Scottish Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil aka Scotland's Gold

Thursday 5 February 2015
I feel like I'm always shouting from the proverbial rooftops about what a great product Scottish Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil is however there are still those out there who don't know about #ScotlandsGold so I'll keep shouting!  Back in June 2014 all eight Scottish producers came together under the umbrella of www.scotrapeseedoil.co.uk Wherever you live in Scotland there is a brand local to you. 

Black and Gold, Haddington; Borderfields, Coldstream; Cullisse, Tain; Mackintosh of Glendaveny, Peterhead; Supernature, Midlothian; Stark, based East Lothian, use seed from Arran; Ola Oils, Inverurie; Summer Harvest, Perth.
It's pretty much the only oil I cook, marinade and drizzle with these days. Olive Oil has taken somewhat of a backseat in my kitchen and these are the reasons:

It's tasty, versatile, sustainable and healthy
The high smoke/flash point makes it perfect to use for roasting and stir frying.
Being produced in Scotland it has low food miles compared to other oils
It has less unhealthy saturated fat than all other cooking oils and fats
It's high in naturally occurring antioxidants and is a great source of Omega 3, 6 & 9
It's a rich source of vitamin E
Cold pressing (not adding heat or chemicals) ensures that the oil retains all of its natural goodness and great taste
The farming of oilseed rape in Scotland is sustainable and environmentally sound
It comes in an amazing range of flavours and infusions.
Some of the very best chefs and enthusiastic foodies already rave about Scottish rapeseed oil. Mark Greenaway has long been a fan (he has banned olive oil from all of his kitchens and now only uses cold-pressed Scottish rapeseed oil) I was delighted to be invited along to a Scottish rapeseed oil inspired four course lunch at Restaurant Mark Greenaway in Edinburgh. I was on BBC Radio Scotland Kitchen Cafe before Christmas with Mark discussing sprouts, no excess Christmas and cinnamon however I was in the Aberdeen studio whilst he was in Edinburgh. Now we would get the chance to meet over a bottle of Scotland's Gold.

Home Cured Hake Fillet
Blood Orange Jelly, Micro herbs, Bread Tuille

Sous Vide of Aberdeen Angus Beef
Liquid Bin Bon of Bone Marrow, Potato Terrine, Red Wine, Truffle Jus

Confit Salmon Fillet
Lemon Pearls, Ceasar Garnish

Pebbles & Moss
Chocolate and Liquid Gold Tasting Desert


We enjoyed an amazing meal with each course containing rapeseed oil in some way shape or form. Seven out of the eight Scottish producers were in attendance and they were all trying to spot if it was their own brand being used in the dish. Mark was very diplomatic and refused to reveal what he uses. Is it time for you to have an oil change? I'd urge you to go out and discover your own favourite Scottish Rapeseed Oil. Start with your local producer then spread your net wider to sample them all. I have my own favourites for various different reasons. I love Stark's little pop up spout and the labels on the lids of Ola are so useful when viewing from the top. I go through vast quantities of Garlic Infused Mackintosh of Glendavney, I adore the White Truffle from Supernature and have a soft spot for Culisse as its from the Highlands. A slightly less sophisticated than those above, but no less tasty recipe from Mark Greenaway is below.


Mark Greenaway's Braised Beef Shin and Mushrooms topped with Chive Mashed Potatoes
Recipe reproduced with permission of Scottish Rapeseed Oil

I recommend braising beef shin and eating it like a cottage pie, topped with creamy chive infused mashed potato, beef shin is a very cheap cut of beef but when treated properly it's full of flavour, tender and very hearty, ask your butcher to dice it for you into about 1cm cubes....

Ingredients
750g diced beef shin 
25g plain flour (seasoned with a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper) 
5 tablespoons Scottish cold-pressed rapeseed oil 
2 large leeks
2 medium sized carrot
1 large onion
300g button mushrooms (washed)
1 bay leaf
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
425mls beef stock
400g frozen peas
300g mashed potato
½ bunch chives 
Salt to taste

Method 
Peel and dice carrot into small chunks
Slice and wash leeks
Peel and roughly dice onions
Heat oil in medium size thick bottom pan until hot but not smoking
Dust diced beef in flour and fry off in rapeseed oil over a medium heat until well browned but be careful not to scorch it.
Add carrots, leeks and onions and cook down for 3 to 5 minutes 
Add mushrooms and continue to cook for a further 4 to 5 minutes 
Add in the chopped tomatoes
Deglaze the pan with the red wine and beef stock
Add bay leaf 
Gently simmer for 1 ½ hours until beef is tender, and sauce has thickened 
Check seasoning as it will need a pinch or two of salt 
Take off the heat and add frozen peas, allow to defrost in the mix
Chop chives finely and add to your mashed potato mix
Spoon beef mixture into your casserole pot (suitable for the table) and pipe the chive mashed potato on top
Eat straight away or place under a grill to lightly brown the mash....




Disclosure : I dined at Restaurant Mark Greenaway as a Guest of Scottish Rapeseed Oil and received samples from the producers in attendance. All views expressed are my own.

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6 comments

  1. I love using Rapeseed Oil, and find they all have very different tastes... Cullisse is fab for salad dressings, Supernatue great for cooking... They are all fantastic for making bread too... Can't get enough of it! Looks like a smashing day with Mark!

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    1. It was a fantastic event to celebrate a fantastic product. #ScotlandsGold

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  2. What a great blog. All true! Thanks for your support. Lynn x

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    1. Your passion for your product truly shines through Lynn.

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  3. Oh my goodness, my husband would absolutely love this dish - I have just spent ages searching through your blog. I love it and could eat it all! Thanks loads for joining in with #FoodieFriday New linky open tomorrow x

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    1. Thanks for your lovely comment. Hope your Hubby enjoy's Mark's Recipe. I've just linked up a couple of recipes to this weeks #FoodieFriday

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