I know olives are a bit of a marmite thing (love/hate them) and I have never managed to like them. But recently I have tried some of the mixes you see in supermarket deli counters and actually find them OK.

How is one supposed to serve and eat these things in company? Any suggestions for making my own mixes?

nothing constructive to add sorry!,
…. mingin!! :/

stick them in a small dish or ramekin, a platter of hams, cheeses, some nice bread, some olive oil to dip the bread, and/or some humus …yum! oh and some people will dive in with fingers so provide napkins, some will prefer a cocktail stick, some a fork. If the olives are still with stones, provide something for them to be placed on too

Thread them onto a necklace/anklet and eat them whilst they are being worn by the person immediately to your left. That’s how they do it in Todmorden.

Or just put them in a bowl. You can wash them first, if they’re a bit oily. Doesn’t matter really.
Have a spare bowl for the pits.
You can hand out cocktail sticks or just use forks. Forks are fine.

Our daughter bought us an olive serving set a couple of years ago, like this:

We don’t talk to her anymore.
It’s the kind of pretentious tossery that should only be used as set dressing in productions of Abigail’s Party.

It’s the kind of pretentious tossery that should only be used as set dressing in productions of Abigail’s Party.

We’ve got a few quite like below bought somewhere warm made with the skill typically displayed by someone just getting to grips with using their feet for everything after loosing their arms. Do the job but maybe a little rustic try hard.

This is the proper way

Edit – and this is a pretty good motto

Fab picture Joe.
Yours?

My daughter eats them off her fingers.

not very keen on cocktail olives, but Kala…….the Greek ones, I could scoff until I’m sick.

On a pizza with lots of chirozo & mozzarella.

You can wash them first, if they’re a bit oily. Doesn’t matter really

Heretic!

In a small bowl, with a small plate/saucer for the stones. I like the big green ones that have been stored under oil with garlic and onion and herbs, great with a cold beer.

Olives on fingers? Give the girl some hulahoops, she’s still a child!

My 2.5 year old eats them with a cocktail stick, she is pure classy.

She loves the tesco deli counter black / green mix. She is also the only kid I know that got more excited about the stall selling olives on holiday than the one selling ice cream.

With most foods that are vile and inedible, you just come to a conclusion that they are vile and inedible and spend the rest of your life just accepting their vile inedibleness.

But with Olives, despite finding them vile and inedible I periodically think to myself; “Maybe its just me. I’ll give them another try and see if they’re still vile and inedible”. They always are.

funny how its such a marmite food..

i love them. I marinate them in oil, balsamic vinegar, salt pepper and rosemary..

Fill a bath with them.. Get a good book to occupy you while you eat your way out

But with Olives, despite finding them vile and inedible I periodically think to myself; “Maybe its just me. I’ll give them another try and see if they’re still vile and inedible”. They always are.

Big difference in taste between hard black and soft green olives, though… perhaps you just haven’t tried the right type?

food of the gods, up there with gooseberry crumble.

the small black ones can be a little bitter, but they add a lovely flavour to a tomato sauce.

Olives, yum!! I couldn’t stand then until I was 22. Now have two girls, one loves them the other one can’t stand them. They are both part Cypriot so by rights both should want to inhale olives.

I think people that start off not liking them get gradual exposure through use of the oil in cooking; they come round to loving them in the end.

PS smoked olives are amazing.

Hate olives, love olive oil 😕

I made a conscious decision to expand my tastes…… Olives were one of the things I persevered with, I actually really like them now.

One of my best mates calls them “Salt water sweets” he`s not a fan

Had some at lunch in Sienna, big green things and they were just sublime

lovely snacks

I used to hate olives. Really despised them.

Then one day one entered my mouth, I forget how, I think it was secreted between some cheese and ham, and after that day I quite like them. Only in small amounts mind, I’m not the kind of pervert who can eat loads in one go but mix them up with some oil, garlic and cheese and I’ll snaffle a few.

With most foods that are vile and inedible, you just come to a conclusion that they are vile and inedible and spend the rest of your life just accepting their vile inedibleness.

But with Olives, despite finding them vile and inedible I periodically think to myself; “Maybe its just me. I’ll give them another try and see if they’re still vile and inedible”. They always are.

You just have to keep trying every now and then. I hated them for years until having some G&T at Hotel Du Vin in Bristol and suddenly I actually enjoyed them.

Always been on my plate since a Kiddo.

Adore them I does. 😀

Mmmmmmmmm, olives. Serve with a good Greek salad, olive bread, ballalmic vinigar to dip in and the all important red wine 😀

I went to Morocco a few years ago and some of the olives I tried there were yellowish in colour and different from the usual black /green ones.

I’m salivating just reading this !

I went to Morocco a few years ago and some of the olives I tried there were yellowish in colour and different from the usual black /green ones.

If you mean the ones in the middle, I think they’re lemons. HTH.

Eyepic – Member

Fab picture Joe.
Yours?

No, I just found the pic by google of “olives on fingers”

My mum said “If you cant say anything nice don’t say anything at all”

So…..

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULVXZJBqi5k[/video]

Funnily enough Todmorden is where I’ve bought the best olives I’ve ever had.
In the indoor market – super-knowledgeable chap. Have absolutely no idea what they were but they were dark green and massive!

Whole family wolfed them down.

My wife feeds them to me with her fingers and I spit the stones out of the car window. Hope that helps!

Maybe its just me. I’ll give them another try and see if they’re still vile and inedible

Persevere, took me until gone 30 to really like them and now I can’t get enough. Same with sundried tomatos but now a combination of the two is my go-to snack food. Wow, that has made me salivate.

**** it, I am going olive shopping right now!

Black olives dipped in Tzatziki sauce 🙂

Any good deals on olives? The supermarkets do a reasonable selection but I get the feeling they are hideously overpriced……..?

Try eating them out of your wife’s cleavage, I did and they always taste fantastic. If only I could persuade my wife to let me try it with her.

I find the best ones in the UK can be found at farmers markets, although not cheap. Tesco (and I know I’ve mentioned them before. I don’t work for them) do have a great selection at the deli counter. Fairly cheap and let you experiment to see what you like.

Olives. Mmmmmmmmm. Hated the idea, but had never actually tried one, until I was at a friend’s party. I set about eating every one I could find. Similar thing with Guiness. Maturing taste, I guess, I was in my thirties before I liked either.