As we prepare to craft our annual limited-edition British Conservas of peak season sardine fillets in Two Fields extra-virgin olive oil, Honor Smith-Wright explores the story behind the Cretan cold-press that makes this can so special.
You might long for August and for all the beauty it brings: swimming in the sea, eating al fresco or enjoying sunny pints at the pub. But for us, there is one thing we look forward to most: the first silvery sardines of the new summer season.
Caught a few miles off the coast in Cornwall, these beauties are the very best of British seafood. For a short window each year, they’re at their prime – fatty, plump and full of omega-3s – and that’s when we fillet them. But it’s not just the sardines that make this can so special. We preserve them in the divine Two Fields Extra Virgin Olive Oil, made from organically grown, hand picked Koroneiki olives in Eastern Crete. Cold pressed and wonderfully buttery, with a little heat and a distinctive peppery flavour, Two Fields is the perfect match for our sardine fillets. Together they create a prime British Conservas that sells out every year.
Like Sea Sisters, Two Fields was born from a love story. Brothers and founders Harry and Will Rolph were on holiday in Zakros and preparing to return to the UK, when Harry met Eleni, a Greek third generation farmer. Harry finding love in Greece changed the course of both brothers' lives, as Eleni introduced them to olive farming and the traditions farmers have used for centuries.
They also saw the pressures facing many growers: farmers being squeezed on price, and the constant need for higher commodity yields year upon year. Passionate about doing things differently, Harry and Will saved up, bought two fields with 200 olive trees, and learnt the ropes of regenerative farming. Years later, Two Fields Olive Oil has grown into a community collective of farmers across eastern Crete, working together to create a sublime olive oil while restoring the health of the land they share.
What does regenerative actually mean?
Two Fields view their two fields as an entire ecosystem, from the birds and the bees, to the soil and the trees. This means doing things like cover-cropping, protecting against pests using natural methods, or wood-chipping their offcuts and returning them to the land. The result is increased biodiversity, improved soil health and olive trees flourishing without any nasty chemicals being sprayed.
But for the brothers, being regenerative is also a social enterprise. Two Fields work with existing organic farmers as well as helping others start their own journey towards organic. Now they have a collective of growers who are stewards of the land and receive a fair and secure livelihood in return.
From two producers that care about doing things the right way, we hope you taste the love that has gone into this British Conservas.
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