Food & Health Alliance

The last couple of years have been something of a rollercoaster for Mark Bush. Back in 2007 he was still working as an IT consultant with an investment bank in London. However, in May 2009, he picked up the prestigious Healthy Eating Award for his new extra virgin rapeseed oil at Scotland’s food ‘Oscars’, the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards in Glasgow.

The transformation in Mark’s life began in August 2007 when he decided to quit the city and move with his wife to sample the good life in Scotland, initially selling potatoes from his father-in-law’s farm, Ferneyfold Farm in Crieff, at local farmers’ markets.

However, after seeing how passionate the public were about good, healthy food, he had an idea. Why not turn some of the rapeseed grown at the farm for margarine production into high quality extra virgin oil which could be sold in local shops and markets?

The first batch was piloted just over a year ago at a number of local farmers’ markets and proved an instant hit. Three months later, he began producing the distinctive Summer Harvest bottles of cold-pressed rapeseed oil in earnest and success quickly followed.

Mark admits that initially people had a few concerns about the oil because of some of the bad publicity surrounding the plant ‘but as soon as they tasted it, we had our sale.’

The 250ml and 500ml bottles – costing between £3.50 and £6 – are now available in around 40 local shops, as well as local farmers’ markets, and are also used by several restaurants in the area.

One of the big selling points is that the oil has a lower percentage of saturated fats than other virgin oils, as well as being high in omega 3 and vitamin E. The secret, says Mark, is using a cold press to extract the oil. ‘We could get more oil out of the seeds if we heated them but then it would be thinner and no different from general vegetable oil, so what would be the point?’

Not surprisingly, he is evangelical about the benefits of rapeseed oil, noting it has a more subtle flavour than most olive oils as well as being excellent in cooking, particularly for roasting. He also believes it could help convert many people to salads who have been put off by the heavier taste of olive oil. 

Healthy eating has always been important to Mark – perhaps not surprisingly given that he himself suffers from high cholesterol. He’s also a strong advocate of using local products, wherever possible, which is why he is concentrating on the local markets of Glasgow, Edinburgh and central Scotland.

Reaping the awards…

All the hard work culminated last month when he and his wife attended the 2009 Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Museum and came away with two awards – the Healthy Eating Award sponsored by the FHA and the Soup, Preserve, Accompaniments Award. 

Mark didn’t have time to get nervous before the first award because it was the first one presented. But, after waiting until the penultimate award of the evening before learning he had won the healthy eating accolade, ‘I was really shot to bits and didn’t particularly enjoy that part of the evening.’

But when they announced I had won the second time that was a truly joyful moment, though it was mixed with relief.’

He feels the judges were brave to award the healthy eating prize to an oil. ‘You don’t immediately think of oil as part of healthy eating but the truth is that you can cut down on sugar and salt, and cut out fatty products, but at some point you have to use oil and this is one of the healthiest ones there is.’