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…
Olive oil
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…
How did that happen?
I have lost count of the number of times that I have been asked “how was it that an English woman like you, brought up on butter, suet and lard came to be an international expert on olive oil?” Well, it is quite a long story and I thought it might be fun to set…
KNOW YOUR OLIVES
Wine lovers know all about the major grape varieties that go into their favourite wines but olive oil enthusiasts are not usually so knowledgeable. Yet the different olive varieties, like grapes, give quite different taste and flavour characteristics to their end products and contribute to the diversity of the olive oil world. Accordingly, I am…
Southern Puglia: Bari to Lecce
Driving south from Bari is the town of Bitritto home to Oliodecarlo, a family business reaching back some 400 years. First came the olive trees and then the mill and now a thriving business offering a range of olive oils and vegetables preserved in olive oil as well as a variety of “elixirs” produced by…
Cook with “The World’s Best Olive Oils”
Two of my favourite Spanish olive oil producers have made a killing at the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition. Both based in Andalucia, they are Oro Bailen in Jaen with four Gold Medals and Finca La Torre in Malaga with three. Both producers caught my attention some years ago and they have both gone…
Northern Puglia: San Severo to Bari
Puglia, which takes up most of the heel and toe of Italy, is one of my favourite regions of Italy. I love the food and the independent spirit of the people. It is also a great place for a holiday. The countryside is extremely varied and the history fascinating and though there are plenty of…