The Olive Route

Since Carol Drinkwater moved to an olive farm in France, she has developed a passion for the olive tree and the culture that has grown up around it. This fruit is farmed from the eastern shores of the shimmering Mediterranean to its western coast. Its silvery-green branches have inspired painters and poets, but who first pressed its ‘bitter berry’ and transformed it into liquid gold?

In quest of its secrets and traditions, Carol embarked on a solo adventure round the Mediterranean basin. Transporting readers across the olive’s ancient paths – celebrating its venerable past, tracking trade routes, unearthing unlikely stories, encountering peoples of today and bygone times – Carol comes full circle back to her farm in the sun-baked Provencal hills.

Author Biography

Actress Carol Drinkwater is probably best known for her role as Helen Herriot in the BBC series ‘All Creatures Great and Small.’ Also an accomplished novelist, she has achieved bestselling status with her much-loved memoirs of life on an olive farm in France. Carol Drinkwater is working with (has been invited to work with) UNESCO to help found an Olive Heritage Trail around the Mediterranean Basin. The aim is to create peace within the region and honour the heritage of this sacred tree.