Love them or loathe them, the olive has been a hugely important part of civilisation for thousands of years and there’s something very special about being in the grove, amongst the trees and a part of the annual olive oil harvest. Giles took David and Debbie, from Arch House Deli in Bristol, Deli Of The Year 2011 winners, (and some other olive loving guests) on an incredible trip to Extremadura in western Spain to visit Olives Et Al’s premier olive oil supplier’s Naturvie.
The trip was to pick olives in Spain and to experience the food culture of the area as Giles explains; “For several years we’ve organised a trip to pick olives and to learn more about the link between the landscape and the food culture of this particular area of Spain. It was incredible to walk amongst the ancient olive trees in a farm which has been in the same family for generations. We had amazing weather; the sun shone as we picked olives and within an hour we tasted the bright green Extra Virgin Olive Oil which was the very first oil of this harvest. After 18 years of working with olives and olive oil, it still gives me an enormous thrill to see the pure olive oil pouring out of the fruit as it is pressed.”
Brett Sutton, head chef at The Eastbury Hotel found the tapas of the area very much to his palate; “Being asked on this trip was like a dream come true for me as it gave me an opportunity to visit an area which has amazing ham, cheese and of course olive oil. We ate with the family at El Hoyo, which was a beautiful farm surrounded by hills, and their hospitality was some of the most generous I have ever experienced. The area is famous for Pata Negra which is a specific kind of Spanish ham made from pigs that eat acorns, and we ate some of the finest examples of this I have every tried. We also ate Migas, which is basically a peasant food of crumbs fried in olive oil from the farm and it was wonderful to sit amongst the groves, eating the produce of those very trees. The experience will stay with me and influence my food for a very long time.”
Sound like something you’d like to be a part of? Sandy and Sean voted for their favourite deli (The Old Forge Deli in West Sussex) in Deli Of The Year 2011 and won two places on the trip too! Keep you eye’s peeled in the Spring for news on Deli Of The Year 2012 and you could be picking and pressing your own olives next year!
Love reading Midge’s blogs, especially this latest one! But, who is Midge? Is Midge included in ‘Meet the Team’ on your website?
loooove this company….first encountered at a farm fair with only the snack products …after doing own research and finding out so much more have bought much for family christmas….x lucie x
Hey Lucie! Thanks for your comment
What’s your favorite thing from Olives Et Al?