Green olives, which are picked when they’re under-ripe, tend to be more bitter than black ones, but that bitterness also brings with it depth and complexity. Many of the cheaper olives I tasted have a strong, wine-vinegar acidity that I don’t really enjoy straight from the jar. I do, however, appreciate that punch when they’re paired with other ingredients: sliced on pizza, tossed into salads or, my favourite, skewered with an anchovy and a pickled guindilla pepper to make that classic Basque pintxo, the gilda. Salty olives are also brilliant for seasoning dishes such as tagines or in a tapenade crust for roast chicken – just remember to season after they’ve imparted their salty flavour.
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This tasting led me to reconsider what makes a green olive excellent. The test group were all completely different, ranging from ones with rich olive oil and woody herb tones and a great meaty texture to others with strong acidic tones balanced by sweet apple notes. All are delicious in their own way, and considering that I’m not usually a fan of pitted green olives, I was impressed by the overall quality.
The best supermarket pitted green olives
Best overall:
Realfoods by Organico organic green pitted olives
£3.80 for 230g at Ocado (£1.65/100g)
★★★★☆
A large Greek olive with a speckled skin and fresh aroma. Floral and salty, with almond and artichoke notes. The texture is perfect – meaty with a good, fleshy bite. Certified organic, B Corp and a Planet-Score of A for sustainability. Good value with impressive certifications, which earns them a bonus point.
Best bargain:
Epicure manzanilla olives
£1.60 for 235g at Fennel & Ginger (68p/100g)£1.75 for 235g at Ocado (£0.74/100g)
★★★★☆
Manzanilla olives from a century-old brand founded in London in 1891. Muted green colour with a gentle, olive oil aroma. Sweet, complex flavour with low acidity, light umami fermentation, and almond and beechwood notes. Good crunch and mild bitterness. A beautiful product and great value.
And the rest …
M&S pitted green queen olives
£2.40 for 225g at Ocado (£1.07/100g)
★★★★☆
A large gordal olive with a pungent, acidic and noticeably piquant first taste. Develops complexity with green tomato and earthy, twiggy notes. Meaty yet fibrous. Handpicked in Andalucía. Good provenance and solid value for the quality.
Biona organic pitted green olives
£3.70 for 280g at Ocado (£1.32/100g)
★★★★☆
Large, pale green and perfectly formed. A subtle aroma, and notably less salty than many of the others. Mild but complex flavour – sweet, almondy and earthy. Meaty and fleshy texture. Handpicked in Cerignola, Italy. Certified organic and good value overall.
Sainsbury’s So Organic pitted green olives
£2.85 for 290g at Sainsbury’s (98p/100g)
★★★★☆
A large olive with a dark khaki hue and a mild acidic aroma. Lovely, complex, savoury flavour with hints of olive oil and woody herbs and a fabulously meaty texture. Organic-certified and sourced from the Rovies region of Greece. Really good value for an organic product.
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Ponti organic pitted green olives
£5 for 250g at Ocado (£2/100g)
★★★★☆
A tiny, pale green olive with a subtle, fruity scent. Complex, sweet flavour with notes of chardonnay and green fig, plus a light acidity. Firm bite. An Italian heritage brand since 1787, B-Corp certified and organic. A leap in price compared with some of the others, but a product with obvious quality.
Gaea pitted green olives
£2.40 for 290g at Morrisons (83p/100g)£3.50 for 290g at Ocado (£1.21/100g)
★★★☆☆
A large, light yellow olive-green with a mildly floral aroma. Sweet with grassy notes and hints of cucumber and nuttiness. Meaty texture with a strong skin and bite. Made from green chalkidiki olives, with a simple brine using lemon juice and salt. Good value for a clean-tasting product.
Fragata stoneless green olives
£1.95 for 335g at Tesco (58p/100g)
★★★☆☆
Fresh, complex aroma with classic wine-vinegar notes. A heavy acid punch upfront, followed by deep olive flavour with a touch of sweetness and appley tones. Nice, ripe crunch. A classic olive with solid provenance from Andalucía. Excellent value and notably water-efficient, using 60% less than Spain’s average, according to the Water Footprint Network.
Waitrose Essential pitted green olives
£3.50 for 450g at Waitrose (78p/100g)
★★☆☆☆
Fresh aroma and light green colour. Bright initial flavour with gentle salt, acidity and classic bitterness, before finishing on a twiggy note. Soft texture. No information on origin or variety, but good value.
Hellenic Sun pitted jumbo green olives
£3 for 330g at Ocado (91p/100g)£16.14 for six x 330g at Amazon (82p/100g)
★★☆☆☆
Classic lactic acid aroma and speckled, muted green colour. Very salty with a mildly earthy flavour. The jumbo size gives these a great meaty texture. Handpicked in Greece, though details are limited. Not the best, but decent value for a big olive, especially if you need a salty one.