The Olive Branch

You can buy almost anything online these days. For Ruthie Collins, it was an Italian farmhouse.

Yet as she battles with a territorial goat and torrential rain just to get through the door of her new Italian home, the words of Ed, her ex, are ringing in her ears. She is daft, impetuous and irresponsible.

But Ruthie is determined to turn things around and live the dream.

First, though, she must win over her fiery neighbour, Marco Bellanouvo, and his family… Then there’s the small matter of running an olive farm. As the seasons change and new roots are put down, olives and romance might just flourish in the warmth of the Mediterranean sun.


The Simon Cowell of Puglia… Olive Oil

Posted on 27/07/2015

The olive tree is part of the fabric of family life in Puglia. And family life is at the heart of everything.

One of my favourite places to go in Ceglie Messapica is a restaurant called Entroterra. My brother and his wife first took me there and every time I return I am welcomed warmly, like an old friend, by its owner Giuseppe and his family. This place to me is the very essence of rural country living in Puglia.

Interviews

My Quick-Fire Q&A

Posted on 07/07/2015

If I had to go back in time and choose another career…

I want to change career every week. Usually I want to be a different type of farmer. Right now I want to be an olive farmer.

My most memorable meal…

My 20th birthday on a beach in the South of France in a thunderstorm. The tarpaulin sides billowing. Special for so many reasons.

Set in a beautiful landscape with lovable characters, it’s a lovely story and a real page-turner

Candis Magazine

Perfect for those who dream of a new life in the sun!

My Weekly