Suffolk Farmer Goes for Gold
A Suffolk farmer whose premium quality rapeseed cooking oil has proved a hit with delis, farm shops and supermarkets is sowing the seeds for further success.
Sam Fairs, of Hillfairs Farming at Heveningham, near Halesworth, is to plant 30 acres of camellina - an unusual crop in East Anglia - which he plans to make into a salad dressing rich in omega 3.
"Camellina, which is also known as Gold of Pleasure, is grown a lot in places like Finland but is rarely seen in this part of the world," said Sam. "It's very high in the omega 3 fatty acids that doctors say are good for us.
"As with our rapeseed oil, we'll cold press the camellina seeds but this time we'll be making a healthy and tasty vinaigrette."
The idea came about when Sam took on university student Tom Galvin during the summer as part of the STEP programme, run in Norfolk and Suffolk by Norfolk and Waveney Enterprise Services (NWES).
Tom looked at a number of different oils and it was decided that a product from camellina would best complement Hillfairs popular rapeseed cooking oil, which also resulted from research carried out through STEP. The programme is designed to give university students paid work experience, while employers benefit from a bright young person focusing on a specific project.
Emma Buck worked with Hillfairs last year on the development and marketing of their rapeseed oil project. Since then it has been taken up by delis, farm shops and Waitrose stores in the region.
The oil, which has a light, nutty flavour, can be used for anything from frying an egg to dressing a salad, and Sam says it is a healthier option than olive oil. Rapeseed oil has half the saturated fat of its Mediterranean competitor and contains 11 times more omega 3, he said.
"Everyone thinks that olive oil is the healthiest you can buy, but we don't believe it is. Rapeseed is crushed, filtered and bottled, and that's all. There are no additives and it contains no genetically modified ingredients," said Sam.
"The feedback we've had from shops is brilliant. Once people have bought a bottle they come back for more."
The oil also received a seal of approval from experts, picking up a gold medal at the Great Taste Awards run by the Guild of Fine Food Retailers in London during the summer.
Martin Lott, who manages the STEP programme for NWES, said Hillfairs proved how successful STEP could be for companies and students. "Lots of employers benefit from the programme, which sets an intelligent young person on a specific project, usually one which the company would not have time to tackle themselves.
"Hillfairs rapeseed oil has been a great success and I'm sure that before too long we'll see their camellina vinaigrette on the shelves too."
