Over the last few years the Tunisian olive oil industry has been quietly expanding; producing larger and larger quantities of oil. And this year it looks as though production will be sufficient to qualify Tunisia for the title of second largest producer in world after Spain. Italy and Greece, normally rivals for this title, are…
Know Your olives: Arbequina
The Arbequina olive is extremely versatile and popular with both growers and consumers. It offers good yields and is happy growing in regions far away from its native Catalonia. The oil usually has a relatively gentle taste with tones of apples and nuts without too much bitterness and pepper which makes it a very useful oil…
“Forget harvest time,” says Marina Colonna. “Now is the time to think about olive oil”
We tend to think of the harvest as the most important time in the olive oil calendar and look to this time of the year to assess both the quantity and the quality of the new season’s oils, but as Marina Colonna points out in a recent mailing it is right now in the…
Look Younger, Live longer and …….
These are just a few of the increasingly dramatic claims that are being made for the daily consumption of olive oils with high levels of polyphenols. Sometimes these claims are also accompanied by eye watering prices. So how justified are these claims and prices? In fact the European Union does allow health claims to be…
What to do with that aging oil?
The new season’s olive oils are gradually coming on stream and last year’s oil is definitely beginning to tire. It may even be going rancid yet throwing olive oil away goes against the grain, particularly as we had to pay so much for it last year! However, The North American Olive Oil Association has come…
Olive Oil Mini Classes 2026
I am relaunching my popular two hour mini classes in Brighton from the beginning of February. They include 5-6 oils to taste and a faulty oil to compare and contrast. They set out to answer some of the questions most asked about extra virgin olive oil such as “what is the best olive oil to…
Olive Oil Gin Martini
This drink is definitely new to me but “Olive oil is a great addition to a cocktail” says Jonathan Stanyard, mixologist and founder of The Bitter Gringo, an American company that produces artisanal bitters and other cocktail ingredients. “It smooths the rough edges of a spirit while adding great texture”. He thinks nothing of reaching…
New way to solve the problem of finding the best olive oils in the shops
As the amazing range of health benefits from including plenty of extra virgin olive oil in everyday cooking is becoming more and more apparent, I am increasingly being asked “what is best olive oil to buy?“ This is not an easy question to answer. Am I being asked which oils are considered by the experts…
Storm damage in Andalucia: 2024 olive harvest update
Spain I watched the storms lashing through Andalucia recently and, like everyone else, I was horrified to hear about the loss of life and the destruction of homes and infrastructure. I have now started to think about the wider implications of the disastrous weather for agriculture and in particular for the olive harvest. Things were…
SAVANTES COMPLETE OLIVE HANDBOOK
“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…