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A Sheering farmer who has just launched his dream business harvesting, pressing and producing extra virgin rapeseed oil – ‘Duchess Oil’- has already found local partner outlets, including renowned restaurants and is now setting his sights on expansion nationally.

Oscar Harding, 22, is the 6th generation to tend his family’s mixed farm in Sheering, Essex. He has always been passionate about the environmental aspects of farming, such as putting up owl boxes and creating otter holts – but is acutely aware of the farm’s commercial need to diversify, sustainably.

During his school years, during which he was diagnosed with dyslexia, Oscar describes himself as having been a ‘challenge’ academically. It was when he left full-time education that he realised, “Having dyslexia didn’t matter in life, just school – it was more a matter of following through on some of the ideas that I was forever coming up with”.

Oscar’s light bulb moment popped into his head whilst he was annually harvesting Oil Seed Rape last year.

As soon as he’d finished drilling and rolling, Oscar presented an oil producer with his idea for Duchess Oil and that was it! Duchess Oil’s first batch of 1000 bottles was created in November 2011.

“Natural Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil is extracted using a traditional cold press method, preserving all the natural goodness and taste in the process,” explains Oscar. “High in Omega 3, containing high levels of Vitamin E and half the saturated fat of Olive Oil, I knew Rapeseed Oil can reportedly contribute to cutting levels of bad cholesterol in the body – it was then a question of trialling the concept and educating the market of the product’s benefits.”

With its subtle, nutty taste, Rapeseed Oil is brilliantly versatile in the kitchen as it lends itself seamlessly to dressings, fish and pestos, but can also just be drizzled over bread as a tasty alternative to butter. It is also a healthy substitute to margarine when baking cakes, puddings and biscuits. With a high smoke point of around 220°C, it can be used to roast potatoes or in stir-fries,” Oscar enthuses.

All this knowledge has certainly not been lost on a number of eateries and food outlets in his local area, including Michelin guide restaurants, cafes, butchers, health food shops and local farmer’s markets where Oscar has trialled and successfully sold Duchess Oil to a repeat customer base.

Delighted with the customer feedback, in terms of both taste and efficacy, and armed with an understanding of the retail value per bottle, the young farmpreneur has found a perfect like-minded partner to increase production and is now setting his sights nationally. “The possibilities are endless – I’m very excited by the prospect of championing an authentic British product which can challenge the market for olive oil domestically and internationally,” enthuses Oscar.

Duchess Oil can currently be purchased via the website at www.duchessoil.com
Prices are as follows:
250ml – £3.00
500ml – £5.00