Picture Post: The dazzling fields illuminating our countryside

ANYONE driving through the countryside recently can’t fail to have noticed the abundance of brightly coloured rapeseed that has transformed our landscape.
PIC: Simon HulmePIC: Simon Hulme
PIC: Simon Hulme

Their bright dandelion-yellow flowers have been a familiar sight across farmland in spring across the country for several years now, with a growing number of producers having turned to this popular cash crop.

One upon a time, back in the days of the Industrial Revolution, rapeseed oil was used to lubricate steam engines. But times have changed and rapeseed fields like this one, beautifully photographed, near Follifoot, outside Harrogate, have become an integral part of many farms.

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It certainly seems to be all the rage these days as the growing number of colour-saturated fields, including many here in Yorkshire, go to show. It was only a few years ago that leading chefs were praising the qualities of olive oil and now many of them are beating the drum for British rapeseed oil.

Cynics might say it’s just another fad fuelled by middle class foodies, but prices are higher than ever before and British production has risen from a few thousand tonnes in the 1970s to a couple of million today, more or less doubling over the past decade.

The crop has become so popular that it’s even attracting Japanese tourists who are apparently flocking here to see it in bloom. Which is quite a transformation given the fact it was used at one time to fuel cars.

Rapeseed oil is also seen as a healthy option because it has masses of those trendy fatty acids Omegas 3, 6 and 9, antioxidants aplenty and half the saturated fat of olive oil.

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The Omega 3 content, which is good for blood circulation and young brains, is some 11 times higher than olive oil, while Omega 6 promotes healthy skin, nails and hair.

So not only has oil seed rape transformed the colours of our rural landscapes during the spring and summer it’s actually pretty good for us, too. It’s what marketing people might call a “win-win” situation.

Technical details: Nikon D3s camera, 70-200mm lens with an exposure of 1/250th sec at f8.