In collaboration with Fragata.
As soon as bonfire night has passed, I’m on the home straight to all things Christmas, anytime before then feels slightly uncomfortable to me. With that said, I’ve been planning out some nourishing festive recipes for the blog that are easy to make but don’t compromise on flavour. These green pitted Spanish olives that are marinated in gin is exactly that and they work perfectly on a festive cheese board or they would make a fabulous edible gift.
Every Christmas Eve, it has become a tradition that after a day of visiting family and friends and watching Christmas movies we settle down in the evening with a cheese board. Creating the perfect cheeseboard is a seriously subjective thing, however, over the years we’ve played around with different cheeses and varying accompaniments to create our version of the perfect cheeseboard.
A variety of different textures and flavours
Getting a nice mix of different cheeses on your cheese board, not only helps to cater to different taste buds but also makes it more enticing. A mix of hard, soft, and blue cheeses is a great place to start.
Choose a selection of crackers and breads
As with the cheese, a selection of crackers and breads is always a nice idea. Not only do they add texture, but they’re the perfect vehicle for your cheese. There’s so much choice, but if in doubt go for a cracker selection box, which will be full of different varieties.
It’s not all about the cheese
Believe it or not, a cheeseboard isn’t just about the cheese, it’s actually the accompaniments that make it. Grapes, sliced apples or pears, cured meats, chutney’s and conserves, nuts and olives all work well on a cheeseboard. Check out the recipe for the Gin Marinated Olives below.
Room Temperature is best
Get the best flavours from your cheese by removing them from the fridge and hour before serving and serve them at room temperature.
Gin lovers this one is for you! The olives really take on the juniper from the gin as well as the other ingredients, making them perfect to add to your festive martini cocktails. Yes, not only are these olives by Fragata a great cheeseboard addition, but you can also use them to adorn a cheeky martini or two. They really are the festive food that keeps on giving!
Gin lovers this is for you! The perfect accompaniment to your festive cheese boards or a cheeky martini or two.
- 250 g Fragata Pitted Green Olives
- 8 cloves of Fragata Garlic Cloves
- 250 ml gin
- 250 ml good quality olive oil
- Slivers of lemon peel from 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme
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Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.
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These are great served on a festive cheese board or in a cheeky martini.
For more details on Fragata and their olives, please visit their Facebook and Instagram pages.
Looking for more festive party drink ideas?
Give this Citrus Glow Martini a whirl!
*This post was commissioned by Fragata, but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that allow me to do what I love, bringing you wellness content and recipes to help you find your version of balance.
Well, you had me a gin marinated olives! Gin is one of my favourite spirits so I love this idea. I’m reminded to start my shopping list. I love this time of year, it’s full of magic and a lot of eating and celebrating. I can’t believe it’s here already! Thanks for the reminder 🙂
This sounds like a lovely idea for party appetisers. My gin loving friend would love these.
They make good snacks. Never thought aboit marinating olives in gin
I’m not a fan of olives, as much as I really wish I was as they are always at restaurants we visit! I do love gin though so maybe that’s where Ive been going wrong?
I love nicely prepared olives and this martini recipe shall be tried this winter :))
Sadly I don’t like olives, so I’ll just take the gin :p haha
My dad would love these though as he loves both things x
Haha! Well at least you like one part of the recipe. ?
Anything with gin in is good with me. These look like the perfect way to start the weekend.
Perfect Friday night movie munchies.
These sound absolutely delicious! I love olives and gin, so I don’t think these would last five minutes with me around.
I absolutely LOVE the sound of these! I tried olives in vodka several years back – they really packed a punch, but I never thought of making my own boozy olives. Genius!
I love gin but I have never thought of a gin-olives combination. It must be delicious especially in martinis. Who doesn’t love to dip their olive in the martini before eating it? 🙂
two of my favourite things! We actually have to hide olives in our house though as my little girl loves them and would eat an entire tub of them if she could, I sneak eat them from the fridge x
Ooooooh. Interesting idea for the Christmas present . My family love gin!
Thanks Rachel. Definitely one for the gin lovers.
These look so good! I never liked olives until I was pregnant and since then Ibhave loved them, my son is 2 now so I don’t think it could be classed as a craving haha
Oooo I absolutely love olives so I’ll be giving them a go! They’re so good for your skin, too 🙂
Are they? I never knew that about them. ?
These would be fab when we’re hosting at Christmas! Lovely recipe 🙂
Oh this looks so tasty! Looks a worth trying. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Jake.
My parents are really getting into olives and I know the like the odd tipple of gin, so next time they are due over I might have to make them something like this.
That would be lovely of you. I hope they like them.