Kabylia olive oil — artisanal pressing

Thala Kabylia olive oil comes from mountain olive trees grown by producers in the region, in an environment the maker describes as free from pesticides. The olives, harvested ripe, are cold-pressed in a traditional stone press following the ancestral Kabyle method. The maker presents it as a first-pressing extra virgin oil. The taste is that of ripe black olives: round, low in bitterness, with the golden and slightly cloudy colour typical of an unfiltered oil.

At home it is a table oil: on salads, bread, mechouya, couscous or a plate of vegetables, drizzled at serving time. It is also used for gentle everyday cooking. Customers with Kabyle roots recognise the oil of the village; fans of characterful oils find a precise origin and a rare pressing method.

Why list it

• An olive oil with an identified origin, Kabylia, in a market dominated by Spanish, Italian and Tunisian oils.
• Stone pressing: a taste and production argument shoppers understand at once.
• Two sizes, a small trial bottle and a family bottle.
• Year-round rotation, peaking at the new harvest in winter and at Ramadan.
• Completes the whole Thala range: it is poured over mechouya, chakchouka and sun-dried tomatoes.

On the shelf

Place in the olive oil aisle with the Kabylia origin to the fore, or at the head of the North African section next to the Thala jars. Recommend raw use to preserve the taste. Store the bottle away from light and heat.