“Olive Oil and Table Olive Production to Sales”This new book by Simon Field founder of Savantes and leading Australian olive farmer, really lives up to the promise in the title. It does exactly as it says and tells the reader, in extremely useful and practical detail, how to produce top quality table olives and olive…
What Will the 2024 Harvest Bring?
The official global production forecast is 3,000,000– 3,200,000 tons, with Spain expected to lead with 1,300.000 – 1,500,000 tons, followed by Turkey at 300,000 –320,000 tones, Greece at 230,000–290,000 tones, Tunisia at 260,000–280,000 Italy at 180.000–200,000, and Portugal at 160,000–180,000 tons. This looks better than last year. I have started to see some extremely encouraging reports about what to expect from 2024 olive oil production…
Know Your Olives: Koronieki
This Greek olive variety is certainly up there with Italian Frantoio and Spanish, Picual both of which have been highlighted in this series of posts on the different varieties of olive which are predominantly pressed for oil. It would not be exaggerating to say that the majority of Greek oils that are to be found…
The Gift of Oil: Websites revisited
In May 2020 I featured The Gift of Oil website, the brainchild of Phil Bianchi. He had spent many years working for blue chip food companies ending up in Athens working for a large olive oil company. Here his interest in top quality olive oil flourished and he decided to set up a website to…
It Starts with Veg
This is the title of an imaginative new book from Ceri Jones, Food Educator at the Garden Museum in London and US trained Natural Chef. The subtitle is 100 Seasonal Suppers and Sides but it is the main title which sets the scene. Ceri takes a collection of 40 different seasonal vegetables and makes them…
Off The Shelf
This is a feature which I have decided to revive in this very difficult time for buying half-way decent olive oil without breaking the bank. I am starting with my local supermarket which happens to be Waitrose. I cannot taste all the oils on the shelf so am using my previous experience of the oils…
Amuse Bouche from Profile Books
If you are planning a trip to France then Carolyn Boyd’s new book Amuse Bouche is the just the thing for you and if you had not thought of going there you may well after reading it. To my great disappointment I have just had to cancel a six day break in Normandy, but actually…
Radio Times recommends some drastic changes for our everyday food
I am concerned that the Radio Times recommendations for diet changes in the Earth Day Special 20th to 26th April edition, have not been thought through and could be misleading The article talks about the eco costs of farming cows for milk and says we can reduce the amount of land use going into our…
Giant honey comb attracts attention
Calling all bee keepers and indeed hoteliers looking for innovative ideas. So often food products are best sold after a tasting and there is no better way to promote a new product than when people are on holiday. Malcolm and Diane Tait discovered a wonderful local honey when it was served to them on the…
Tuscany on a plate in Brighton
In the midst of strong December winds and rain I found the sunshine of Tuscany. A great morning hosted in Hampton Place with Tuscan chef Alessandro Piccinini. Alessandro has a cookery school in the small medieval village of Montisi not far from Montalcino in southern Tuscany. Along with his work at the school he holds…