According to Waitrose olive oil is the new must have in the middle class shopping trolley. Sales of extra premium virgin olive oil are up 15%. You can get a 500ml bottle in Waitrose for £6. However the more class conscious will be opting for Colonna at £25 for a 750ml bottle which apparently offers scents of sweet tomatoes and cut grass..
The Times (29th November) suggests that the new bring a bottle at bourgeois Xmas parties is not a bottle of fine wine but a bottle of artisan olive oil.
However Debretts the guide to bourgeois etiquette has cautioned that turning up with a bottle of olive oil might suggest that the host doesnt have an appropriately stocked cupboard.
The commentaries do note that the reason for the high price of olive oil is very warm summers in the areas that produce it leading to poor harvests. The one phrase that is definitely NOT to be mentioned is climate change.
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