It’s spring, and in spring, we are always incredibly busy. The farm is springing in to life, and we still have around fifty trees to prune before the olive blossom appears, which could be any day now. We have mowing to do, vines to tie up, bee hives to build, paint and site, and bees to source. But today is Friday. So, as per most Fridays, I am sitting on a yellow plastic chair, waiting to see our agricultural consultant, in order to attempt to get a number. I must have this number in order to get the bees that I must get within the month of April. So every week I make an appointment at the f ..read more

If you’ve spent any time at all in La Bella Italia, you will, I’m sure, be familiar with a number of Food Rules that can sometimes bewildering to us Anglophones. Such as: Pineapple Does Not Belong On A Pizza. Thankfully, my favourite pizza has always been ham and mushroom, which is socially acceptable here. Fruit on a pizza, however, is NOT acceptable. Except for pear, which can be found on a pizza along with gorgonzola. Also fig, which can be found paired with prosciutto crudo. But not pineapple, not ever. Spaghetti and Bolognese do NOT belong together. Each region, each province, each town ..read more

Having successfully imported our little bottles of olive oil into the UK, the time had come to sell it. Last time we lived in the UK, I used to travel around the North of England selling my home made pesto, tapenade, various antipasti and, of course, extra virgin olive oil at Farmers’ Markets, country house sales, food fairs, and above all else, Christmas Sales Events. So it seemed an obvious move to re-enter this market, resurrecting my much loved brand name, Well Oiled! This had several advantages: firstly, it meant that applying to the local council to reopen as food premises was incredibly ..read more

If you are reading this, you probably have some Extra Virgin Olive Oil in your home: well, at least you think you do. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve become something of an expert in labelling requirements for olive oil, which, as you can see by clicking this link, has caused me more than a few sleepless nights.https://olivehillsabina.com/2021/10/05/farming-and-bureaucracy-in-the-organic-style/ Here in Italy, we sell our new season’s oil fresh from the farm gate, with people buying upwards of 20 litres of the stuff in order to sustain them for the year ahead. Olio Nuovo In autumn, we pour fr ..read more

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be all the things that little girls want to be: a ballet dancer, a three day eventer, an astronaut, a fighter pilot, etc etc. I did actually take ballet lessons, then achieve one of those ambitions, and I also spent many years organising and running horse events. At school, my careers advisor came up with ideas such as civil servant, travel agent, and fire fighter. I even did two of those jobs, but the closest that I ever got to fighting a fire was for my Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award. However, Strangely, nobody ever suggested that I become an olive far ..read more

We are on holiday in Puglia: taking a few days to recharge our batteries before we start to harvest our grapes, and then move on to the all important olive harvest. We were last here twenty five years ago, because … Once upon a time, way, way back when we were very young, Scott came home from work one day, and announced that his next tour of duty would take place in Italy, as an exchange officer with the Italian Air Force, at a base called Gioia del Colle. Before I had a chance to start iffing and butting, Scott told me that moving to a random air base in Italy would be fantastic. Of course, S ..read more

Once upon a time, in Life Before Covid, I used to travel to work in the centre of Rome every Monday, on a little train that pootled back and forwards every hour from our beloved Sabina, through Rome, and out to the international airport at Fiumicino. Sometimes on a Monday, I was accompanied by dear friends, who had spent the weekend with us, and who were heading back to Belgium, or to Germany, or to the UK, after a fun filled weekend. We nursed our headaches (ok, hangovers), and made plans for our next jolly gathering. On other Mondays I filled my train time with lesson planning and homework m ..read more

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