How to make your own olive tapenade or pate

Where would we be without our olive trees. Most importantly they provide us with olive oil and eating olives but also provide kindling and logs for the wood burning stove whilst pruning's can also be used as pea sticks and to provide support for growing vegetables.

We have recently also discovered another delicious use for pickled olives which is to turn them in to a pate or tapenade which is great spread on fresh bread, on pitta bread or used when making pizza's. Our recipe is vegetarian but you can add anchovies or other ingredients such as hot peppers or sun dried tomatoes for a different flavour. The following recipe makes about a cup and a half full and will keep in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.

(1) Remove the stones from a mix of black and green olives - enough for a cup full.

(2) Peel and cut finely two cloves of garlic

(3) Cut finely a sprig of parsley, some basil and chives

(4) Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend till fine

(5) Add a teaspoon of lemon juice and two tablespoons of olive oil

(6) Re-blend until all ingredients until thoroughly mixed.