top layer and season. Place the omelettes and olives on top of the meat, covering the whole surface. Roll up the meat, secure with string and dust it with flour. Heat the olive oil and brown the meat. Add the thyme and wine and cook for a few minutes. Reduce the heat, add the stock and simmer for about an hour or until the meat is tender, adding more stock if necessary. Place on a large serving dish and remove the string. Allow the meat to rest for a few minutes, then slice. Pour the juices from the pan over the beef. Serve immediately. OLIVE BRANCHES Spain: The most renowned is the manzanilla (baby apple); a tight, meaty, juicy fresh olive with appealing pale green skin (the one that features in Martinis). The very big green ones are Gordals (gordo is Spanish for fat). Arbequinas are very small, tasty green olives from Cataluna. Game on: Oliver Thring joins a partridge shoot Everything but the turkey: Best Christmas trimmings What makes a cracking Christmas meal? It's all in the details, says Christopher Hirst, who has chomped his way through a mountain of supermarket and specialist food Bangkok reigns supreme for street food Every city in the world is now getting in on the street-food act, but Bangkok is still the best, says John Brunton Can you cook perfect fried chicken at home? The vogue for fried chicken has us all lusting after crispy wings, but is it achievable at home? Armed