Olive oil is voted best in Australia
Olive farming is not usually associated with Northampton, but one resident has received national recognition in Australia for producing an award-winning olive oil.
Chris Perkins, aged 59, of Kingsthorpe, was brought up in an agricultural family in the Australian state of Victoria but came back to England when he was a teenager.
Since then he has kept his links with the country and set up his own farm growing olives in the Milawa gourmet region.
After crushing the olives, Mr Perkins produces different varieties of oil including lime, lemon, garlic and a special stir-fry version.
Judges have now voted his olive oil produce the best in Australia at a recent ceremony in the capital, Canberra.
Mr Perkins, of Brackley Close, said: "To say I was over the moon would be an understatement. It's absolutely fantastic; it was completely unexpected."
His olive oil was chosen ahead of more than 3,000 other entries from all over Australia.
He said: "There has been lots of press coverage and we have our photos in the Yellow Pages in Australia.
"We are now getting orders from people in Southern Australia."
Mr Perkins said that he decided to start farming olives after tobacco stopped being produced in Australia.
The olive farm in Victoria is in a popular location for other major manufacturers in Australia, including Brown Brothers Winery.
Mr Perkins said he was now looking to set up a distribution network so that he would be able to sell his olive oil in England.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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