Are we nuts to fry in groundnut oil?

The truthful answer has to be yes. Groundnut oil is hideously expensive. With some dramatic price rises recently it now sells for at least £28 for a 15 litre drum, compared to less than half that for the same amount of standard cooking oil. Chefs use it to make mayonnaise and salad dressings: it's rarely if ever used in inexpensive fast food.

For the falafel we sell as wholesalers we use 50% groundnut, which but after trials (thank you KTC Oils) we now blend with 50% rapeseed oil, which has the same (in fact a slightly better) proportion of mono-unsaturated fats. We find that using half groundnut gives very nearly the same appetising smell and taste.

We began using groundnut because of the reek created by standard cooking oil. When we were selling straight to the public in Hoxton Square it was important to draw people in with an appetising smell. Now that we again sell directly to the public we find the same advantage, so at our two direct outlets we use 100% groundnut.

We are hooked on it, because a little research showed that groundnut oil, which like olive oil is high in monounsaturated fats, has health advantages over alternatives such as sunflower and corn oil. By the way refined groundnut oil does not cause allergy problems.

Does the clean, nutty taste of groundnut oil have a significant influence on the final flavour of the falafel when they're rolled in a wrap with other ingredients? We like to think it makes a difference -- but let us know what you think. At any rate our kitchen smells delicious.