morsel of red pepper. The good news is the increasing range of olives offered in speciality shops and at deli counters; as it's possible to taste before buying, you can't go wrong. Many delis make up their own cracked green olives marinated in spiced and herbed mixtures, using anything from olive oil and lemon juice, lemon peel, cumin seed and coriander seed, to garlic and hot green peppers. There's no reason why you shouldn't buy bog-standard olives, green or black and do your own. Anne Dolomore suggests the following recipes: CRACKED GREEN OLIVES Rinse 1kg (2lb 4oz) of green olives and crack them with a hammer to break the flesh but not the stone. Put into a jar, layering with coriander seeds (6 tablespoons), dried oregano (4 tablespoons) and peeled garlic cloves (about three). When jar is full, top up with olive oil. Marinate for two to three weeks. MARINATED BLACK OLIVES Fill a deep jar with 500g (1lb 2oz) black olives, adding 30ml (2 tablespoons) red wine vinegar, two cloves of garlic, 15ml (1 teaspoon) paprika and one slice of lemon, topping up with olive oil. Leave to marinate for two or three weeks. GARLIC OLIVES Drain brine from a jar of green olives, reserving half the brine. Return to jar with two crushed cloves of garlic and a pinch of oregano. Mix the reserved brine with enough white wine vinegar and olive oil to top up the jar. Leave for several weeks to mature. Here are the instructions