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?
that table olives are much nicer than regular olives, and olives in a tin is a good thing - I imagined these would be the worst kind of olives to eat but they were lovely - much nicer than deli counter ones.
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 - the pudding was something I have never made or tasted before, it was very easy to do and delicious - definitely one to try again. I loved the Romanesco (?) dip as well - again very easy and delicious. I liked the contrast between the more traditional/common oregano/garlic gip, and the more unusual cinnamon and ginger one, which tastest very different - they are not flavours I would put together with olives but they worked very well
Q3 What did you think about Omar Allibhoy’s knowledge of olives?
Omar was great - he was clearly very knowledgeable and very passionate about olives, he was also very charming and a lovely host. I would have loved a longer session to learn more from him, he seemed to be brimming with ideas on tweaking and improving recipes.
Q4 If a friend, relative or acquaintance asked your advice about eating olives, to what extent would you recommend eating them?
I would absolutely recommend tinned olives, something I didn't even know existed before the event. I would also recommend home made marinades over shop-bought, and would emphasise how quick and easy they are to prepare
Q5 Has the event encouraged you to experiment with olives in different ways?
Yes definitely. I will be trying more olive desserts for sure, the one on the day could be tinkered with in many ways. I really liked the salad with romanesco dip, again, this could have lots of minor changes made as the mood takes! That's before even trying the recipes in the book 
Q6 Do you intend to eat or continue to eat table olives?
I will definitely start eating table olives - i loved the flavours straight out of the tin - actually tasting the plain olives and could easily eat these without the oily-style marinades you find in shop=bought olives. I was very pleased to hear that they are both low-calorie and very low-cholesterol - I could quite easily switch from crisps to olives when in need of a crunchy salty snack!
Q7 Finally, would you like to make any comments about the event or suggest any ways it could be improved?
The event was lovely - the team were very friendly and very helpful. I would have liked more complex recipes - there was not enough for 5 people on a table to be getting on with, and so there was quite a lot of time spent watching someone else stir/chop. As a mum I am quite used to cooking quickly, and was itching to be prepping something/cooking a complete dish by myself, rather than having a group of us prep a salad together. It would also have been really nice to have had a copy of the recipe on our table to follow.
However the event was a lot of fun, and was a very generous event. I was not expecting such a lovely goodie bag at the end. It was good fun to spend the morning drinking wine and chatting and cooking together, and the lunch afterwards was great. I also really appreciated the timing of the course - it meant that I could still fit in the school run every easily, which was very thoughtful of the organisers.