Charlton House caterers introduce rapeseed oil in its restaurants

The new Essent-oil comes from existing suppliers, R-Oil, who have worked closely with natural seed breeders, Syngenta Seeds, to produce an oil which they believe has even more health benefits. Charlton House chefs have trialed the new oil with comments including it has a more pleasant aroma than the original, no after taste, and its vibrant, amber colour makes it very visually appealing on the salad bar. Caroline Fry, managing director of Charlton House, said: "We first introduced rapeseed oil into our restaurants over four years ago because it has one third less saturated fat than sunflower oil and less than half that of olive oil or corn oil. Essent-oil is building further on this initiative to ensure that our customers reap the additional health benefits." Amanda Ursell, consultant nutritionist to Charlton House, added: "All rapeseed oils give us a mix of important Omega 6 and Omega 3 essential fats. While we definitely benefit nutritionally from Omega 6 essential fats, over the last 100 years, our diets have changed dramatically in composition. "By eating more Omega 6-rich oils like sunflower, soy and corn oil which is used in everything from cooking oils and spreads to products like biscuits, cakes and ready meals, our ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 has become out of kilter. We now have twenty to thirty times more of the former compared to the latter."