Madhouse Family Reviews: Adopt an olive tree with Pomora ! (review)

I love olive oil. It's my go-to oil and I use it for pretty much everything : frying, drizzling on salads, in dressings, pouring over the roast before it goes in the oven, for dipping crusty bread into with dukkah spices (such as this gorgeously simple and delicious Egyptian Aish Baladi that I made), even in cakes in place of butter (how about trying an Upside Down Orange Polenta & Olive Oil Cake?). It's a really versatile oil, has a lovely taste and, best of all, it's a healthy choice. I was therefore delighted to hear from Pomora, a new service that has been set up to ensure that you’ll always have access to some of the finest Italian olive oil you’ll ever taste.

The service was created by Alun Johns and Paul McGuigan, who had a revelation the first time they tasted proper olive oil. Paul explains: “We set up Pomora because we were fed-up with the poor quality olive oil on offer in our supermarkets. We wanted to create a way for people to discover how vibrant and exciting top quality olive oil can be, that would also generate a relationship between the consumer and the grower."

Their idea was to set up an olive tree adoption service. It's a system that helps you to appreciate and understand the work that goes into producing the finest olive oil, as well as supporting artisan growers who use traditional farming methods that respect and protect the environment.

Pomora works with two growers – Carmelo from Sicily and Antonio from Campania – and can even help to arrange a trip to visit your grower! Both their families have been producing top-class olive oil for generations and both Carmelo and Antonio are gold medalists at the New York International Olive Oil Competition. As you can see on my adoption certificate above, "my" grower is Antonio in Venticano.

It's not all one-sided though - as well as helping out the growers, you also get to benefit from the fruits of your tree, so you receive quarterly deliveries of three 250ml tins of premium extra virgin olive oil :

· Shipment 1: Olio Nuovo - The youngest, freshest olive oil, it’s bottled directly after harvest, olio nuovo is unfiltered, has a vibrant green colour, a distinct fresh flavour and a pizzicante finish.

· Shipment 2: Three flavoured oils - Lemon, Chilli, and Rosemary - Flavoured with locally-sourced ingredients by the olive producers, these are made with a milder extra virgin olive oil, which allows the flavours to shine through. (These are the ones that we received and they are gorgeous - you really can taste the difference in quality when compared with bland supermarket brands.)

· Shipment 3: Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Complex flavours intertwine and marry with a healthy finishing kick to produce a great base for vinaigrettes, focaccia or simply as a dip.

· Shipment 4: Three flavoured oils - Basil, Garlic and White truffle

Whether you're a gourmet olive oil expert or a total novice, Pomora helps you to get the most out of your oils by providing tasting tips and recipes that you can try out.

It's not cheap but if you're looking for a special gift for a foodie friend or you just want to treat yourself (and your taste buds !), it's a lovely option because it does good as well as tasting good ! The adoption package costs £58 up-front, which covers the minimum period of two quarters, and then £29 per quarter from the third quarter onwards. You can cancel any time. If you’d rather not set up a rolling subscription, Pomora also offers a Fostering option, which can be for one to four deliveries (1 Quarter = £39; 2 Quarters = £75; 3 Quarters = £105; 4 Quarters = £135)