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…
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…
Curious and Curiouser
Can wine be blue or maybe even green? I was asked recently. “Of course not!” I announced firmly. But think again. When I researched the subject I found that there are quite a few references to “blue wine” in various European wine producing countries. The Linos winery in Cyprus, for example, going so far as…
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…