Ice cream with olive oil - extra virgin single estate from Citizens of Soil

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Olive oil and ice cream—it's a thing.

Olive oil and ice cream—it's a thing.

Introducing the breakthrough sensation that made us question: “What *can’t* you put EVOO on?”

Last summer, in a brief moment of hiatus of the London lockdown, we sat down at Michael's very favourite restaurant—Quality Chop House in Farringdon.

They absolutely smash every meal, and this one was no different. Already head-down in trying to bring our olive oil business to life, this dessert stood out on the menu.

Bold in its simplicity. Proud in its pairing. Intriguing in its coveted place on such a short list.

But we'd heard rave reviews, both inside the olive oil world and within the foodie space, of olive oil on ice cream being a thing.

Olive oil ice cream at London's Quality Chop House restaurant

One bite—mind blown.

So once we finished harvest in Crete last autumn and brought back a bottle of our very own extra virgin olive oil, we could hardly wait to pour it over some ice cream and see if the pairing worked.

Note: Olive oils, like wine, come in many varieties and styles. Some are sweeter, greener, more bitter or have flavours that mean they wouldn't compliment a crazy mix like being used a top a creamy dessert.

And yet, it worked. Michael was smitten. It became his new favourite thing (just maaaaybe even beating out an olive oil martini—but that's for another post).

Which bring us to this signature serve we're now owning...

Plain ice cream (we like vanilla*)
Cocoa nibs (a tablespoon per serving of ice cream)
Sea salt (a pinch per serving)
Single estate extra virgin olive oil (ours is killer here!)

The amount of EVOO depends on you. We like to pour it like we would chocolate syrup, but if you're hesitant in the first go—about 1-2 tablespoons per serving would suit.

*We prefer it over plain vanilla, but we’ve also used Hackney Gelato's pistachio, almond & lemon (though surprisingly preferred it on their butterscotch), as well as Booja Booja's chocolate and Jude's clotted cream.

See our attempt at TikTok here with a tribute to summer. Needless to say, we've turned this pairing obsession into a lifestyle.

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