Speciality-Food-Magazine-March-2025

Duly, Eli shook up some oil with honey, mustard and vinegar, and sent Duncan on his way to the tasting tables. The dressing was such a hit, those who tried it implored him to add it to the range. And so Mellow Yellow expanded to include a chilli oil and four dressings. The Honey &Mustard Dressing remains a bestseller, but a team favourite is The Ultimate Chilli Dressing, renamed fromChilli & Cumin Dressing in December to enormous success – sales immediately soared. “When people try it, they love it!” Every bottle is entirely natural, concocted using only the kind of ingredients you’d find in your kitchen cupboards. Keep an eye onMellow Yellow’s social media this spring for exciting new additions to the range. At one with nature Duncan says he was “bowled over” to receive his MBE recently, especially as it’s for services to both agriculture and the food and drink industry. “I F ourth generation family farmer, Duncan Farrington MBE, says he is both humbled by, and proud of the success of Farrington Oils, which celebrates its 20-year anniversary in 2025. Grown and bottled on the farm where he was born, his Mellow Yellow cold-pressed rapeseed oil is not just a business, it’s almost an extra member of the family. One he and his team continue to nurture and invest in, alongside protecting and enhancing the natural landscape around them, in the heart of the rural Northamptonshire countryside. The seed of the idea for Mellow Yellowwas planted in the early 90s, when Duncan returned from university, bursting with ideas from his research around the culinary potential of rapeseed oil. It was a pioneering suggestion - up until that time, rapeseed was simply grown in the UK as a commodity crop - but Duncan’s tenacious spirit, and desire to build a more profitable future for his family, and the farm, drove him forward, where no one else had been before. He knew he could tap into the unbridled potential of this wonder crop. Farrington Oils was the first business in the UK, two decades ago, to not only grow, but to press and bottle rapeseed oil at source. “What started as a small diversity project for my wife Eli andmyself has far exceededmy expectations,” he reveals. “Within four years of starting, it had the same turnover as the farm! In year one, mymother and I filled 6,500 bottles. We can do that every day now.” Pressed is best They say the simple things in life are best, and nothing is simpler or purer than cold-pressed oil. Belonging to the brassica family, each golden head of oilseed rape contains a tiny seed, hiding a kernel rich with healthy fats, vitamins and essential acids. “What we do is we take that seed and 17 MEET THE PRODUCER specialityfoodmagazine.com Mellow Yellowwas the UK’s first cold-pressed rapeseed oil grown, crushed and bottled on-farm. Founder Duncan Farrington MBE tells Speciality Food about his pioneering journey literally squeeze it through a press,” says Duncan. “It doesn’t get above 32 to 33C. It’s a very inefficient process. The seed has about 45% oil in it, and by the time we’ve pressed it the byproduct, which we sell for animal feed, has still got 10 to 15% left in.” But they wouldn’t have it any other way. This gentle, careful method retains all the goodness unleashed from within the kernel – particularly Vitamin E and plant sterols, with cold- pressed rapeseed oil boasting around twice as much plant sterol activity as olive oil. Duncan likens the benefits of consuming rapeseed oil to having oily fish and olive oil rolled into one. “It’s high in Omega 3 – up to 10 times more than olive oil – and in Omega 6. You’re getting a full package here of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated fats in the right balance.” Subtle, versatile and delicious One of the many selling points of think it’s wonderful, because they’re combined industries. One leads the other. I’ve spent my whole farming career dedicated to growing crops and producing food. I want to grow healthy, nutritious food, in good, healthy soils,” he says, adding that none of it would be possible without the unwavering support of Eli, his family, and the entire team. Duncan is constantly thinking of ways the business can be more sustainable. He’s held the LEAF Marque since he started, and the business is certified carbon neutral by the UN and has a Queen’s Award for enterprise for sustainable development. The farm follows Integrated Farm Management practices. “In this day and age we call it regenerative agriculture,” he explains. “We work in a holistic way. It’s a whole farm approach, but I spend a lot of my time looking after our soil. If the soil is healthy, there’s more chance for the crops to grow, and the crops will be full of more nutrition.” Around four to five crops are in rotation with oilseed rape at the farm, with tests showing organic matter has increased from 3.8% to over 7% in a 20-year period. What goes on around the edges of the crops is just as important, Duncan adds, saying they’ve planted hedgerows to support birdlife and small mammals, have put in 8,000 trees, and continue to monitor and ensure the vitality of watercourses and ponds. Duncan’s particularly excited about the results of wildflower plantings around the farm. Scientific studies have shown twice as many moths andmoth species in these areas compared to the average conventional farm. “A lot’s changed in 20 years,” he beams. “It’s a farm full of life in the soil, and full of biodiversity. It’s a much better place than it was a generation ago, and longmay that continue.” MellowYellow oil is its versatility in the kitchen. It has a gentle flavour, says Duncan, without that lingering hint of bitterness some others have. “It has a subtle nutty taste,” he explains. “It reminds me of raw, unroasted peanuts or maybe sunflower seeds. Some people taste butter. But the important thing is that it’s mellow. It’s a very clean-tasting oil. You can use it drizzled on salads, for baking cakes, stir fries, or roasting potatoes, and it lets the other ingredients sing and come through. It doesn’t overpower.” The most thrilling (and nerve- wracking) thing about leading the way in a new category is being at the forefront of education. After launching, Duncan would spend huge amounts of time away from the farm at shows and stores, demonstrating the beauty of rapeseed oil, and helping explain to retailers (and their customers) all the wonderful ways it could be used. One of the most common questions he was asked was whether it could be used in salad dressings.