What to look for and why more isn't necessarily better when it comes to cocoa solids

If you're planning to serve oysters this Christmas you might not be aware what a rare treat they may become after this summer's oyster 'plague'. Or just how different oysters from different waters taste. I discussed all these things and more earlier this year when I interviewed Robin Hancock of Wright Brothers, London's leading oyster supplier.

How many olive oils do you have in your store cupboard? One? Two? Seven or eight? I ask because we tend to think - or certainly have done so in the past - of olive oil as a commodity rather than as a complex subject of connoisseurship like wine or cheese. But there’s a great deal to learn that would vastly enhance our enjoyment of this culinary essential as I discovered from talking to Charles Carey of London’s best known oil importer The Oil Merchant recently