When it comes to food and drink – especially when it comes to cooking – the quality of your ingredients is key.
Making a spaghetti sauce with a can of tomatoes from the bottom shelf of the supermarket can be good, take your gaze one shelf higher, and it’s even better*. Go to the local farmers market or get a veg box delivery, and it’s better again.
*And of course, the middle shelf in marketing terms is where you’ll find all the big brands – it’s often worth looking above or below to the lesser well known brands that are often just as good, if not better, and often more competitively priced.
Buy a chicken from the supermarket for your Sunday roast and it’ll be lovely, but head to a farm shop, or a local butcher, and the flavour and texture are far superior and, bonus, you’re helping the local economy.
One of the areas you can taste quality is in olive oil. The difference between an ‘OK’ olive oil and a quality one is incredibly distinct. Flavour, texture, colour, you can tell. And, whilst you might not want to cook with the best virgin olive oil (it burns at a low temperature and you lose the flavour, stick to butter), for salad dressings, finishing your pizzas and pastas with, or just for dunking some good crusty bread into, you want the good stuff.
And this is where Gift of Oil come in. Recognising that the oils we get in the UK aren’t anything like those that we experience when we are abroad on our holidays (this is why Greek salad never tastes the same at home), they sought to change that and import into the UK the same quality oils and vinegars that our continental cousins get to enjoy.
And yes they sent me some to sample. I’ve been in oil and vinegar heaven.
As with anything – wine, beer, spirits, flavour is imparted by the conditions it’s grown in. So, for example the Sicillian olive oil is intensely green and grassy, lots of floral notes, absolutely delicious for drizzling on a focaccia, mixing with lemon into a dressing, or just adding a little balsamic vinegar to for a bread dunking session with a glass of red wine.
But Gift of Oil don’t stop there. They also infuse their oils with flavours – toss some spaghetti in the rosemary and garlic infused olive oil and add a grating of lemon zest, and parmesan and dinner is served. Simple comfort food.
Or use the same oil to finish off a side dish for your roast dinner – cavalo nero and pak choi with chilli and garlic, delicious.
Or add the basil infused oil (imagine liquid pesto) to a salad dressing. I don’t have a picture of this. It was so good, I ate it before I remembered to take a picture. Sorry.
And it doesn’t stop with food. I took the pomegranate and fig infused balsamic vinegar one step further.
Yes, we added alcohol. In the same way that a shrub can add a fruity acidity to a cocktail, so can balsamic vinegar – we added a splash to Prosecco (mixed reaction between the three of us, two of us liked it, one didn’t) and Sean from San Carlo Fumo in Manchester, created two cocktails using it – both playing with it’s deep fruity flavours.
Back to food, add a splash of the caramelised onion infused balsamic vinegar to your next onion gravy, or a little to finish off your casserole.
Or as I did, deglaze the pan your roasted meat in. Use the caramelised onion with beef and pork, and try the fruitier pomegranate and fig with venison, goose or duck. The sweet acidity cuts through the fattiness of the meat and lifts the flavour.
I had a feeling I was going to like the products from Gift of Oil – but what I didn’t know was just how much. I’m a complete convert. The quality, the flavour – they’re fantastic. If I dare mention it, if you have a food lover in your life, Christmas is just a few weeks away.
Me? I’m off to buy some more bread for dunking.
With huge thanks to Gift of Oil for the samples. I’m nearly out of the olive oil, so will be ordering some more!