Is it 19 May today or 1 April?

I can't see the Italians doing this - if a restaurant owner wants to use his grandad's olive oil I expect he will continue to do so.
I bought a wonderful olive oil in Lidl a couple of years ago. I can't remember which region of Italy it came from, but it smelled and tasted like new mown grass - lovely! Naturally they've never had it again.

But.... there are lots of 'inferior' olive oils very respectably packaged in bottles with labels and sold in supermarkets. Also, is there a rule that says every restaurant and cafe has to serve only the best quality olive oil?

I'm going to be difficult!
I'm glad!
I'm fed up of being served inferior olive oils which then ruins things!
My favourite is a single estate from ancient olive trees that I got from a farm outside Rome.
Both DD and I adored it!
And Yes! I can tell the difference!

The trouble is, unless strict rules are brought in it seems that some people are determined to sell poor or adulterated produce. Do you remember the French wine scandal some years ago where they were adding something horrible to the wine?

We were told some years ago that this EU law had been passed. Certainly all the little bars and restaurants that we go to in Portugal changed immediately from assorted crocks and pots to identical small bottles from the supermarket. For some this was an improvement! Gradually different brands and qualities have been marketed and the flavours have improved again.
I am .

Write to your MEPs .... if you can find out who they are! This sort of nonsense is just grist to the UKIP and other euro-sceptic mill.

Mr.B has been apoplectic (unusual for him) at this ridiculous ruling.
"For goodness sakes, people have been dipping bread in bowls of olive oil for the past 6,000 years and we're still here" he shouts.

Am trying to get him to adopt the Gaelic shrug.

Couldn't put in acute accents on the Es in pre-sale and did not want any one wondering why the heck the lamb was going to be on sale, so had to translate.

Should I copy the posts to the middle-class pretensions thread?

It is supposed to be all about fraud, and inferior olive oil passed off as good stuff. Phooey. Anyone who gets a little bowl of golden liquid with their bread in an Italian restaurant and can't tell whether it is the finest cold pressed or the cheapest cash-and-carry 10-gallon can is probably also eating scrag end billed as salt-meadow spring lamb without complaint.

BTW, I don't use much olive oil myself, just good old British Danish butter. I would use British but there isn't very much unsalted British butter and what there is is too expensive.