The Story Behind Our Extra Virgin Olive Oil
From Navarra to Barrafina.
At Barrafina, great cooking starts with exceptional ingredients. Our extra virgin olive oil begins its journey in the olive groves of Navarra, northern Spain.
Since 2017, we’ve worked with Condado de Martiniega, a family-run producer who dedicates the whole year to making oil of remarkable freshness, flavour and character. Now, as autumn arrives, harvest begins.
Four varieties, four moments
All year, the family tends the trees, from soil and irrigation to pruning and tree health. Then comes the most important decision: when to pick. Rather than waiting for maximum yield, they harvest each variety when freshness, aroma and flavour are in balance. Coriana comes first, in early to mid October, then Lecciana later in the month, followed by Arbequina and Oliana in November.
It’s a deliberate choice that puts character before quantity. Oliana, for example, yields less oil when picked at this stage, but its quality is better preserved.
From tree to mill in hours
Weekly lab samples from each plot help the family decide exactly when each section of the grove is ready. Once picked, the olives reach the mill within two to four hours, limiting exposure to heat and oxidation. They’re cold-extracted below 27°C to protect their natural aromas, then filtered and stored away from oxygen, light and heat.
Every batch passes analytical and sensory checks, and all of the family’s oils have an acidity below 0.25%.
From Navarra to London
For us, provenance matters. Knowing who makes an ingredient and how lets us make the most of it. The oil we use should complement the food rather than overwhelm it, bringing freshness and the character of the olive to the plate.
Each year, the family asks the same question: how can we make this year’s oil better than last year’s? That ambition runs from the groves of Navarra to every drop served at Barrafina.