An interview with Ellie Grant, The Magnificent Seed
Ellie’s family has been farming on Salisbury Plain for four generations, her children have grown up with the farm as a part of their lives. Understanding the crops they grow is a big part of that – so in autumn 2018 they bought a small hand powered press, to show them what happens to the rapeseed grown on the farm after harvest.
“When we tasted the oil, we all loved its flavour and smoothness. It tasted so much nicer to us than the oil in the supermarkets – and we were excited by its potential to support healthy eating at the same time as taking the flavour of our food up a notch. Just over a year later (and with the support of an EU Leader Grant), we had set up our press house at the farm and pressed our first commercial batch of The Magnificent Seed – a rapeseed oil grown and pressed sustainably with field level traceability for each bottle. We named it after the seed itself because it is the magnificent natural taste and nutrition of the rapeseed that we wanted to preserve – and that makes the oil so special.
The importance of protecting the oil’s great taste has stayed with us; we are proud of our awards and love getting feedback from our customers. Everything we do is about keeping the rapeseed at its best from the field to our customers’ plates” Ellie Grant
What has been the most rewarding part of building your business?
So many things.
I love that we are making something as good as we can, in a way that is as sustainable as we can. We can’t all change the world in a big way – but it really matters to us to try to be on the right side of the balance where we can.
It is also hugely rewarding to be a part of the story of the land our family has been farming for generations. We don’t use any insecticide on the farm – and it is just joyful being out in the crop, photographing the bees enjoying it as much as we do.
I love working with our stockists and customers – and I love hearing about the ways the are using the oil and how much they enjoy it. So many of our customers tell me they have now wholly switched from olive oil to rapeseed oil.
It has also been wonderful to be recognised within the industry by so many awards. We were particularly proud to be named Wiltshire Life’s Independent Food Producer of the Year in 2021 – and to be the only rapeseed oil shortlisted by Taste of The West for their champion condiment in 2023!
How is rapeseed oil different from olive oil?
Olive oil has long held a place in both the hearts and kitchens of foodies. When I did my initial customer research before launch, I found 88% of people have a bottle of olive oil in the kitchen, but only 30% had any real awareness of rapeseed oil.
What I also found, was that most care hugely about taste, health, sustainability and value for money.
When it has been well looked after, rapeseed oil as a very smooth, fresh, and almost gently nutty taste that really brings out the natural sweetness of foods without dominating. It is beautiful in salad dressings (and some of my customers use it by itself, or with just a little salt, to dress a salad) – but it also has a higher burn point than olive oil so is much more versatile. It makes the most amazing yorkshire puddings – and you can also fry, roast and bake with it.
It has half the saturated fat of olive oil, 10x the omega 3, and the British Heart Foundation senior dietician says it has the best balance of Omega 3 and 6 of all plant oils – reducing the risk of heart and circulatory diseases. It is also high in vitamin E and is locally produced.
As an added bonus, a single estate, small batch rapeseed oil like ours is much more cost effective to buy than its olive oil equivalent.
One of the things I most commonly hear from our customers, is that since they have started using our oil, their olive oil is either languishing at the back of the cupboard – or that they have moved away from it completely.
What do you think sets your rapeseed oil apart from others on the market?
For us, it is the journey of our oil from the field to our customers’ plates.
We nurture every step– always looking to preserve taste and nutrition as our priority.
We allow the seed to ripen naturally in the field without using dessicants, and then rest and clean the harvested seed before pressing. We keep the press running slowly – regularly checking they aren’t becoming too warm through friction, and checking the taste of the oil. We allow the oil to settle for at least a week before filtering (allowing flavours to meld and supporting a gentle filtration process) and then bottle in light protective packaging – as oils auto-oxidize in light.
We don’t use any insecticide on the farm’s crops – so the oil is friendly to bees. We use regenerative farming methods where we can, and all the energy from the press house come from the farm’s solar panels.
We’re a very small scale, local producer. The oil in your bottle doesn’t come just from one farm, it comes from a single field – and you can find which field by looking up the batch code on our website.
Some people call rapeseed oil liquid gold – ours really is treasured from the field.
What challenges have you faced in promoting your products, and how have you overcome them?
Initially, when we started up, my business plan was based on getting the oil in to supermarkets. As time went on, it became clear that wasn’t only going to be more challenging than I’d realised – but that the process and care we hold so dear would not be viable at the cost base we’d need to meet. So instead, we have built up great relationships with local stockists and direct customers – which have been very rewarding, and allowed us to continue working in a way that is right for us and those who enjoy our oil.
How can consumers best support local producers like The Magnificent Seed?
Buy local products, from businesses that value local producers (look out for local schemes like The Wiltshire Marque – which Heritage Fine Foods is a member of). Follow the ones you like most on social media – and share stories that interest you. Tell people when you find a product you love!
For someone new to using rapeseed oil, what are some of your favourite ways to incorporate it into cooking?
One of the most brilliant things about rapeseed oil is its versatility. Its high burn point (around 220 degrees C) makes it great for roasting and frying. It makes fabulously crispy roast potatoes, brings out the natural sweetness of roasted veg, and is even brilliant for making Yorkshire puddings and pancakes! It also brings a real lightness to baking, and (as it has 1/10 the saturated fat of butter, and you can use slightly less of it than you would do butter in most recipes) it is a healthier option. It also has a very smooth, almost gently nutty taste that works brilliantly in dressings. It is a great all-rounder.
Are there specific recipes or cooking methods where your oil really shines?
We use it for pretty much everything at home – but if I had to choose one thing I would miss most without it, it would be roasted veg. It brings out the caramel flavours, making the natural sweetness of the vegetables really sing.
How do you recommend storing rapeseed oil to maintain its freshness and flavour?
Minimise access to air and light to reduce oxidation. If you do have some at home in a colourless bottle, always keep it in a cupboard (though green bottles like ours can be kept out as they are light protective). A part filled bottle is fine, but if you are a slow user and decant from a much bigger container with a lot of air, the taste will start to degrade over time.
To help customers buy better value quantities, but still preserve it in an optimal condition, we have introduced refill pouches. These keep out all of the light and air, keeping the oil at its best, allowing customers to then easily refill a smaller counter-top bottle.
If you are refilling a bottle, empty it completely, but don’t try to wash it before refilling. Oil is very difficult to wash fully from bottles meaning that there is a risk of water becoming trapped with the oil.
What trends are you seeing in the local and sustainable food market, and how does The Magnificent Seed plan to adapt to them?
Net zero is the big one at the moment – we are a long way towards this as the press house runs on solar power generated on farm. The no-till approach we use to grow our rapeseed also sequesters a lot of carbon in the soil.
End to end product responsibility is another big one. We think carefully about our packaging – using either recycled materials or encouraging recycling where possible, but this will continue to be a focus for continuous improvement.
What’s the most surprising or unexpected way you’ve seen people use your oil?
One customer tells me she gives a little of our oil to her cat – to improve the shine of his coat!
Do you collaborate with local chefs or food experts to showcase the versatility of rapeseed oil?
I love seeing how chefs use our oil. Allium in Salisbury did some amazing recipe development using it, right across their menu. Vaughan’s Kitchen in Devizes have invited me to taste some of the most amazing creations they have made with it – from hot cross buns to a bay leaf emulsion, and Honeystreet Mill Café near Pewsey use it in nearly all their food, particularly swearing by the depth it brings to their carrot cake.
I told one chef friend that I wouldn’t recommend our oil for deep frying (because of the very prolonged very high temperature). He proved me wrong with a serving of chips – saying he took the fryer temperature down to 160 degrees and I was blown away by the results, as were his customers.
Are there any misconceptions about rapeseed oil that you’d like to clear up?
Occasionally I hear people concerned about the use of insecticides (which we don’t use), or that it is genetically modified (which is not the case for UK oils, but often applies in America).
I also sometimes hear people worry that it is very highly processed. This applies to refined rapeseed oils (often sold here as vegetable oil) which are extracted using heat and chemicals for higher yields and then have the taste and odour (spoiled by the intensive extraction) chemically removed. This is sold as Canola in the states and Canada.
Cold pressed rapeseed oil is a very different product.
What’s one piece of advice you’d offer to aspiring local food producers?
Do your market research by talking to prospective customers – but also talk to other local producers, plus some further away but making a product similar to yours, and some local potential stockists, before starting out. It is a competitive marketplace – so you need to make sure you’ve got a real handle on what your real costs will be, and where your pricing will need to sit. Your product needs to be attractive and marketable at that price point.
How do you stay inspired and motivated in such a competitive industry?
I love our oil – so I think most of all, if I stopped pressing, I would really, really miss it!
It is a competitive industry, but in truth I have nothing but respect for the other local farmers and producers who are pressing. For me, the opportunity comes in introducing more people to rapeseed oil who are currently using olive oils and / or vegetable oils in their food.
Bringing people better taste, better health and more versatility – while also improving sustainability and the resilience of the local food chain – that’s what it’s ultimately all about! Farming and looking after the land drives our family, and I take real pleasure in having a part in that.
You can now buy 500ml bottles and 1.4L pouches from www.5adaybox.co.uk
