I think that those refined olive oils are horrible things. A lot of nonsense has been written about extra virgin olive oil, such as that you shouldn't cook with it. What you shouldn't do is get the oil so hot that it smokes. But I don't have many dishes that require me to heat oil that much before putting something into it, and if I do need really hot oil I'll use groundnut oil instead. A lot of my Italian dishes start with gently sautéeing sliced garlic and chilli flakes, sometimes with an anchovy or two to melt. Gently being the operative word. Extra virgin oil is ideal for that. I have two grades of extra virgin oil in the kitchen, a big bottle of relatively inexpensive stuff for cooking and a much more expensive but superb oil for sprinkling over finished dishes or for salad dressings. Marcella Hazan would tell me off for not using the latter for everything. She has a point, but that would cost me a fortune.

And don't get me started on those horrid bottles of cheap and runny balsamic vinegar...