Choosing between our Xavdata, Paliki and Livadi olive oils

All three Ionian Gold oils are single-estate, 100% Koroneiki extra virgin olive oils, cold-pressed within hours on our family estate in Kefalonia. The differences are in style and intensity. Livadi is our flagship, with 1,411 mg/kg of polyphenols and the boldest character of the three. Paliki is the bright, peppery one, made for finishing dishes. Xavdata is softer and more versatile, and it's the bottle most people reach for every day.

At a glance: how the three oils compare

	Xavdata	Paliki	Livadi
Style	Round, approachable	Green, vibrant	Powerful, layered
Total polyphenols	1,052 mg/kg	1,023 mg/kg	1,411 mg/kg
Oleocanthal	224 mg/kg	365 mg/kg	481 mg/kg
Free acidity	0.27%	0.33%	0.26%
Best for	Everyday use	Finishing, dressing	A daily spoonful, special meals
Price (500ml)	£28	£25	£35

What makes Xavdata our everyday estate oil

Xavdata comes from our hillside grove, set back from the coast where the trees mature in cooler air and deeper soil. It's pressed super early in the harvest, when the olives are still green and the polyphenol concentration is climbing. The 2025 harvest landed at 1,052 mg/kg of polyphenols and 0.27% free acidity, which puts it firmly in the high-polyphenol extra virgin olive oil bracket without crossing into the more intense territory you'll find with Livadi.

On the palate, Xavdata leads with olive leaf and fresh herbs, then opens up into ripe banana, almond and a mild peppery warmth at the close. The finish is smooth and rounded, which is part of why it works so well across the kitchen.

This is the bottle to reach for when you want a high-quality estate oil for everyday use. It handles eggs in the morning, roasting vegetables, lifting a soup, dressing a tomato salad - the lot! A high-polyphenol oil also holds up better than supermarket olive oil at heat, so you can cook with Xavdata without losing its character, and you can finish with it too. Of the three, this is the most versatile.

£28 for a 500ml bottle. Shop Xavdata →

What makes Paliki our brightest, most peppery oil

Paliki is our later press, from our coastal groves on the Paliki Peninsula, where the trees grow close to the water and draw on the sea air and the minerals it carries into the soil.

On total polyphenols it's almost level with Xavdata at 1,023 mg/kg, but the character is completely different once you taste it. The reason sits in the oleocanthal and oleacein numbers: 365 mg/kg and 360 mg/kg respectively, both well above what you'll find in Xavdata. Those two compounds are what give olive oil its peppery throat-catch, and most of its anti-inflammatory power.

You'll taste cut grass, olive leaf and artichoke up front, then citrus zest and green apple, and finally a clean, lively pepper that catches at the back of the throat. The finish is short and bright, which is exactly what you want from a finishing oil.

Because of that brightness, Paliki is the bottle we'd point you towards for drizzling and finishing. It works beautifully over grilled fish, fresh ricotta, white beans, tomato bruschetta, or any green salad that wants waking up. Even on richer dishes, like a slow-cooked lamb or a hearty winter stew, a drizzle right before serving cuts straight through. If you're cooking at high heat, save it for the plate.

£25 for a 500ml bottle. Shop Paliki →

What makes Livadi our flagship, highest polyphenol olive oil

Livadi is the most concentrated extra virgin olive oil we produce. It comes from the oldest part of our estate, picked at peak polyphenol concentration and bottled unfiltered. The 2025 harvest came in at 1,411 mg/kg total polyphenols, 481 mg/kg oleocanthal, and 0.26% free acidity. This makes Livadi one of the highest polyphenol olive oils available in the UK.

To give those numbers some context, most supermarket olive oils come in under 200 mg/kg of polyphenols. The EU health claim - that olive oil polyphenols help protect blood lipids from oxidative stress - requires a minimum of 250 mg/kg. Livadi sits at more than five times that threshold.

All of which translates to a flavour that's powerful and layered. Fresh grass and olive leaf hit first, followed by artichoke, green almond, wildflowers and chamomile, and the finish is long and peppery, with a clean bitterness that holds on the tongue.

Livadi is for people who care about what high-polyphenol olive oil does for the body, and who want to taste the very best the estate produces. Take a spoonful in the morning. Use it as a serious finishing oil for a special meal. Wrap a bottle for someone who'll appreciate the difference. We bottled 600 of them from the 2025 harvest, and once they're gone, the next batch won't be ready until autumn 2026.

£35 for a 500ml bottle. Shop Livadi →

How to choose between Paliki, Xavdata and Livadi

The right bottle depends on what you cook, how often you cook, and what you want the oil to do.

Common questions about our olive oils

What is the difference between an early press and a later press olive oil? +

An early press uses olives picked at the start of the harvest, while they're still green and lower in oil yield but higher in polyphenols. The flavour tends to be more delicate and complex. A later press uses fruit picked further into the season, when the olives have ripened a little more. The oil is often more vibrant on the palate, even if some of the polyphenol numbers come in slightly lower. Xavdata is our super early press from the hillside grove; Paliki is the later one, from the coast.

Can you cook with high polyphenol extra virgin olive oil? +

Yes, and high polyphenol olive oil actually holds up better at heat than supermarket olive oil, because polyphenols are natural antioxidants that slow oxidation. The smoke point of a good EVOO sits around 200°C, comfortably above most sautéing and roasting temperatures. We'd save Livadi for finishing because of its cost and rarity, but Xavdata and Paliki are both fine to cook with.

What is the olive oil with the highest polyphenols? +

Among Ionian Gold's range, Livadi has the highest polyphenol content at 1,411 mg/kg total polyphenols. For context, the EU health claim threshold sits at 250 mg/kg, and most supermarket olive oils come in below 200. Livadi is one of the highest polyphenol extra virgin olive oils available in the UK from a single-estate producer.

How long does a bottle of olive oil keep once opened? +

A 500ml bottle is best finished within three months of opening, kept somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight. Polyphenols protect the oil from oxidation, but they don't make it last forever. Unopened, our bottles stay at their best for around 18 months from harvest.

Why does olive oil make my throat tingle? +

That tingle is oleocanthal, one of the most studied compounds in olive oil. It's been shown in research to have anti-inflammatory effects through a similar mechanism to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The peppery throat-catch is actually the most reliable signal that an olive oil is genuinely high in oleocanthal. Livadi and Paliki will both give you a strong version of that sensation.

What are polyphenols in olive oil and why do they matter? +

Polyphenols are the natural antioxidant compounds in olive oil, mostly from a family called secoiridoids. They give the oil its peppery bite, slow it from going rancid, and they're the reason high-quality EVOO is linked to so many of the health benefits associated with the Mediterranean diet. The EU permits a health claim — that olive oil polyphenols help protect blood lipids from oxidative stress — for any oil containing at least 250 mg/kg. All three Ionian Gold oils sit above 1,000 mg/kg.

Why is Livadi more expensive than Xavdata or Paliki?+

Livadi comes from the oldest part of the estate, picked at a specific moment to maximise polyphenol content, and bottled unfiltered. Because the olives are harvested earlier and greener, the yield per tree is significantly lower than for our other oils. We only bottle around 600 of them per harvest, and the price reflects both the rarity and the laboratory work behind every batch.