This time, their signature Greek olive oil has cold pressed below 22 degrees, with apples, walnuts, cinnamon, honey, lemon and sage. All the juiciest flavours of the mediterranean collected into one glossy olive oil. This oil has not been infused, but crushed with all those fresh ingredients.

I blogged about Oliveology’s products last year, and you can see from her premium packaging that this is something super special…. the  Golden Power Ranger of olive oils! Oliveology was also featured in my Full House supper club, so we have a long-standing partnership!

Marianna’s design background means her attention to detail on her packaging is predictably and enviably stunning.  This is the packaging from her normal range..

As soon as I tasted this oil, I knew that it was personally, STRICTLY for dressings and never for cooking, since the dewy, buttery flavour was so delicate, I would hate to cook away any of the flavours or accompanying nutrients. You can really taste the walnuts and honey in particular in this oil, the consistency is thick but runny like an agave syrup but the taste is moorish rather than sweet.

Here are 3 ways that I would recommend using a cold-pressed oil like this one…

1. Drizzled over poached or fried eggs, with a grilled portobello mushroom and some finely chopped parsely and chilli.

In this instance, no seasoning is required. Don’t use any salt or pepper, so as to not taint the delicate flavours. TIP: Make some toast, chop into ‘soldiers’ and wipe the plate clean of runny egg and oiive oil dribble. Don’t let any of it go to waste!

2. Prawn, Hazelnut and Avocado salad

Instead of making a dressing with your normal olive oil, lemon, pepper and vinegar etc, this oil has so many dimensions of flavour; lemon, sage and walnuts, that you really don’t need much else.  I like to add a sprinkle of freshly grated hazelnut on this salad, to really bring out the nuttiness and the sage flavours in the oil.

TIP: when drizzling, make sure you get plenty on the avocado; the combination of the two creamy textures is incredible. This oil goes particularly well with seafood dishes like this one, I am already planning to drizzle this on some grilled seabass later this week..

3. And finally, a way to add a finishing touch to your soups. We have all heard of adding a dollop of cream or yoghurt at the end of your soups, but try drizzling a ribbon of cold-pressed olive oil onto mediterranean flavoured soups, for a delicate floral scent that lingers.

Above is a simple tomato and roasted red pepper soup, with parsley and a drizzle of Oliveology’s cold pressed oil.

To get your hands on your own Oliveology Limited Edition, find them at Borough Market, (London). You can also see their range of other products on their website, price £40.00 per 350ml tin. Not cheap, but totally worth it. Each tin is individually numbered and signed.

So today, I fancied something spicy but light for lunch. I was already in a ‘Thai mood’ having had dinner at the Mango Tree in Belgravia last night.. but did not want a full-on Thai curry that would leave me sleepy for the rest of the afternoon.

I wanted to bake some really juicy chicken in this versatile fresh curry paste from Brett. I have had grilled thai chicken before in a restaurant but have never been impressed. It is often dry and lacking in depth of flavour. So my recipe, in combination with Old School Thai paste aims to combat this.

2 things are important…first the cut of chicken – choose thigh fillets, never breast. I have still not yet found a reason in my life for chicken breast.

Secondly, you must marinade the chicken in yoghurt. This not only tenderises the meat, it also acts as a moisturising coating for the meat protecting it from drying out whilst cooking.

With these two tips, you shall never eat dry chicken again!

Ingredients for Yoghurt and Thai green chilli baked chicken

Serves 2

• 4 chicken thigh fillets
• 4 tablespoons of greek yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons of Brett’s Old School Thai Green Curry Paste, or equivalent
• Bunch of Coriander
• 2 red chillies (Prefer Thai finger chillies)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Dash of soy sauce

Served with

• Spinach
• Dash of olive oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Minced Ginger

First, rub the yoghurt, salt and pepper, dash of soy sauce into the chicken fillets.

Next, add chopped coriander and the green chilli paste to the chicken. Stir through. Cover and refridgerate for at least an hour to let the flavours work  its magic.

When you are ready to cook, lay out the fillets on a foil-covered baking tray and top with chopped red chilli. I added these last because I did not want the chicken to get too spicy with the paste being part of the marinade. The colour is also great for presentation.

Place the tray of chicken in a hot 200 degrees celsius fan oven for 15-20 minutes. To check it is cooked, simply slice into the chicken and check if it is still pink. If so, add an extra 5 minutes to the cooking time. The chicken will have stayed soft and tender because of the yoghurt.

In the meantime, wilt some spinach in a pan with some olive oil and minced ginger and a dash of soy sauce for 2 minutes.

et voila, a light thai style lunch. You get the creaminess and satisfying sauce of having a curry, but without the heaviness of a full coconut cream-based Thai curry. I have served this dish with baked sweet potatoes before if I am feeling hungry at lunch, or with some simple steamed rice too for dinner.

The Old School Thai paste I used was really fresh-tasting; allowing you to make an authentic dish conveniently without getting the food processor out!  It’s a quick-to-use ingredient that does not compromise on taste. This dish is spicy then salty and sour with an end note of citrus. If you like, you could also add a squeeze of lime to finish the dish.  Thank you Old School Thai for the ingredients!

To buy, check out the stockists page on the Old School Thai website 

Hailing from the Steel City, like Jessica Ennis, Henderson’s Relish did a great job responding to the recent pride the Great North have been enjoying in relation to the Games.

The label reads “Congratulations Jessica. Strong and Northern”

Like the golden post boxes that the City has been graced with, Henderson’s quickly changed their iconic orange labels to match the occasion. This is testament to food companies being privately-owned – you don’t have to get sign-off from everybody in the ‘Communications Dept’ before doing something like this! Love the spontaneity and relevance!

Of course, I bought a bottle.

Ella’s Kitchen vending machines for kids are being launched this week at Lollibop, the largest children’s festival in the UK, in Regent’s Park, London.

Ella’s Kitchen founder Paul Lindley (the business is named after his daughter) is really upping the anti in dominating the gourmet baby food space, by pioneering this genius idea.  By designing a vending machine for kids, Ella’s kitchen is making itself more accessible to its target consumer, while also carving their own way of distributing; skipping the shops and selling straight to the customer in an adorable yet relevant and clever way.

According to their research, 82% of parents struggle to find healthy, tasty food for their kids whilst on the go, and over a quarter are feeding their kids twice a day outside of the home, so these vending machines pinned to launch in public spaces are likely to become a godsend for parents.

Measuring only 115cm tall with recognisable branding from the Ella’s Kitchen team, look out for them in your nearest park or beach!

Ella’s Kitchen was one of the key pioneers of high quality, natural, easy-to-dispense baby foods. Other brands have been created to follow such as Baby Zilli and Baby Gourmet, but Ella’s kitchen, with its speed of innovation, is clearly leading the way.