Ham and olive cake

As I think I have mentioned before, I take a lot of flack (during work lunch hours mainly) for the number of foods that I don't like (raw tomatoes, mushrooms, mustard, custard, coffee, celery, soggy aubergine ...) But, dear reader, I promise you that I am working on it. That whole 'keep trying it until you like it' thing really does work. And also what works is getting other people to make you delicious meals. I date my new-found love of olives to a couple of amazing dishes: a prawn, olive and feta pilaf made by my big brother and a spaghetti puttanesca made by my friend Tom. 

Now I'm a little bit addicted to them. Their salty savouriness really is quite marvellous, isn't it? And also, now that I like them a whole load of new recipes has opened up to me. Just wait until I start liking raw tomatoes (ugh!) - the sandwich possibilities will be endless...

My latest foray into olive based cookery is this ham and olive cake, a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recipe from the Guardian. You can find the recipe here. My Mum actually made it first, as little muffins, and it was delicious. So, when I signed up for a volunteer day with The Wildlife Trust raking hay and doing other helpful woodland-type tasks, and realised that a soggy over-margarined sandwich from the work canteen (quite possibly containing tomatoes) was not going to cut it, I thought of savoury cake.

And these big wodges were perfect at providing the energy required to rake hay through rain and sunshine. It's kind of heavy, so in future I might cut it a little more thinly! But, as Hugh suggests, it's perfect for all kinds of picnics and alfresco eating opportunities. Or packed lunches. Or, you know, just dinner in front of the TV. In fact, I'm struggling to think of an occasion which wouldn't be enhanced with a bit of savoury cake.

The cows weren't that impressed though. Holding out for the hay, no doubt.