How can I buy the best olive oil?

Ideally, buy olive oil in a dark bottle, especially extra virgin olive oil, as light degrades the oil and can turn it rancid. This also means it’s best to store your olive oil in a cupboard and not on the kitchen surface where it can be exposed to sunlight. Dark glass bottles or stainless steel containers offer better protection than plastic bottles. Check the ‘best by’ date and if you see ‘harvest date’ or ‘pressed on’ date, it’s likely to be a higher quality oil. Different regions and oils will produce different tastes so often this is just down to preference.