From the Tuscan hills to the Greek isles, the Mediterranean is covered in olive groves. Come the autumn, olive farmers blanket their land in nets to catch the harvest and transform it into liquid gold olive oil.
Grove to Glass: Olive Oil Tasting in London
Words by
Clara Taylor
19th August 2025
Olive oil tasting has taken hold of Europe, and in doing so, olive groves are hot on the heels of vineyards as the go-to summer tasting destination. SPHERE has selected the best olive oil tastings in London so that you don’t need a passport stamp to enjoy the experience.
Olive grove in the Tuscan hills.
This age-old tradition is fast becoming the fascination of Londoners who are turning olive oil tastings into chic, sensory experiences for food lovers and curious newcomers alike.
What exactly is Olive Oil Tasting?
Olive oil tasting at London's first pop-up olive oil bar. ©Citizens of Soil.
Much like wine tasting, olive oil tasting focuses on the culture, production, and enjoyment of olive oil. Visitors can learn about everything from the extraction process to the correct bottling – spoiler: out of direct sunlight and not in a clear container.
According to Citizens of Soil, who opened London’s first olive oil pop-up bar last month in Notting Hill, there is a technique to tasting olive oils. First and foremost, always taste a newly opened bottle to get the freshest flavour, and pour it into small stemless coloured glasses to remove any colour bias, as colour is not an indication of quality.
Olive oil tasting cups. ©Citizens of Soil.
Next, you’ll want to place one hand over the top of the glass, while the other cups its bottom. This will both warm the elixir (you want it to be around body temperature) and hold in the aromas. As you would at any wine tasting, swirl the oil around the glass and after a few seconds, remove your hand and sniff the oil to get a sense of its fruitiness. Once this is done, you can finally give it a taste, making sure to swallow some to note the pepperiness in your throat – no spittoon necessary. Sweet flavours will sit at the tip of your tongue, salty around the upper edges, sour to the side, and bitter at the back. Finally, you should breathe back out through your nose to get the “retronasal sensation”, where fragrance and flavour come together. Here, you want to get a grasp of pepperiness, bitterness and most importantly, fruitiness – the holy trinity of olive oil.
While you’ll be hard-pressed to find an olive grove in central London, you can still taste test the best of what the Mediterranean has to offer. These are SPHERE’s top picks for olive oil tasting in London.
Baccalà, Bermondsey
Olive oil tasting technique. ©Baccala.
Bermondsey Street is a foodie haven and Baccalà is no exception. The modern Italian seafood restaurant and wine bar hosts guided tasting sessions where you can explore the heritage and diversity of Italy’s finest extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs), handpicked from small, independent producers.
During the session, Chef Moreno crafts a tasting profile for each oil to showcase its unique individuality and teaches you how to identify flavour, aroma, intensity – the qualities that set exceptional oils apart. The tasting consists of four Italian EVOOs, paired with sourdough bread and apple slices, the latter acting as a palate cleanser between oils.
Tastings at Baccalà via baccalalondon.co.uk
Oliveology, Borough
Self-described evangelists of flavour, Oliveology typically operates out of Borough Market, selling traditional Greek products including their 18C olive oil. Purists will know this sits well below the standard extraction temperature meaning the yield is smaller, but the olive oil retains all of its nutrients. The result? A grassy fruity flavour profile, with aromas of freshly cut green unripe olives.
Oliveology hosts private tasting sessions of both their oils and the olives themselves, which have prebiotic qualities – an added benefit from the blue zone. Founder, Marianna, will walk you through the famous Koroneiki ‘the royal type’ variety of olives they use for their products, and you’ll be able to sample the single-variety oil.
Tastings will run through the autumn and next summer Oliveology will host a private tasting and dinner which can be booked via oliveology.co.uk
Mar de Olivos, Forest Hill
Tasting workshop at Mar de Olivos, Forest Hill.
Translated from Spanish to mean “Sea of Olive Trees”, Mar de Olivos is a family-run business. Mar, the owner, embarked on her journey in the olive market after learning that olive oil could help her manage the symptoms of a health condition. 12 years on, and with accreditation from the Andalucian Government, Mar hosts both group and private tastings from her workshop in Southeast London.
Using professional blue tasting cups, you’ll be given samples from 4-6 award-winning Spanish EVOOs, each made using the four main Spanish olive varieties: arbequina, picual, hojiblanca and cornicabra. There are a variety of classes you can take part in, including a guided food pairing, a Mediterranean diet workshop, and a session on olive oil in molecular gastronomy where you can learn how to create olive oil pearls, gels, foams and infusions.
Sessions can be booked with Mar at mardeolivos.co.uk
