Olive jam

During a visit to Naturvie in Extremadura, I tasted their olive jam for the first time. I thought it was so delicious and so unusual that, standing there in Extremadura, there seemed to be only one logical decision: buy half a pallet. Hundreds of jars.

At the time, that seemed like an excellent idea.

Until I was sitting on the train back towards Madrid. Suddenly I started feeling rather Spanishly anxious – and literally hot under the collar. I began to sweat. What on earth had I done? I had bought half a pallet of olive jam for a country where almost nobody had even heard of it. How on earth was I going to sell all those jars?

Once home, I introduced the jam to several top restaurants. They understood it almost immediately. A small spoonful of olive jam next to a good cheese board provides exactly the sweet counterpoint that works so beautifully with cheese.

But this was not yet another apple spread, fig compote or pear chutney. It was something new. Mediterranean, surprising and genuinely interesting from a culinary point of view. The jars I had been worrying about on the train subsequently flew out the door.

Do not expect tapenade or a savoury olive paste. This really is a jam. The cane sugar provides sweetness and the orange juice brings freshness, but underneath it all the characteristic flavour of the Manzanilla olive remains.

That combination is precisely what makes it interesting: sweet enough to stand alongside a strong cheese, yet with enough savoury Mediterranean character to prevent it tasting like an ordinary fruit preserve.

Do not spread a large amount of the jam all over the cheese. A small spoonful alongside it is much more interesting. Take a piece of cheese, add just a little jam and notice how salty, creamy, tangy and sweet flavours complement one another.

Naturvie's olive jam was awarded a Gold Star at the Great Taste Awards. A lovely recognition for a product that impresses above all through its simplicity and unexpected combination of flavours.

Naturvie does not use olives solely for Extra Virgin olive oil. In its delicacies, the fruit itself also takes centre stage. Traditional recipes are made in an artisanal way, and this olive jam in particular shows just how surprisingly versatile an olive can be.

The panic on that train to Madrid turned out to be completely unnecessary. We now know that you do not really need to explain why olive jam exists. You simply have to let people taste it. Preferably with a good piece of cheese. After that, the story practically sells itself.