Pass the oil, darling

Jeremy Lee tests vinegars and mustards - and the best olive oils to drizzle this summer

Olive oil under £6

Cosecha, Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
500ml, £6,
Excellent colour with a low acidity content. Not bursting with personality but trustworthy. Everything you need from an olive oil.
5 stars

Sololivo, D.O.P. Dauno Alto Tavoliere
250ml, £5.50, Gastronomica, 020 7407 4488
Bloody brilliant - wonderful nose and a bright colour. Really well made and very good value.
5 stars

Sainsbury's finest, Umbrian D.O.P. extra-virgin olive oil
500ml, £4.99, 0800 636262
Very high acid content and a bit butch, but not bad. The colour's good and it has a delicate nose. But it should be more confident.
3 stars

Iliada, golden olive oil
1l, £5.99, Selfridges, 0800 123 400
Much darker and bolder than the rest which is a plus. Pretty fruity too. I'd probably roast veg with this.
3 stars

Olive oil over £6

Ravida, extra-virgin olive oil
750ml, £20.35, Neal's Yard Dairy, 020 7240 5700
Everything you want from an olive oil. Great fruit and a long flavour that stays on your tongue. Just plain excellent.
5 stars

Nunez de Prado
500ml, £9.95,
Fantastic oil this. Great depth of flavour. Wonderful rich colour. Smells utterly divine. Glides on the plate. I could drink this.
5 stars

Carluccio's Il Fiasco extra-virgin olive oil
750ml, £19.95
It has a pretty nose and a discreet little punch to follow. Solid colour too. It really takes you by surprise.
5 stars

Crudo, extra-virgin olive oil
500ml, pounds 7.50,
Disappointing, not a great deal of flavour. The colour is very telling. Such a shame.
2 stars

Balsamic vinegar

Carluccio's 10 year aceto balsamico
250ml, £10.95
A good, deep colour compared to the others. Tastes OK, but not great. Best of the lot.
4 stars

La Vecchia Dispensa, aceto balsamico
250ml, £10.95, Harrods, 020 7730 1234
Not too bad, but very, very sweet. Verging on barbecue sauce. Perhaps you could cook with it?
3 stars

Marks & Spencer, balsamic vinegar
250ml, £4.99
Good colour, but still pretty bad vinegar. It should be sharp and powerful and have a concentrated flavour. This tastes sweet and watery. A lot goes a little way.
2 stars

Goelles, balsamic vinegar
250ml, £10.25, Fortnum and Mason, 020 7734 8040
This is a Posh and Becks job. Is this barbecue sauce? I really don't like this at all. Yuck.
no stars

Sherry vinegar

A.R. Valdespino, vinagre de Jerez
375ml, £5.25, Harvey Nichols, 020 7235 5000
Smells fantastic. A truly joyous product. I could drink this. This is the only sherry vinegar I'd use out of the lot.
5 stars

Gran Reserva, Pedro Ximénex vinegar
200ml, £7.50, Brindisa
This is strictly a balsamic/sherry vinegar. Excellent taste even if it is a little confused as to what sort of vinegar it is!
4 stars

Sainsbury, Spanish sherry vinegar
375ml, £5.25
Quite a vulgar smell to this one. It tastes strange, not horrific, but too sharp and there's not enough flavour. Where's the sherry gone, huh?
2 stars

Beaufor, vinaigre de Xeres sherry vinegar
500ml, £3.29,
I don't like this at all I'm afraid. It tastes just like Bovril and looks far too muddy for a sherry vinegar.
no stars

White wine vinegar

Sainsbury's So Organic, white wine vinegar
500ml, £1.39
Pleasant smell and...mmm...fantastic flavour! This is very tasty indeed. Is it Aspalls? (It isn't.) It must be Aspalls. I'd definitely use this.
5 stars

Maille, white wine vinegar
500ml, £2.50 , Selfridges
This one is just lovely. Wonderful flavour and colour. Tastes like a beautifully made wine which is how it should. Delivers on all fronts. An absolute classic.
5 stars

Goelles, Gruner Veltliner wine Vinegar
500ml, £5.95, Fortnum and Mason
For cooking this would be fabulous. Or pickling. It would make some really fun chutney. Very powerful and tart on the tongue.
3 stars

Uniq, vinagre de Chardonnay wine vinegar
500ml, £3.75, Brindisa
A little bit boring and insipid. It tastes very ordinary and I can't really taste the wine. Cook with this one.
3 stars

English mustard

Colmans, English mustard
100g, 49p, available nationwide
This is brilliant. Lovely colour and a good consistency - mustards can be so runny. Complex flavour with a punch. Classy mustard this.
5 stars

Marks & Spencer, hot English mustard
205g, 99p
Good consistency and colour. This one has a good, natural mustardy flavour and a sparky little kick. A little too much vinegar, but not a bad effort.
4 stars

Fortnum and Mason, our hot English mustard
175g, £2.95
As a relish this would do nicely. It's been whipped. Acceptable for a ham sandwich, but not enough for my steak.
3 stars

Waitrose, English mustard
180g, 79p, 0800 188884
A peculiar yellow ochre colour. It looks like turmeric paste. Not strong enough and too vinegary. OK though.
2 stars

Dijon Mustard

Maille, Dijon originale
215g, £1.79, available nationwide
This Dijon mustard is wonderful. It must be Maille. Why would you buy anything else? This simply dances on your tongue. Truly delightful.
5 stars

Tesco finest, Dijon mustard
160g, £1.29, 0845 7225 533
A bit too whipped for my taste. Too much heat and not enough flavour. I like a discreet punch to my mustard. The colour's OK, but it's just not Dijony enough for me.
1 stars

Marks & Spencer, Dijon mustard
205g, 99p
Smells like a decent take on a classic, but it looks bland and has too much vinegar. What a shame. Otherwise it'd be a half decent Dijon. Disappointing.
1 stars

Harvey Nichols, traditional English mustard
170g, £2.50
The colour's poor and this tastes like it's been whipped to death by a machine. The flavour is OK, but it doesn't save it. I wouldn't use this I'm afraid. No, no, no.
no stars

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