Linseed isn't the easiest plant to grow and harvest and so there's always a good deal of relief when several tons of the glistening brown or gold seeds, complete with their nutty smell, are stored safely in our purpose-built barn. You can't get much fresher and more traceable than that! Because we are able to store the seed, it means that we can "press on demand". Your linseed pods and your culinary linseed oil reach you in a perfect and fresh condition. Both chefs and professional oil tasters alike tell us that our linseed oil is the best they have ever tasted.
But let me tell you a little more about the whole process. Each year, over 130 acres of linseed are planted and harvested. There are several varieties of linseed to choose from, but we prefer to grow a short-stemmed linseed plant because it throws every ounce of its energy into swelling the tiny seed head with oil. The linseed is planted in the spring as soon as the soil is warm and by late August or early September, it's harvest time and the long days begin as the linseed is harvested. The seeds are then brought to the farm granary for storage.
Making the seed ready for pressing involves being passed through a seed cleaning machine before being allowed to fall into the press itself. From the press the oil flows initially into a vessel below the press for settlement. After a couple of days the oil has settled and is ready to be filtered through muslin and bottled by hand with no pumping. This is a cold pressed process, which means that no solvents or heat are ever used. This is because linseed is like other unsaturated nut and seed oils - if subjected to high temperatures the oil's important health giving properties are destroyed. Our natural process can only be compared to the production methods used to produce the best single-estate olive oils.
Of course, being farmers we make sure that absolutely nothing goes to waste. The husks from the seeds become a rich oil cake for cattle feed, it also improves their health and and enriches the milk so we get better meat and milk too. Whole seed is also milled to make linseed flour which is then used in baking and as a healthy cereal topping.
