat content of any other oil available on the market.
Only 6% saturated fat content, compared to most Olive
Oils containing 14% and Sunflower Oil with 10% saturated
fat.
- Healthy
Fats & Omegas 3, 6 & 9
Rapeseed Oil has 59% monounsaturated fat and 30% polyunsaturated
fat. Nutritionists suggest 2:1 Omega 6 to Omega 3
ratio in the diet. Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil has this
ratio.
- Vitamin
E
Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil also contains
Vitamin E. This vitamin has a number of very important
functions for example it helps protect cell membranes
by acting as an antioxidant. Vitamin E is also necessary
to preserve the Omega 3 in cooking, helping to keep
its nutritional value.
- Lowering
cholesterol
Monounsaturated fats, Omega 3, 6, 9 and Vitamin E
antioxidants are all known to help lower cholesterol.
Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil has all of the above.
. . . AND ANOTHER GOOD REASON TO CHOOSE RAPESEED
OIL
 All
these health benefits are great but when choosing an
oil the primary consideration has to be taste. If something
doesn't taste good then you are simply not going to
eat it. The good news is that Rapeseed Oil tastes great
or at least the one I bought, produced by Hillfarm Oils,
did. It has a wonderful rich colour with a nutty taste.
Goes really well on freshly sliced tomatoes although
it is excellent just to dip.
Add to the taste the fact that it has a far higher
burn point than olive oil and you have a far more versatile
all round product. Has to be worth getting a bottle
and trying it for yourself.
WHO PRODUCES RAPESEED OIL?
"Discovering the amazing health benefits
compared to olive oil, we felt we had to bottle it
and share it. Which made pioneering Hillfarm Oils
the first in the UK to produce this fantastic oil."
~ Sam Fairs, Founder and Co-owner of Hillfarm Oils
 So
there you have it, Hillfarm Oils from Suffolk are the
first in the UK to produce and market cold pressed Extra
Virgin rapeseed oil.
Hillfarm is a family run business and they farm outside
Halesworth in the surrounding Suffolk countryside with
rapeseed as one of the main crops grown. Believing that
the true value of the crop was not being achieved and
also keen to diversify Hillfarm became interested in
the idea of cold pressing the rapeseed into a premium
cooking oil.
So it is from this initial idea that Hillfarm Oils
was created. Hillfarm Oils was created in March 2004,
and launched at the Suffolk County Show food hall in
the May. They are the original producers of Cold Pressed
Extra Virgin Culinary Rapeseed Oil here in Great Britain.
To find out more and/or order a bottle or two of cold
pressed Extra Virgin rapeseed oil go to the web site
www.hillfarmoils.com.
You can also find out from the web site where your local
stockist is by entering your postcode www.hillfarmoils.com/stockists.asp.
TRY A RECIPE OR TWO WITH RAPESEED OIL
Marinated Goats Cheese in Hillfarm Rapeseed Oil
Ingredients
4 Capricorn Goats Cheeses
5 sprigs rosemary
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp mixed peppercorns
300ml Hill Farm rapeseed oil
Method
- Place
the rapeseed oil in a saucepan with the rosemary,
bay leaves and peppercorns and slowly heat.
- As
soon as the herbs start to sizzle, remove from the
heat and leave to infuse and cool.
- Halve
the goats cheeses horizontally and pack into a half
litre sterilised kilner jar.
-
Pour the infused oil, with the herbs and peppercorns,
over and around the goats cheeses, topping up with
a little extra oil if necessary.
- Seal
and store in a cool dark place for two to three weeks.
Makes 1 x ½ litre kilner jar
Hillfarm Salad Dressing
Ingredients
80ml Rice vinegar
50ml Soy sauce
1/4 tsp Ground ginger
1 Clove garlic
2 tsp sugar
210ml Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil
Method
- Mix
all ingredients together for a delicious, healthy
salad dressing.
Great British Salad Dressing with Aspall’s
Vinegar
Ingredients
210 ml Hillfarm Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rapeseed
Oil
80 ml Aspall Apple Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
100ml Soya Sauce
1 tbsp Local Honey
Method
- Mix
all ingredients together for a delicious, healthy
salad dressing.
www.hillfarmoils.com
©
Hub-UK
Published 09 October 2009
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