We grow quite a number of olive cultivars, some we use for pickling, and the rest we use to make our extra virgin olive oil. In the garden we have Mission, Delicata and Frantoio olives, and on the farm Hannes also grows Leccino, Don Carlo, FS17 and Coratina – all cultivars best suited for pressing olive oil. Black Calamata and green Nocellara olives are ideal for table use, and we pickle them in the cellar for almost a year before they are ready.

Here’s a recipe from our cookbook, Babel, for a decadent dark chocolate terrine using pitted black olives.

Dark Chocolate Olive & Walnut Terrine

LAYER 1: CAKE: In a double boiler melt 250g white chocolate. Remove from heat. Whisk 200g soft butter into the chocolate. Cream 160g eggs and 210g caster sugar. Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture. Fold in 100g of sifted flour. Spread on a baking tray lined with greased baking paper and bake for 10 minutes at 180° C. Allow to cool. Line a bread tin with cling film and cut the cake to fit the base of the tin. Place in freezer.

LAYER 2: DARK CHOCOLATE AND WALNUT GANACHE In a double boiler melt 250g dark chocolate and 125g unsalted butter. Combine
and remove from heat. Add 60g cream and 200g toasted walnuts. Allow to cool and spread over the cake layer and place bread
tin back into freezer.

LAYER 3: WHITE CHOCOLATE AND OLIVE GANACHE In a double boiler melt 250g white chocolate and 125g unsalted butter. Combine
and remove from heat. Add 60g cream and 200g pitted black olives. Spread onto dark chocolate ganache and place bread tin
back into freezer.

LAYER 4: DARK CHOCOLATE In a double boiler, melt 175g chocolate and 110g unsalted butter, combine and remove from heat. Whisk in 4 egg yolks. In a separate bowl whisk 2 egg whites and 15ml sugar. Fold into egg mixture and dust in 150ml icing sugar and 40ml cocoa powder. Add 70ml double cream. Spread over white chocolate and cover with clingfilm. Place tin back into the freezer. ◗ When ready to use take the tin out of the freezer and remove terrine from tin. Take off the cling film. Using a warm, clean knife, slice a 1cm slice and place on serving platter. Allow to thaw for 10 minutes before serving topped with toasted walnuts and a shot of espresso. Cut as many slices as you need. Wrap the remaining chocolate terrine with clingfilm and place back into the tin to freeze again until needed.

The fruit from the wild olive tree, or Olienhout olives, make a beautiful edible garnish. They have a sweet or sour taste.