A Darlington-based farm has provided a free bottle of oil to each household within the village it’s situated.
Lovesome Oil, from Lovesome Hill Farm in Brafferton has gifted over 50 500ml bottles of its cold-pressed rapeseed oil to local residents.
Lovesome Oil co-founder Olly Lawson said: “It has been a pleasure to give something back to the village. I have known many people for years and made friends for life.
Olly added: “The last few months have no doubt been tough for some of these people and we wanted to show them some support!”
Brafferton resident Hilary Marsden said: “It was a lovely surprise to find a bottle of Lovesome Oil on my doorstep, I’ve been using it for years in my cooking and love the taste, it’s amazing to think it’s grown less than a mile away”.
The family-run farm, which has been growing oil seed rape for over 40 years is the first in County Durham to turn the seed into cold-pressed rapeseed oil.
Rapeseed oil which can be used for cooking or as dressing has seen a surge in popularity over recent years potentially due to its higher smoke point, lower saturated fat content and higher omega three levels when compared with olive oil.
The farm, which has been in the family for 90 years, supplies oil to over 20 farm shops, delis and garden centres stretching from Leyburn to Consett. It also delivers to a handful of local cafes and restaurants but plans for expansion should it receive approval on a pending grant application.
Fellow co-founder Francesca Lawson said, “We want to fly the flag for County Durham as being a quality food producer.
She added: “Receiving the grant would allow us to build our own cold pressing, bottling and labelling facility on the farm, the seed would go from soil to oil without leaving site. This would also allow us to diversify the farm and future proof it for generations to come.
If you would like further information on Lovesome Oil or are interested in becoming a stockist, please visit www.lovesomeoil.com
