The art of olive oil

It is no secret that Vicente Todolí, the former director of Tate Modern, is a lover of the finest food and wine. He co-edited a book with fellow art gastronome Richard Hamilton on their mutual friend, the legendary chef Ferran Adrià, and even appeared in Decanter magazine. But now, over a year since his liberation from museum matters, we can all share in Todolí’s taste for good things with the launch of Tot Oli, a limited edition extra virgin olive oil, which comes from the four hundred olive trees planted with foresight 14 years ago by the man himself in the mountains of his native Alicante.

He may describe this gastronomic endeavour as a «hobby» but this is a very serious enterprise. Not only does Tot Oli come with a full set of detailed «technical notes» outlining the oil’s origins, the olive varieties (Arbequina, Manzanilla, Blanqueta and Picual) and its method of production, it also reflects Todolí’s aesthetic concerns, coming in a stylishly minimal bottle created by the renowned designer Fernando Gutiérrez. Most importantly, however, Jetsam can confirm that Tot Oli is utterly delicious and Selfridges evidently agrees as it has recently started to stock it in its food halls, where it retails at £17.99 a bottle. This may seem a tad pricey but be warned that, while its technical notes may declare that Tot Oli «pairs perfectly with any dish», after one taste it is an act of will not to simply drink it neat.