At a dinner party recently I heard the motto, ‘ Be interested, Be interesting’. I liked this, but felt it needs to be extended to, ‘ Be interested. Be interested in others. Be interesting’. This will be my mantra for 2024.

This will replace my usual New Year’s resolutions of : getting fit, reading more, learning to cook. Etcetera Etcetera ad nauseum.

A smaller resolution to share. The ambition to produce, bottle and sell our own brand of Olive Oil.

150 litres of oil is added, each year, to our never depleting stocks of this beautiful green fluid. Of course this will never be a commercial operation, but a small cottage industry and an opportunity to learn new things.

I already know the bottle shape, labelling, appearance and marketing. It only leaves us to : perfect the taste, get it properly harvested, professionally pressed, tested, authorised and a route to sell.

People build houses after watching U-tube videos, maybe we can be self taught olive oil farmers…?

As a sideline to my climate interest I recently read about the impact of hotter times on olive oil harvests in Europe. Spain, Italy and Greece suffered from depleted harvests in 2023, leading to a 117% increase in olive oil prices in Europe. The 2024 harvest is already in jeopardy, with little rainfall in southern Europe at the back end of this year, 2023.

The Turkish story in 2023 was an interesting one. The country had a good crop of olives but the Government banned olive oil exports to ‘tether’ the general view of food inflation inside the country. A little known or advertised fact.

Olive oil prices at the moment are 4.00 to 7.50 GBP per litre in the UK. Similar to prices in Turkey. Of course a 117% increase on big fat zero, is zero, but what fun we might have.

In 2024. Be interested. Be interested in others. Be interesting. Whatever your dreams are for 2024, I wish they all come true, and, above all else wish for peace on this wonderful planet of ours.