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…
Olive oil
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…
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…
New Mini Classes
New Olive Oil This New Year I am offering a new series of mini-classes on Tasting and Appreciating Olive Oil. The classes will be held at my office in the centre of Brighton and will last for one and half hours, either in the morning or the afternoon. The first two classes were well attended…
Fruity, a little Bitter and Spicy
Sub-titled A Producer’s Taste of the Global Olive Oil Industry , this new book by Simon Field, entrepreneur, founder of the Savantes programme and olive grower is a “must read” not only for anyone thinking of moving into the industry but also for everyone with any connection to it. The book is crammed with pertinent…
Know Your Olives
I have chosen Frantoio for the second in my series of posts on the olive varieties most frequently pressed for olive oil. This Tuscan varietal, which shares its name with the Italian word for olive mill, has found its way to many parts of the olive oil world. Its popularity is probably linked to the…
The Trade Promotion Agency of Andalucía invites you to a tasting of Extra Virgin Olive Olive Oil
Guild of Food Writers member Judy Ridgway (a renowned olive oil expert and author) will host a tasting of a selection of different varieties of Extra Virgin Olive Oil produced in Andalucia. Judy will make recommendations about food pairing and how to make the most of this wonderful Mediterranean delicacy. Journalists and food bloggers are…