Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2025 i Olive Magazine

Welcome to your new and improved olive, packed with inspiring food and travel ideas, brand new voices and fresh flavours, all designed to make your time in the kitchen (and beyond) a lot more joyful. There’s tons of brilliant recipes this issue, from an effortless entertaining menu by John Gregory-Smith to cosy winter feasts for frosty evenings. Edd Kimber shares a trendy take on a sticky toffee pudding, and our new columnist Verna Gao has the lowdown on the best, juiciest dumplings. Our travel section has grown to more than 40 pages, with a new Slow Travel long read featuring Cape Cod, a weekend escape to a foodie hotspot (this issue we’re in Athens) and an in-depth city spotlight on Bristol. Our wellbeing section features thoughtful opinion pieces and more…

Manti are Turkish dumplings stuffed with spiced meat. They are a labour of love whose tasty rewards more than warrant the effort – championed by top chefs like Selin Kiazim of Leydi and Hasan ‘Big Has’ Semay. For Özlem Warren, author of Sebze, they are particularly special. “Manti always brings back fond memories,” she tells me. “My grandparents, my parents, whoever was around, would gather round the table to join the manti-making ritual at home. Some would prepare the filling, some would stretch the dough, of course with a constant flow of tea, coffee and daily banter.” The dough is hand-kneaded, rested, then rolled thin before being stuffed and shaped. The most traditional filling in Turkey is a combination of grated onions, minced lamb or beef (or both) and seasonings,…

Monkey bread is most commonly made in a bundt tin but that doesn’t mean we can’t play around and make it in all manner of different bakeware. Personally I love making desserts in a cast-iron frying pan so that they’re served straight from the oven. But let’s back up, what is monkey bread? At its simplest it’s small balls of bread dough baked together as a pull-apart loaf, coated in a sticky caramel glaze. In this version this glorious dish is combined with sticky toffee pudding to make something spectacular. To ensure this is as sticky and saucy as the dessert, I make this dish a little differently than the classic method. The caramel-esque brown sugar sauce is not just added to the cast-iron pan and baked with the bread…

Moatwood English Premium Gin £195/3 litres, moatwood.com Made on a regenerative farm in Suffolk, this gin features foraged starflower as one of its botanicals. Light and fresh with fragrant orange notes, it’s a great all-rounder for cocktails. As well as the standard 700ml bottle (£35) it also comes in a hefty three-litre double magnum, perfect for parties. Tequila, Mezcal & More by Anna Bruce £20, Mitchell Beazley Anna’s deep dive into agave spirits covers tequila and mezcal as well as less well known varieties such as raicilla, bacanora and sotol, plus cocktail recipes and beautiful photography of Mexico. Lost Explorer x Lockdown Liquor & Co agave gift set £45/3 x 200ml bottles, lockdown-liquor.com This set of bottled cocktails includes a chilli-spiked mezcal picante, a smoky mezcal negroni and a tangy,…

Spiced veggie one-pot with crispy halloumi and sprout crumb SERVES 4 | PREP 10 MINS | COOK 25 MINS | EASY 2 tbsp olive oil225g halloumi, coarsely grated150g brussels sprouts, thinly sliced1 tsp ras el hanout100g swiss chard, stems roughly chopped, leaves shredded250g parsnips, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks700g jar of gordo or queen chickpeas250ml vegetable stock1 heaped tbsp rose harissa paste½ lemon, juiced crusty bread, to serve Heat 1½ tbsp of the oil in a shallow casserole, then fry the halloumi and sprouts with the ras el hanout, stirring regularly, for 8-10 mins until the cheese is crisp and the sprouts are wilted and starting to char. Remove from the pan. Add the remaining ½ tbsp of oil, the chard stems and parsnips. Cook for 2 mins until starting…

Invisible apple cake This French cake is so called because the thinly sliced apples meld together in the batter to make the body of the cake and almost disappear. SERVES 8-10 | PREP 20 MINS | COOK 55 MINS | EASY 150g plain flour125g golden caster sugar1 tsp ground cinnamon1 tsp baking powder150ml whole milk3 eggs1 tsp vanilla extract2 tbsp butter, melted, plus extra for the tin1.2kg eating apples, peeled and cored demerara sugar, to sprinklesalted caramel sauce, to serve (optional) Mix the flour, caster sugar, cinnamon and baking powder in a bowl with a pinch of salt. In a jug whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla and butter. Make a well in the middle of the flour then gradually whisk in the wet ingredients until there are no lumps…

Sumac-cured trout with potato rosti This makes a great breakfast or brunch dish. It was created as we were testing a potato salad with sumac roasted trout at the restaurant. We started talking about how nicely sumac goes with trout but thought it needed a crispy element. I have used a lot of Syrian spices and aromas to give this dish our tweak and flavours. SERVES 4 | PREP 15 MINS PLUS 24 HRS CURING COOK 10 MINS | MORE EFFORT 800g skinless sea trout fillet, skinned and pin-bonedrapeseed oil, for fryingpea shoots and poached eggs, to serve CURING MIXTURE 300g fine sea salt300g caster sugar3 tbsp sumac, plus extra to serve (optional)10g coriander seeds1 lemon, zested1 lime, zested1 medium orange, zested POTATO ROSTI 800g Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and…

Menu Blood orange, burrata and fennel salad Wine-braised short ribs with creamy polenta Dark chocolate and cherry brownies Blood orange, burrata and fennel salad This seriously swanky starter is made with some of my favourite winter produce: tart blood oranges and crisp fennel, doused in a lovely tangy dressing. The burrata (as always) steals the show and, to help you get that effortless ooze, just get it out of the fridge an hour before serving. SERVES 6 | PREP 20 MINS | EASY 4 blood oranges, segmented2 tbsp red wine vinegar2 tbsp olive oil1 garlic clove, crushed1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed1 large or 2 medium fennel bulbs, shaved with a mandolinehandful of mint leaves, roughly chopped2 x 150g burratas, room temperaturecrusty bread, to serve Segment the oranges over a bowl…

Cream sherry is a style of sweet sherry that’s usually made by blending a dry wine, like oloroso, with sweet wines like pedro ximénez. It was once hugely popular (especially Harveys Bristol Cream, which in its early 1970s heyday sold a million cases a year in the UK) but this has waned thanks to the mass production of sickly-sweet, low-quality sherries and, more recently, the changing tastes of drinkers as they seek out dry styles like fino and manzanilla. This is rather a shame because a good cream sherry from a quality producer is a lovely thing: sweet but not cloying and full of the beautiful festive flavours of dried fruit, caramel and nuts that make it a perfect match to desserts and cheeseboards (try it with blue cheese). While…

» READ ON Cape Cod, a huge sandspit sticking out into the Atlantic from the New England coastline, bears an uncanny resemblance to a sailor’s flexed arm. Which is fitting because the cape has a rich maritime history – as well as world-class beaches, freshwater swimming ponds, historic old towns and some of the best seafood in the country. A three-hour drive from Boston, the cape is a slice of Americana like no other. The best way to experience it is to take it slow, on two wheels. The Cape Cod Rail Trail runs along a disused railway system built just after the American Civil War. The railways carried freight and passengers between major east coast cities until the great American romance with the automobile blossomed in the 1960s. The railway…

To truly understand Irish food you need to cook with what’s around you in the hedgerows, gardens, fields and ocean. Irish cooking is rooted in simplicity, shaped by the land and sea, and passed down through generations. It’s not about fancy techniques or elaborate dishes, it’s about honest, comforting, down-to-earth food made with care and shared with others. I was brought up on a farm, nestled in County Tyrone in rural N Ireland. My Mummy, Aunties and Grannies cooked with what they had to hand: potatoes pulled from the garden, wild berries gathered from the hedgerows, soda bread fresh from the oven and homemade butter. The press was stocked with homemade jellies and jams made from crab apples and rosehips, damsons, blackberries and strawberries. The flavours are clean and comforting,…

I started my career as a news journalist, working in frantic newsrooms and reporting on key events. But my heart was always in health – I enjoy writing about things that benefit people, rather than simply letting them know what’s happening. So 25 years ago I switched to health and fitness, looking at food, exercise, mental health, relationships – you name it, I wrote about it. I tested bizarre exercise classes, including a pirate-based pilates class called Pirraahhhtees, interviewed world-leading experts and investigated supplements, while a never-ending stream of gadgets passed across my desk. Throughout the past couple of decades I’ve seen the same trends repeat themselves and seen even more fads fall by the wayside. But there are some incredibly helpful bits of info I’ve picked up that I…

40 Breakfasts, starters and snacks 50 Blood orange, burrata and fennel salad GF 131 Kimchi and beans shakshuka V GF 29 Lamb and hot pepper manti 40 Polenta bites with caramelised onionand gruyère 102 Potted trout with chilli, tarragon and pink peppercorns GF 32 Sumac-cured trout with potato rosti GF 32 Mains and sides 38 Braised Italian sausages with peppers, fennel and creamy parmesan polenta 138 Butter bean tagine feast with olive and lemon salsa V 56 Caramelised shallot pasta 136 Chickpea, sweet potato and peanut butter curry V 58 Creamy cauliflower pasta with pecorino breadcrumbs V 145 Crispy pan-fried dumplings (Shanghai sheng jian bao) 10 Crispy plaice with Thai-style carrot salad 32 Curry roasted cauliflower with chilli, rocket and black onion seeds VE 20 Ham hock, spinach and cheeseboard…

Layers of rich, cheesy ricotta sauce and chunky cooked ham make this a comforting dish everyone will love. Serve straight to the table for more drama with a fresh green salad on the side. Ham hock, spinach and cheeseboard lasagne Make use of any left-over festive cheese and ham in this rich, creamy lasagne. Grate cheddar, gruyère or other hard cheeses, or just crumble in softer cheeses. SERVES 6-8 | PREP 30 MINS | COOK 45 MINS | EASY 75g butter75g plain flour800ml whole milk150g cheese (we used a mixture of cheddar and gruyère), grated or crumbled1 tsp dijon mustard60g parmesan, finely grated250g ricotta350g cooked ham hock or left-over gammon, pulled into chunksbunch of spring onion whites, finely chopped (keep the green parts for stir-fries)500g baby spinach3 tbsp fresh pesto350g fresh lasagne sheets…

Braised Italian sausages with peppers, fennel and creamy parmesan polenta It’s worth seeking out big, high-quality sausages as they are the star of the show here. You could switch out the basil for parsley or tarragon, if you prefer. SERVES 4 | PREP 20 MINS | COOK 1 HR 15 MINS | EASY 3 tbsp olive oil5-6 large good-quality Italian sausages (we used Salsicciamo Siciliana Sausage & Wild Fennel)1 red onion, finely sliced3 peppers (ideally a mixture of red and yellow)1 large fennel bulb, finely sliced (save any fronds for garnishing)3 garlic cloves, sliced3 oregano sprigs, leaves picked2 thyme sprigs125ml white wine250ml good-quality chicken stock1 litre whole milk150g quick-cook polenta50g parmesan, finely grated30g unsalted butter½ tbsp sherry vinegar10g basil, torn, plus more small leaves to serve Put 1 tbsp of oil…

Caramelised shallot pasta To say this recipe changed my life might be a bit dramatic but it also might be true. I’m grateful so many people love a little skillet of caramelised shallots, a tin of anchovies and a whole lot of tomato purée as much as I do. The shallot paste can be made up to a month ahead, then sealed and stored in the fridge. SERVES 4 | PREP 10 MINS | COOK 30 MINS | EASY 4 tbsp olive oil350g large shallots, thinly sliced5 garlic cloves, 4 thinly sliced, 1 finely chopped1 tsp dried chilli flakes, plus more to serve60g tin of anchovy fillets, drained125g tomato purée350-450g dried pasta (preferably a long, thin noodle like bucatini or spaghetti)handful of parsley, tender leaves and stems finely chopped Heat the…

NEIGHBOURHOOD SPOTLIGHT: WAPPING WHARF Situated on Bristol’s historic floating harbour, Wapping Wharf is one of the city’s coolest and best loved neighbourhoods. And for good reason. It boasts a collection of shipping containers housing some of the best independent restaurants, bakeries and bars in Bristol. Here you’ll find more casual dining, lunches to grab after a visit to Bristol's famous M Shed museum as well as harbourside evening dining. There’s well known Bristol institution Root, for vegetable, seasonal-led eating, and Gambas for authentic waterside tapas (not to be missed, the garlic butter sizzling pil pil prawns). For a quick bite grab a New York style bagel from Bagelry Box, served from an old horse box – this small menu doesn't skimp on quality with freshly baked hand-rolled bagels filled with…

LINOU SOUMPASIS & SIA, PSYRI One of the first neo-tavernas to open in Athens, Linou is one not to miss. It’s not cheap but the quality of the produce, especially the Naxian meat, and wines are fantastic, with the menu running the gamut from raw to cooked over charcoal. linousoumpasis.gr TAVERNA TON FILON, KOLONOS Drawing a loyal crowd, Taverna Ton Filon is a co-venture from chef Yiannis Mousios and sommelier Giorgos Kontorizos. Decorated in homage to its charming 1950s taverna origins with a changing menu of dishes like raw tuna belly, steamed amberjack and an addictive chocolate mousse. @tavernatonfilon OIKONOMOU, ANO PETRALONA In leafy Ano Petralona, Oikonomou has been serving up comforting family recipes since 1930. With a chequered tile floor and primrose yellow walls it is a simple, homely…