Olive it! Event feedback - plus non attendees - chance to win olive hamper worth £60! NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the 20 MNers who attended a tapas masterclass recently thanks to the team at Olive it!"

Olive it! is a culinary concept that aims to bring a sparkle to traditional olives by incorporating them into your cooking in new and exciting ways. The team there say "we were delighted to welcome MNers to our olive cooking course with celebrated Spanish chef, Omar Allibhoy. During the class, selected MNers experienced hands-on tuition from the ‘master of tapas’ himself. Omar took the MNers on a culinary journey exploring the exciting flavours of the Mediterranean and taught them how to make a selection of beautiful and mouth-watering dishes that will impress friends and family".

Take a look at our website for recipe inspiration.

Non attendees for a chance to win an olive hamper with an Olive it! recipe book, olives and apron (worth £60) please share on the thread your favourite type of olive/ favourite prep method for olives or the best way you include olives when entertaining or preparing tapas.

Attendees please share on this thread your responses to the following questions - do add any photos taken at the event too!

Q1 What was the most interesting thing you learnt about olives at the event? Please share this on the thread. Did it change your perception of olives?

Q2 What did you think of the recipes made on the day? Would you try them at home? If so, which ones and why/ when? What recipe did you like the most?

Q3 What did you think about Omar Allibhoy’s knowledge of olives?

Q4 If a friend, relative or acquaintance asked your advice about eating olives, to what extent would you recommend eating them?

Q5 Has the event encouraged you to experiment with olives in different ways?

Q6 Do you intend to eat or continue to eat table olives?

Q7 Finally, would you like to make any comments about the event or suggest any ways it could be improved?

thanks for the feedback!

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

[AnnMumsnet]

And the recipes are all featured here

[Biscetti]

Q1 What was the most interesting thing you learnt about olives at the event? Please share this on the thread. Did it change your perception of olives?

I think probably the fact that they can be used in puddings and chocolate. I suppose it's logical when I think about it - there seems to be salt and caramel mixed in all manner of things. Definitely changed my perception, and even more so on eating them in such a delicious pudding.

Q2 What did you think of the recipes made on the day? Would you try them at home? If so, which ones and why/ when? What recipe did you like the most?

Bloody delicious! The marinades we made for both black and green olives were lovely, and definitely ones I will use again. The romesco sauce was so good. So good in fact, that I've got the first bits currently in the oven, to make some for supper later.

And as for the goats cheese custard/candied olive and cherry combo. Good lord, it was absolutely divine. I will definitely be making this.

Q3 What did you think about Omar Allibhoy’s knowledge of olives?

Pretty bloody comprehensive tbh!

Q4 If a friend, relative or acquaintance asked your advice about eating olives, to what extent would you recommend eating them?

For those that already like, then I'd suggest some of the ideas I got from yesterday. If it was someone who wasn't keen, I'd urge them to give them another go in one guise or another; they are so versatile, and are really not like the manky old ones from the deli counter in the supermarket. So many different flavours can be added to a marinade to make the humble olive something really rather delicious.

Q5 Has the event encouraged you to experiment with olives in different ways?

Oh definitely, no doubt. I will be working my way through the lovely book we got.

Q6 Do you intend to eat or continue to eat table olives?

Yes, though I will be sticking with my own marinades using the stuff we learnt yesterday.

Q7 Finally, would you like to make any comments about the event or suggest any ways it could be improved?

Apart from a self indulgent wish to have spent many more hours experimenting and tasting, no. It was a lovely few hours, and I enjoyed it enormously.

Thank you so much MNHQ, Olive It! and of course Omar Allibhoy. Great treat and so pleased to have been able to go.

[clux73]

Thank you for a fantastic day yesterday. I really enjoyed it. Great food, great company, wine!


Q1 What was the most interesting thing you learnt about olives at the event? Please share this on the thread. Did it change your perception of olives?

I very naively believed that the majority of olives and oil come from Italy! And that green, purple and black olives were different varieties not just picked at different times. I also hadn't appreciated how good they are for you.

Q2 What did you think of the recipes made on the day? Would you try them at home? If so, which ones and why/ when? What recipe did you like the most?

I really liked the recipes. I was unsure about the concept of an olive based dessert but it was much nicer than I expected. The custard was fantastic. I would probably make it again but not sure it needed the olives - the cherries would be good on their own! I will definitely make the marinades again as they were incredibly easy and really delicious. My favourite was the Romesco sauce (think I got the name right) - I plan to make it tonight!

Q3 What did you think about Omar Allibhoy’s knowledge of olives? I thought Omar was brilliant. He really knows his stuff and is very passionate about olives, spain, good food etc. Very inspiring.

Q4 If a friend, relative or acquaintance asked your advice about eating olives, to what extent would you recommend eating them? I am going to forward on the recipes for the marinades and Romesco sauce to a few friends as I've already told them all about it.

Q5 Has the event encouraged you to experiment with olives in different ways?
Definitely! I used to just put them in salads, pastas, on pizza etc. My eyes have been opened!

Q6 Do you intend to eat or continue to eat table olives? yes, but only in a good marinade


And thanks for a fantastic goody bag.

[clux73]

A few photos..,,

[KateLennard]

Q1 What was the most interesting thing you learnt about olives at the event? Please share this on the thread. Did it change your perception of olives?

The most interesting thing I learned was that the best olives to buy are ones in a tin, rather than the deli ones. Which is great as they are hopefully cheaper and now I know they are better.

I also learned that while there are different types of olives, that green, purple and black are just part of the ripening process, so the color depends on when they were picked, not on the type of olive.

Q2 What did you think of the recipes made on the day? Would you try them at home? If so, which ones and why/ when? What recipe did you like the most?

I thought all the recipes were good. My favorites were the custard made with goats cheese (which was amazing, even though it doesn't sound good), and the Romesco sauce.

I would try all of them at home, but the recipes for the romesco sauce, the custard and the candied Olives were not in the recipe book we were given, I wish we had known that at the time as I would have made notes. Is there any chance of getting those recipes?

I would use the romesco sauce for day to day cooking, while I would absolutely make the custard again for pudding and the Olives in marinade if we were having people over or for a snack.

Q3 What did you think about Omar Allibhoy’s knowledge of olives?
He was obviously very knowledgeable, and passionate about Olives and Olive oil. The information about how long they keep in a marinade was also brilliant - (for as long as the ingredients in the marinade last).

Q4 If a friend, relative or acquaintance asked your advice about eating olives, to what extent would you recommend eating them?

I would definitely recommend eating them, they also seem to be very low in calories (I can't remember the exact numbers) which is good to know.

Q5 Has the event encouraged you to experiment with olives in different ways?

Definitely. Just the fact that you can get better olives in tins encourages me to eat more, and then to have cooked with them, made the marinades and seen how easy and yummy it all makes them is brilliant. I would marinade olives now if I had friends coming over, or just as a snack.

Q6 Do you intend to eat or continue to eat table olives?

Absolutely.

Q7 Finally, would you like to make any comments about the event or suggest any ways it could be improved?

I really enjoyed the event and was very impressed by the goody bag, which had a lot more in it than I expected. Omar was really good and his food was lovely. It was really nice to meet some other mumsnetters too.

The only thing was I wish I had the recipe for the Romesco sauce. I have looked online and in the recipe catalog for Oive It, but couldn't find Omar's recipe. Pretty please mumsnet, do you think he would let us have it?

However there are other recipes there by him and others, so I will definitely be trying them.

It would be really good another time, if it was made clear that the recipes we were cooking were not in the recipe book for the event.

Thank you very much for the event. I had a brilliant time and it was great to have a day out.

My phone is being difficult at the moment, but I will try and upload some photos later.

[clux73]

Whoops I missed Q7....

I thought the event was very well run but I wish we'd had time to make a few more dishes. I agree that it would have been good to take away the recipes we used yesterday.

[Biscetti]

Kate I made notes on Omar's romesco recipe (and the others) as I was on the way home while it was fresh in my mind. Will post on here later for you.

[kettlepot]

I went yesterday and had a brilliant time. The link to my blog post about it is - girlintheapplewood.com/afternoon-olives-tapas-olive/

Q1 What was the most interesting thing you learnt about olives at the event? Please share this on the thread. Did it change your perception of olives?

The most interesting thing was that Spain produces so much olive oil. I had always assumed it was Italy (and came home and checked my olive oil bottles; packaged in Italy – so probably Spanish!). I also didn’t realise that olives contained so much Vitamin E, and I had always thought they were high in calories – probably because they have such a rich flavour. Will definitely be swapping crisps for olives going forwards.

Q2 What did you think of the recipes made on the day? Would you try them at home? If so, which ones and why/ when? What recipe did you like the most?

I thought the recipes were great, and I’ll definitely be making the olive and cherry dessert again. I’m also planning to experiment with some goat’s cheese and blueberry ice cream this weekend – inspired by the custard Omar made yesterday.

Q3 What did you think about Omar Allibhoy’s knowledge of olives?

Omar’s knowledge of olives was fantastic and you could tell he was really passionate about using them more in food. I've already ordered his Tapas Revolution cookbook.

Q4 If a friend, relative or acquaintance asked your advice about eating olives, to what extent would you recommend eating them?

Already have! I passed the second copy of the recipe book onto my MIL and told her and SIL about the low calories and nutritional benefits. I also recommended buying the tins as opposed to ‘fresh’.

Q5 Has the event encouraged you to experiment with olives in different ways?

Definitely. I’ll be making the dessert again, and I’m also planning to experiment with an olive frangipane tart.

Q6 Do you intend to eat or continue to eat table olives?

Always! I’ll be marinating them myself from now on though.

Q7 Finally, would you like to make any comments about the event or suggest any ways it could be improved?

I thoroughly enjoyed the event, and a big thank you to MN for hosting and Olive It for organising. The goody bag is great too; DH can’t wait for paella! I second the comments about the Romesco sauce too (couldn’t remember its name when blog writing!) – it was delicious.

[KateLennard]

Biscetti That would be brilliant - thank you.

[CopperPan]

Non attendee.

I like adding olives to a tomato pasta sauce, with anchovies for an extra kick. Also a salad with ready washed leaves, feta cheese and sundried tomatoes. Very Mediterranean!

[TragicallyUnbeyachted]

Thank you for such a fun event!

Q1 What was the most interesting thing you learnt about olives at the event? Please share this on the thread. Did it change your perception of olives?

I hadn't known beforehand that table olives have to be picked one at a time by hand, or that they are inedible straight off the tree.

Q2 What did you think of the recipes made on the day? Would you try them at home? If so, which ones and why/ when? What recipe did you like the most?

The recipes on the day were all great and very simple to make (although I acknowledge that the simplicity is probably enhanced by having all your equipment laid out for you and having someone take away your dirty utensils and any scraps as you go.

When we were told that we would be making candied olives and serving them with a custard made from goats cheese I was sceptical as it sounded a bit gimmicky, but I take that back completely -- it was a very successful concept. And I'm going to start doing that cheese-based custard All The Time.

Q3 What did you think about Omar Allibhoy’s knowledge of olives?

He was very passionate about olives (particularly Spanish olives!) and put that across extremely well, and he encouraged us to think about the different characteristics of olives at different stages (green/purple/black) and how we could build recipes that played to those strengths.

Q4 If a friend, relative or acquaintance asked your advice about eating olives, to what extent would you recommend eating them?

I'm trying to envisage this conversation happening...
"So, Tragically, I really need advice about eating olives. I'm just not sure whether it's for me..."
"Well, Friend, I've given it some consideration and I'd recommend eating them to a moderate extent."

In my umpty-er-um years on the planet no one's ever asked my advice on eating olives before so I'll be at least mildly surprised if they start now. I think though that if the subject of olives came up I'd be more inclined than previously to jump in with "Have you tried [clever idea of thing to do with olives]...?" so I suppose that counts as recommending eating them?

Q5 Has the event encouraged you to experiment with olives in different ways?

I'm certainly never going to buy an oil-marinated olive again after seeing how quick and easy it was to put together a Kilner jar of them for the fridge.

And after the success of the candied olives I intend to take my courage in my hands and try the "very on trend" chocolate and olive truffles.

Q6 Do you intend to eat or continue to eat table olives?

Yes.

Q7 Finally, would you like to make any comments about the event or suggest any ways it could be improved?

I thought it was very well organised and at a great location (I picked up some flyers for L'atelier des Chefs on my way out). KathrynMumsnet was lovely and the women from Storm who were doing the Olive It promotion very professional and helpful. And of course the lunch had been expertly prepared...

My only suggestion for improvement would be to have a sheet/booklet of the recipes we'd made to take away with us, because they weren't in the book and it would be helpful to have them together in one place.

[TragicallyUnbeyachted]

Oooh, there's a Tapas Revolution cookbook?

[kettlepot]

Tragically yep! It has fab reviews on Amazon - I can't wait for it to arrive :) (and convert my parents into eating and liking tapas...)

[TragicallyUnbeyachted]

And (which can be a better measure) it's not substantially cheaper second-hand than new even though it's been out for a couple of years, so people who own it clearly don't want to part with it...

[KathrynMumsnet]

Some general pictures of the event :)

[KathrynMumsnet]

Omar Allibhoy's successful teaching and the Mumsnetters skills led to these wonderful end results!

[gazzalw]

Q1 What was the most interesting thing you learnt about olives at the event?

I didn't know Spain was such a massive producer of Olives. I assumed Greece produced the most and possibly Italy. I had also assumed that an Olive was a vegetable not a fruit but that made more sense.

Q2 What did you think of the recipes made on the day? Would you try them at home? If so, which ones and why/ when? What recipe did you like the most?

I would definitely try the dishes at home but Olives in custard? Probably not but I would do it with the cherries.

Q3 What did you think about Omar Allibhoy’s knowledge of olives?

Very knowledgeable, personable and an all round good guy.

Q4 If a friend, relative or acquaintance asked your advice about eating olives, to what extent would you recommend eating them?

I'd buy some and share some, black and green and stuffed for variety

Q5 Has the event encouraged you to experiment with olives in different ways?

Most definitely, I will be using the cook book avidly for a while.

Q6 Do you intend to eat or continue to eat table olives?

Indeed and the tins I took home didn't last long either.

Q7 Finally, would you like to make any comments about the event or suggest any ways it could be improved?

The timing was good and allowed me to gather my DD from school too.

[clux73]

Yes, the timing was brilliant. Fitted in perfectly with school runs

[Heckler]

Q1 What was the most interesting thing you learnt about olives at the event? Please share this on the thread. Did it change your perception of olives?

The fact that I can buy the cheap tinned olives and make my own marinades. And who knew that olives are so good for you? Low calories, high in vitamin E and Iron

Q2 What did you think of the recipes made on the day? Would you try them at home? If so, which ones and why/ when? What recipe did you like the most?

The recipes were great. I will definitely be marinading my own olives, and the pudding was a revelation! My absolute favourite was the Romesco Sauce

Q3 What did you think about Omar Allibhoy’s knowledge of olives?

Omar was very knowledgeable, very enthusiastic, and a lot of fun!

Q4 If a friend, relative or acquaintance asked your advice about eating olives, to what extent would you recommend eating them?

I would definitely recommend olives, and pass on the information about marinading them yourself, but I can't imagine a circumstance where someone would ask me about eating olives

Q5 Has the event encouraged you to experiment with olives in different ways?

Yes! I will be making the cherry and olive desert

Q6 Do you intend to eat or continue to eat table olives?

Absolutely - especially now that the tinned ones have been recommended

Q7 Finally, would you like to make any comments about the event or suggest any ways it could be improved?

The event was great, seemed very well organised, and everybody was really friendly. And you know, free wine, what's not to like

[Biscetti]

Ok, the romesco recipe as we made it yesterday. I've doubled up to ingredients..

1 red pepper, halved
4 tomatoes, halved
2 heads of garlic, halved horizontally
Generous glug of olive oil
Generous pinch of Malden salt

Approx 20 hazelnuts
2 slices of good bread

More olive oil, and sherry vinegar

Oven on at 200/gas 6


In shallowish roasting tray put the first 5 ingredients in, making sure everything is coated with the oil. Into oven for about 20 mins. After 20 mins, add in the hazelnuts and bread, with another glug of olive oil if needed. Another 10 mins in oven then remove.

Remove seeds and peel skin from the pepper halves, and squeeze out the garlic cloves discarding the skin/seeds. Then whizz up with about 6-7 tbls olive oil and 3 tbls ish of the sherry vinegar.

I did exactly this today and it tasted just like the one our group made yesterday. I may or may not be eating it with a spoon right now..

[FeelingSmurfy]

I didn't attend

My favourite way of eating olives is on a pizza as this is the way I had them the first time I actually liked them! I had tried them in the past on their own and hadn't liked them

[SayThisOnlyOnce]

I didn't attend.

I like eating olives in chilli oil with cubes of manchego.

None of my friends have ever asked me for advice on eating olives. If they did I would say 'get a cocktail stick so you don't get sticky fingers'.

[janx]

Q1 What was the most interesting thing you learnt about olives at the event? Please share this on the thread. Did it change your perception of olives?
I didn't know that Olives were handpicked and tree ones were inedible

Q2 What did you think of the recipes made on the day? Would you try them at home? If so, which ones and why/ when? What recipe did you like the most?
Definitely try them at home. I loved the olive and cherry dessert. Can we have the recipe please

Q3 What did you think about Omar Allibhoy’s knowledge of olives?
He knows his stuff and was very charming. He is clearly passionate about cooking

Q4 If a friend, relative or acquaintance asked your advice about eating olives, to what extent would you recommend eating them?
My love of olives knows no bounds

Q5 Has the event encouraged you to experiment with olives in different ways?
Yes will definitely make the olive and cherry dessert

Q6 Do you intend to eat or continue to eat table olives?
Yes -a life without olives is a boring life!

Q7 Finally, would you like to make any comments about the event or suggest any ways it could be improved?
I thought it was a lovely event, well organized, lovely people. I have never been on a cookery class and I was really inspired. The staff were lovely and their was lots of wine! And finally the goody bag was fantastic

[AbbeyRoadCrossing]

Non attendee:
I really like kalamata olives and any olives really!
I like to make pasta with olives, tomatoes, capers, anchovies, chilli
And for tapas, olives and feta is a classic

[ImperialBlether]

Non attendee but wish I'd gone - it sounds like a great day.

My favourite use of olives is in Pasta Puttanesca - same as Abbey Road, above.