The best olives around!
West Country Olives are our sister company so of course we are a little biased but these are genuinely some of the best olives we have ever tasted. If you haven’t tried them yet give them a go and read on to discover more!
West Country Olives are one of four suppliers who will be joining us on stand L4 at the Source Trade Show next month!
The show is taking place at Westpoint Arena in Exeter on Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th February and we are super excited to be joined by Sharpham Cheese, Ginger Cat Deli and West Country Olives.
We will be showcasing our extensive range of products from cheeses and meats to dairy and deli products. The owners, founders and producers from our suppliers will also be offering tastings of some of their bestselling products as well as being there to answer any questions you may have about their products.
We hope to see as many of you there as possible!
To celebrate these amazing suppliers we have been highlighting their stories, processes and of course their products over the last few weeks. Today we’re finding out what makes West Country Olives the best olives!
West Country Olives began as an idea of our MD Tim’s whose love of olives gave him the passion to start producing them himself.
Established in 2020, (I think we’ll all agree a great year to start a business!) West Country Olives source the highest quality olives from around the Mediterranean and marinate them from our unit here in Sowton, Exeter with locally sourced ingredients.
The olives themselves are predominantly the Green Mammoth Halkidki variety sourced from Greece. These are simultaneously the perfect olive to enjoy simply with a little oil but they are also big and bold enough to take on extra flavour. They also use Greek Kalamata olives which are typically a bit richer and saltier than the green, Nocellara olives which are bright green in colour with a slight butterines and Moroccan Black olives which are full flavoured and salty and mostly used in cooking.
There are currently 13 different varieties of olives and each variety is first blended with local Devon rapeseed oil from Bell & Loxton. This adds a lovely flavour as well as helping to preserve the olives.
What makes these the best olives?
1 – Premium quality olives
Everything starts with the olives and West Country Olives predominantly use Mammoth Green Halkidiki which is the second largest olive available. This variety is mammoth in size but also in texture with an incredibly ‘meaty’ feel and a proper crunch. Some might say the best olives!
2 – Marinating in local ingredients
These include Bell & Loxton rapeseed oil which contains much less saturated fats than other oils including olive and sunflower. It is also grown here in the UK and even better, here in Devon, which dramatically reduces their climate footprint. The chillies are sourced from North Devon Chillies and the homemade Basil Pesto is from Feast Kitchen.
3 – Gas flushed packaging results in less oil and more olives per pack
West Country Olives are one of only a few olive producers in the country who gas flush their packaging rather than using oil to preserve the life of the olives. This process results in the full flavour of the olive coming through unmasked by oil as well as lengthening the shelf life of each pack. It also means that the olives can be stored at ambient temperatures rather than in the fridge.
4 – Multi award-winning olives
Despite only being in production for just under four years West Country Olives have a multitude of awards to their name including the well renowned Taste of the West, Food Drink Devon and Great Taste – proving it’s not just us who think they’re great!
5 – Available in 175g and 1kg bags
West Country Olives are sold in 175g pouches which are perfect for retail as well as 1kg bags which are great for deli counters and restaurants.
Olive Varieties
Classic Blend – Mammoth pitted green Halkidiki olives and pitted Kalamata olives, blended with citrus flavours, thyme, parsley and rapeseed oil.
Hand Stuffed Garlic – Award winning Mammoth pitted green Halkidiki olives stuffed with garlic cloves, minced pickled garlic and a little rapeseed oil.
South Devon Basil Pesto – Mammoth pitted green Halkidiki olives, marinated in a vibrant, vegan, Feast Kitchen Deli basil and garlic pesto. Finished with rapeseed oil and lemon juice.
Garlic & Chilli – Mammoth pitted green Halkidiki olives with diced pickled garlic, fiery chilli flakes, herbs and west country rapeseed oil. Mild heat, rich flavour.
Rosemary & Garlic – Mammoth Green Halkidiki olives mixed with minced garlic and a sprinkling of rosemary and finished with a little lemon juice and rapeseed oil.
Lemon & Tarragon – Mammoth pitted green Halkidiki olives bursting with fresh lemon juice & zest, combined with tarragon and rapeseed oil.
Green Pitted – Mammoth pitted green Halkidiki olives simply with a little rapeseed oil and lemon juice, perfect for creating your own blends.
Kalamata – whole kalamata olives with a small amount of rapeseed oil and lemon juice. The true taste of the Kalamata olive.
Hot Chilli – Mammoth pitted green Halkidiki stuffed with birds eye chillies and marinated in harissa paste and west country rapeseed oil – very hot!
Nocellara – Whole Sicilian Castelvetrano bright green Nocellara olives drizzled with west country rapeseed oil.
Picante Pimento – Mammoth pitted green Halkidiki olives stuffed with red peppers and finished with harissa and rapeseed oil.
Moroccan Black – Whole black olives, dry-cured in sea salt. Plump and naturally ripened for a strong fuller flavour, these are incredibly salty and work well in cooking.
Orange & Coriander – Mammoth pitted green Halkidiki olives, with fresh orange zest and juice, combined with coriander leaves and seeds, and marinaded in rapeseed oil.
Click here for more info!
If you’ve tried any of the West Country Olives we’ll think you’ll agree with us that they are truly the best olives! If you haven’t tried them yet head to the Source Food & Drink Trade Show next month to try them and see for yourself!
Click here to register to visit!
