This is the first of a series of posts about some of the olive trails and routes that I have followed during my travels around the olive oil world. It covers the region of Les Baronnies in the Drome, the most northerly department of Provence. The area takes its name from the local hills but…
A Taste of Catalonia
Writing my post on the Vea estates in Catalonia last week brought back memories of some of great dishes the I have enjoyed when visiting that area. Here are just a few of them. Escalavida …and beyond …
Memories: The Vea family and The Oil Merchant
I first met Charles Carey – The Oil Merchant – when I was still earning my living mainly as a wine writer and was only just starting to take an interest in olive oil. He organised a tasting for the Circle of Wine Writers which I attended and we kept in touch. He became a…
A Taste of Sicily
The food in Sicily is rich and varied and I have collected a good many recipes on my travels there. Here is a selection of them. Caprese and Salami kebabs These lovely little hors d’oeuvres come from a selection of recipes on the new website of The Gift of Oil which I reviewed in my…
Website of the month: https://www.thegiftofoil.co.uk/
The Gift of Oil website is the brainchild of Phil Bianchi who spent the early years of his working life working for blue chip food companies, ending up in Athens working for a large olive oil company. There he was inspired by the quality of the Greek olive oils and vinegars which he felt were…
Simple Summer Food from Jaen
Talking about my visit to Jaen in my recent “Memories” post reminded me of another visit to that part of the olive oil world a year later. One of the producers I visited then was Melgarejo who own a very modern mill near Jaen itself. Here the fifth generation of the family showed off the…
Memories: Soler Romero and the Gay Farmer
Great to see two long standing contacts now linked together in a thriving business partnership: I first came across Soler Romero organic extra virgin olive oil fourteen year ago. I was on a general visit to the Jaen region of Spain and Cortijo El Tobazo was part of the itinerary. I was struck by the…
Olives and more
Just returned from a visit to a great little shop in Forest Hill, south east London. Olives and More is crammed full of absolutely first class Spanish produce. As its name implies, this shop is dedicated to the olive, with the emphasis on extra virgin olive oil. It is the brainchild of Mar … who…
One Day Olive Oil Courses
Thanks to popular request I am continuing my one day olive oil tasting and appreciation courses in London and Brighton in 2020. The next courses in London will be held on Tuesday 18th February and Friday 27th March. Brighton dates are open to negotiation anytime between now and late April. I keep the classes fairly…
Extra virgin olive oil enhances game recipes
This month I have been experimenting with cooking various kind of game with extra virgin olive oil and I have been very pleased with the results. The olive oil helps to lubricate what can often be quite dry meat and gives an excellent flavour to the dish. Using olive oil in this way also contributes …