Ever fancied making your own infused olive oil? That's exactly what I did today. Super simple to so just takes some time and patience, so a great one to do on a rainy Saturday in lockdown.

METHOD

Slice the fruit and add to a large jug. The process is fairly simple. First work out the volume of the container your going to store the infused oil in (today I used empty 250ml and 500ml bottles from oils we've recently used up).

Measure out you olive oil into a pan and add your ingredients to infuse. If your using dry herbs I use about a tablespoon of herb for approx 250ml oil.

Put the pan on a very low heat so the oil warms up but does not boil. Leave on the low heat for approximately 4-6hours.

To tell if it's done test dip a small piece of bread to taste. Leave the oil to cool slightly.

Strain the oil into a measuring jug and pour into your container for use in cooking or as a dressing.

INFUSION COMBINATIONS

Garlic oil - crush several cloves of garlic to add to the oil. The skins can be added too.

Dried or fresh herbs - mixed herb, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary all work well. If using fresh I would use a small handful of the leaves. For dried herbs I I use about a tablespoon of herb for approx 250ml oil.

Mediterranean oil - cut up 1/2 a courgette, 1 red onion, 1 red pepper, a small handful of baby plum tomatoes, 1tsp mixed herbs, 1tsp paprika, 2 garlic cloves

#infusedoils #homemade #julianneats #lockdownideas