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…
Olive oil
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 2025
I am relaunching my popular two hour mini classes in Brighton from the beginning of March. 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…
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…
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…
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…