Olive Oil

An old saying goes, ‘A man who eats olives every day of every year, will be as old as the rafters in an ancient house.’ In Languedoc everyone eats olives or olive oil every day, and the region is well known for longevity. Between the distant blue mountains of Haut-Languedoc and the Mediterranean lie the plains, covered by seemingly endless vines but made more beautiful by an abundance of olive groves.

Growing and looking after olive trees is an art, one passed down from one generation to the next. The trees are pruned to be open in the centre, so that a bird can fly through. This allows the air to keep them free of mildew and lets the winds of late May flow through and pollinate the flowers for a good crop.