Ola, a cold pressed rapeseed oil grown, harvested, pressed and bottled near Inverurie, has only been on sale for a few weeks but is already flying off the shelves. The name of this truly local product, which will be on display and sale at this weekend's Taste of Grampian show, is Gaelic for oil.

The oil is a tasty and healthier alternative to olive oil and offers higher and well balanced levels of Omega 3, 6 and 9 as well as being high in vitamin E and lower in saturated fat than olive oil as well as being more versatile for cooking. It is also very high in antioxidants.
It has a delicate flavour and can be used for a whole range of different types of cooking including baking and can be used anywhere oil or butter would normally be used.

Ola also has a higher smoke point than olive oil and at high temperatures often experienced when roasting, where olive oil would break down, Ola remains stable and its flavour, character and colour remain the same.

John Sorrie of Ola Oils explains: "We have grown rapeseed for a number of years on our farm near Inverurie and thought that this was a logical progression. The product is entirely natural and nothing is added to it. Nationwide, rapeseed oil generally is becoming popular with top chefs as well as consumers who can see the benefits it has to offer and those in the North east are no different.

"We carry out the entire process from planting the seed in the ground to harvesting it, pressing it, bottling it and selling it so we know the product entirely."

One local stockist has seen the oil become one of his most popular products. Patrick Serrell, of the Kilted Frog delicatessen on Inverurie's West High Street, has only been in business for five weeks but has had customers ask for the product by name.

He said: "At the Kilted Frog we are all about fine food both French and local and it does not get more local than Ola.

"People are interested in the product as it's local but also because they see it on TV when top chefs use it.

"It is a fantastic local product, lower in fat than olive oil and I personally have been using it to roast vegetables, potatoes and, my favourite, parsnips with honey! I have mixed it with balsamic vinegar to use with salads and bread and one lady who bought a bottle came back to tell me she made a delicious carrot cake with it so it really is very versatile."

Ola Oil will be on offer at the Taste of Grampian this Saturday (June 7). The show is one of the largest food festivals in Scotland and last year over 12,000 visitors flocked to the Thainstone Centre for the event.