Latest news with #Sandhurst
The Guardian
a day ago
- General
- The Guardian
Australian supermarket olives taste test: ‘I want to draw a still-life painting of these'
Imagine the best and worst olive. Take a second. Maybe close your eyes to immerse yourself in the exercise. What does the best olive look like? How about the worst? What is the texture of the best olive? How does the worst olive taste? I ask myself questions like this before every taste test, a mental exercise to help calibrate all the scores I'm about to give. But sometimes there are surprises, things so exceptionally good, bad or different they exist beyond the imagination. Things I thought weren't possible in a supermarket product or maybe at all. This taste test was full of them. The taste test was done blind over multiple rounds, each featuring whole olives of a different ripeness – green, purple and black. The tasters – 15 friends – tasted 22 olives (some pitted, some not), scoring each on appearance, texture and taste. I ate about 55 olives in 90 minutes. So, that best and worst olive you imagined: you probably came close with the best. There are sadly no big surprises at that end of the supermarket. But, unless you're wildly imaginative, or you've eaten the exact same olive I have, you're probably way off the mark on imagining the worst. Sandhurst Sicilian Whole Green Olives, 280g, $4 ($1.43 per 100g), available from major supermarkets Score: 7.5/10 Usually when I eat an olive, I feel as though my mouth has just won a fight – satisfying but it's still a bit of a violent experience. These olives are more like rolling down the gentle slope of a flower meadow while wearing head-to-toe cashmere. Other reviewers said they tasted like green tea, artichokes and various white cheeses. Two related it to the Cantonese and Teochew concept of gan, or unsweet sweetness (written 甘), which you'd use to describe tea. 'I want to draw a still-life painting of these and compose a thesis on their depth of flavour,' another wrote. Oddly, the three reviewers who didn't like them all mentioned medicine, carpet or both. Ceres Organics Kalamata Olives, 320g, $10 ($3.13 per 100g), available from Woolworths Score: 7/10 Unlike the green olive round, there were no standout purple olives, which is why this uncontroversial 7/10 olive is one of two winners. As one reviewer wrote: 'Strong, salty but kind of straight shooting – no real funk or gasoline vibes.' That's talking about how they taste, anyway. Texturally, they were all over the place, some firm but some disconcertingly flabby, like eating a partly mushy strawberry. Drop a handful in a pasta and it won't matter much, besides the fact it cost $10 to do so. Macro Organic Whole Kalamata Olives, 350g, $3.30 ($0.94 per 100g), available from Woolworths Score: 7/10 There was a strong correlation between salt and nuance. While the saltiest olives were powerful and sometimes snackier, they sacrificed some character to get there. Macro's olives are a great example. They have almost half the sodium of other products, and reviewers described them as balanced, funky, vegetal and 'unapologetically olivey'. Some thought that was a 9/10 feature, others a 5/10. They're also a beautiful dark shade of purple, like Grimace emerging from a pool in a racy teen romcom, the moonlight glistening on his hair. Deli Originals' Whole Kalamata Olives, 350g, $2.49 ($0.71 per 100g), available at Aldi Score: 6.5/10 Salty, sour and uncomplicated. A classic mid-range kalamata but a bit uglier. What you want to cook with, not serve on a platter for guests worried about your financial security. One reviewer wrote: 'Doesn't have a strong sense of self.' While true, I'm happy for its purpose to be a soldier in the grocery coalition that's fighting for my hope of one day owning a home. Muraca Whole Italian Large Olives, 580g, $8.95 ($1.54 per 100g), available at select grocers Score: 7/10 I recently had a dream where I was an alien living on Earth, masquerading as a human, and the only way I could ever hang out with my friends was at dress-up parties. These olives are always at the dress-up party. While they look like olives, they're unusually enormous, they've got a juicy, meaty texture and a nutty, grassy flavour that I haven't tasted in any other olive. In my dream, it didn't really matter whether I was human or another organism – I found enough people to like me. Same with these olives. As one reviewer said: 'Sticking out into its own territory but I'll follow it there.' Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Always Fresh Olives Pitted Sicilian, 230g, $4 ($1.74 per 100g), available at major supermarkets Score: 6.5/10 Always Fresh sells two kinds of green olives: these weirdly green ones (more like a moss green than any olive you'd find on a tree) and another less green variety that's way bigger and more expensive. Although we gave the huge ones a better score (7/10), I think there's use for both. The bigger ones are for maximalists and hedonists. They're sour, salty and, thanks to the novelty size, fun. The smaller ones are fruity, nuanced and delicate – they have no vinegar and less salt than any other olive we tried. These are for people who prefer baroque covers of pop songs over the real thing. Penfield Olives Australian Pitted Green Olives, 250g, $4.49 ($1.80 per 100g), available at select grocers Score: 6/10 On texture, these were the highest-scoring olives of the day. Many reviewers described them as meaty, firm and almost crunchy. But it's hard to give a nuanced description of their taste due to the 4,750mg of salt in the jar (that's a whopping 1,900mg per 100g). Their kalamatas are similar but a bit fattier. Are they good olives or bad olives? I don't know, depends on your salt tolerance. I'd be careful cooking with them, but if you like your martinis in leather pants with the crotch cut out, this is worth a try. Wicked Pitted Kalamata Olives, 450g, $4 ($0.89 per 100g), available at Coles Score: 6/10 Listening to the other reviewers progressively eat and describe this was akin to reading internet commentary about child rearing: how are there so many radically different opinions about this? One said they tasted like cherry pie filling, another like petrochemicals. I thought they were quite wine-like in flavour, while others said anchovies and menthol. The only similarity is the intensity of all those flavours, which makes sense as they were also the most sodium-dense product of the day (1,990mg per 100g). My favourite comment was: 'Straddling the line between exciting and disturbing.' Like meeting your clone – you won't know if you like it or not until you experience it. Mount Zero Organic Kalamata Olives, 300g, $9.70 ($3.23 per 100g), available at select grocers Score: 5/10 The first thing I wrote on my scorecard was: 'What is this?' I knew it was an olive, a kalamata specifically, but I had no idea how an olive could be bitter and sweet in the way wine is (sort of hinting at sweetness but no actual sugar content) while also kind of nutty and oily. One reviewer said it 'tastes like a failed fine dining dessert', which I thought was apt, because like all great art, fine dining should be divisive. I think many people will love them, but few will feel neutral. Always Fresh Black Olives Pitted, 220g, $3.50 ($1.59 per 100g), available at major supermarkets Score: 5/10 Each score is an average of all the reviewers' scores, but a 5/10 average could be made up of 6/10 and 4/10 scores, or by 1/10 and 10/10 scores, and those are very different things. This was the latter. 'Notes of petrol', 'taste like soggy bread' and 'battery acid', said the dissenters. 'Weirdly ersatz floral', 'pleasant fruitiness' and 'nostalgic blandness, giving Pizza Hut vibes but with a hint of creaminess', said their opposition. I thought it was faintly floral and buttery, like tasting an olive through a cloth. Somehow, I still gave them a 7/10 – but maybe even the most minimal, weird Philip Glass song feels special after listening to 21 tracks of hardcore EDM. Monini L'Oliva Leccino Pitted, 150g, $4.90 ($3.27 per 100g), available at Coles Score: 3/10 I have eaten many terrible things in my life and both Monini's green and black olives are right up there with the worst. Like primary school orchestra dissonance, early AI videos and my grandparents' cooking, they're bad in a creative way, so much so I would have no idea how to recreate the experience. Had I not been in an olive taste test, I could have easily guessed them to be a non-olive entity. One reviewer wrote: 'Conduct a study into the psychology of people who knowingly buy this. Or perhaps give them a Covid test.' Which is exactly what I'd like to do to the two people who gave them a positive score. Green Valley Pitted Kalamata 6.5/10 Coles Whole Green Olives 6.5/10 Always Fresh Pitted Giant Green 7/10 Always Fresh Organic Kalamata Olives Pitted 6/10 Sandhurst Pitted Kalamata Olives 6/10 Penfield Olives Pitted Kalamata Olives 5.5/10 Woolworths Pitted Whole Kalamata Olives 5.5/10 Ceres Organics Green Olives Pitted 5/10 Coles Pitted Kalamata Olives 4.5/10 Monini L'Oliva Bella Di Cerignola Pitted 3.5/10
The Advertiser
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Raffle benefits felt wider than the club
One of the nations oldest football clubs claimed victory in the 2024 season. Picture supplied By Jen Walker Updated July 17 2025 - 4:20pm, first published 11:34am In partnership with Toyota. The Sandhurst Football Netball Club is one of the oldest AFL clubs in Australia. In 1861, J B Thompson, who a couple of years earlier had been one of the founders of Australian Rules football, moved to Bendigo and became secretary and captain of its first football club, called Sandhurst. Today, it is a thriving club, with both male and female football leagues, all grades of netball, and Auskick. Club Treasurer Peter Watson explains that while Sandhurst is an affiliated and well-known club in the senior league, it actually comprises about three-quarters juniors, with football and netball reaching into primary school levels. "We like to offer choice for people who think team sports are the way to go - especially football and netball. If people want to play sport with us from infancy until retirement, they can probably do that." The club is unique in that there isn't actually a place called Sandhurst in Bendigo. Most clubs draw from their geographic area, whereas Sandhurst's 500-plus players and members hail from all over the district, often coming from nearby schools or family connections. Games are played at what Peter calls "one of the great grounds of country Victoria" - Queen Elizabeth Oval in the centre of town - and he says the club likes to do its bit to contribute to the facilities such as the social areas and change rooms. Volunteer-based clubs rarely have the budget to cover all that needs doing, so effective fundraisers that are easy to run are seen as a bonus, and for Sandhurst Toyota's Good for Footy Raffle is just that. Peter said the club has been involved in the raffle for a few years, although it held back when the raffle first started because it sounded too good to be true. "A fundraiser that is so easy to administer and where you get to keep all the proceeds? We believe it now and can't praise Toyota enough for its generosity. This is an outstanding initiative, and clubs can only benefit." Last year, Sandhurst made close to $5000 from the raffle and hopes to do slightly better this year through posters with QR codes, and promotion through social media, email and home games, although Peter said they could potentially make much more. "And that's nothing to do with the raffle itself. Toyota spoon-feeds you with everything possible for you to succeed. I don't think there are too many other initiatives where for a bit of effort within your community, you can really draw your own return. It's the quintessential 'everyone does a little bit and it gets a big result'. "Toyota takes all the administration, effort, technology, transactional elements off your hands, and when you're in the weeds in club land, you really appreciate that." The Toyota Good for Footy raffle offers a chance to win one of 47 prizes, including three new cars, from a prize pool worth nearly $300,000. Tickets are $5 and your ticket price goes to the AFL club of your choice. Sandhurst plans to spend its raffle proceeds predominantly on making capital improvements and buying equipment and appliances that wouldn't usually be covered by its operational funds. As their home ground is a multi-use facility that is used year-round by different sports, these benefits will be enjoyed by thousands in the community, not just Sandhurst members. This article has been produced in partnership with Toyota
News.com.au
15-07-2025
- News.com.au
‘Suspicious': Influencer's home firebombed in targeted attack
An Australian influencer has shared her shock and distress after her Melbourne home was firebombed in what police believe was a targeted attack while she was holidaying in Bali. Caitlin Lyndon, popularly known as ' fitmum ' online, was celebrating with friends on Sunday when she received a late-night call at 2am informing her of the attack. Victorian police told the fire in Sandhurst, 37 km southeast of Melbourne's CBD, was considered 'suspicious'. 'Police are investigating a suspicious house fire in Sandhurst on 13 July,' they said. 'Emergency services responded to reports of a house fire on Malua Circuit, with at least two people fleeing the scene in a dark coloured hatch about 2am. 'No one was inside the house at the time of the blaze.' A short time later, police responded to reports of an abandoned car on fire in a street approximately five minutes away. Investigators are working to determine if the two incidents are linked. Ms Lyndon, who is a mum of one and an OnlyFans creator, said her home had been so badly damaged she 'literally fell on the floor' when she heard the news. The influencer, who has 84,000 followers on Instagram, told The Daily Telegraph that she was struggling to understand why her home had allegedly been targeted in the arson attack. 'I cannot fathom that somebody would do this to me,' she told the outlet. 'Everyone has enemies … I think everyone pisses people off in every life, but I would never imagine having pissed people off enough to have your personal home lit on fire where you and your son's belongings are.' After the incident, Ms Lyndon took to social media in a rant and lashed out at the alleged attackers, labelling them as 'f***ing rats' despite not knowing who could be responsible. Police have said that an arson chemist will attend the scene but encourages anyone with information that could assist police to come forward. Ms Lyndon had only recently moved into the home just two months ago, but the fire damage has made the property now 'uninhabitable'. 'I lost everything. People can hate and say I'm just in Bali and living life, but this is the worst experience of my life,' she said. 'I will be going into emergency housing, which is my only option at the moment, but my main focus is to keep my son in routine … obviously, he's lost all his toys.' In her Instagram video, she shared that her house was fitted with CCTV but it was somehow disabled before the attack. 'And I live in the biggest Karen estate ever, so this is just grouse,' she said. 'I didn't even think you could shut down CCTV so these c**ts are just dogs.' She said at the end of the day, she was 'grateful' her son and dogs were safe and that she could 'replace our furniture', but not her family. 'I've never wanted to hold my baby so tight in all my life. True friends and families' colours are shown in times like this,' she said. 'I'm not afraid to cry and show you that I have f***ing emotions because you know what I worked my a** off to get to where I was, and even if I've lost everything, you've burnt it down and you've ruined my life. I will build my life again, but my son does not deserve this.' She also shared a photo to her Instagram stories showing the damage to her home. 'My home,' she wrote next to a crying emoji.
BBC News
27-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Army tailor struggling to support 'difficult' UK textile industry
A bespoke military tailor based at Sandhurst Academy, says UK supply chains in the textile industry are becoming "increasingly difficult".Samuel Brothers, established in 1830 in London, has previously had locations in Oxford Street, Clerkenwell Green and later in Aldershot, and now has a shop in Frimley Green as well as with those in the army, the company makes ceremonial dress and uniforms for the police and fire it making the end product more expensive, managing director Lee Dawson said the company supported the UK textile industry including for the cloth, braids, cotton, buttons and threads that make up the uniforms. "It's not for everybody and it does make the product more expensive," he said, adding that a suit would cost from £1,000."But if we don't support the supply chain in the UK, it disappears."If it disappears then, after nearly 200 years of doing what we've been doing, we will just disappear, and become a victim like so many other businesses and supply chains."He said over the last 20 to 30 years he had seen a demise in the industry which was "becoming increasingly difficult".The company is a royal warrant holder to the King, which Mr Dawson said was a privilege."It's all about excellence and promoting UK business, and promoting excellence and standards within textile industry," he said. Harriet Ramshaw, tailor and workroom manager at the company, previously trained at Sandhurst having joined the army in 2010 as a qualified toured Afghanistan in 2013, later training as a specialist surgical nurse and was deployed to Sierra Leona to support the Ebola army career ended in 2021, when she left for family matters and trained "under the wing" of Mr was "very much a change" from her nursing career, she said the role was "very varied", going from being based in the company shop measuring cadets or travelling to fit uniforms for other services."I get to see people when they first come in, a little bit nervous potentially about getting measured up for a uniform."But then I also get to see them at the end of the day wearing their uniform and looking really proud to be serving in the armed forces, fire service or police." Speaking ahead of Armed Forces Day on Saturday, Mr Dawson said it was important to recognise not just the soldiers but the service community, veterans charities and businesses which supported the forces."It's not just about our serving armed forces," he said. "It's about families who support our soldiers and officers who spend months away during very difficult and challenging times, and it's also about veterans and recognising and appreciating commitment they have made."
BBC News
25-06-2025
- BBC News
Chemicals cleared from scene of fatal house fire in Sandhurst
Containers of potentially flammable and hazardous materials have been cleared from a semi-detached house where a man died following a fire. The man, in his 80s, died in hospital after flames engulfed the home on Oak Avenue in Sandhurst, Berkshire, on 6 blaze started shortly before 14:00 BST and was described by the fire service as a "flash fire".Police and specialist teams have been working at the house since to remove chemicals stored in containers that were found along with a decommissioned mortar. Thames Valley Police said teams wore specialist, protective clothing to remove the material "in case of any spillage of chemicals" before it was safely disposed of. The force said: "Although no immediate risk to health was identified, it was vital that we took all precaution to protect residents and those who were working to remove the material."I would like to thank the residents for their patience and understanding while we carried out this work."Our thoughts remain with the family of the man." The decommissioned mortar found was safely destroyed by specialist man's death is being investigated as unexplained but there is no ongoing criminal investigation and the coroner had been informed, Thames Valley Police said.A fire investigation is under way to determine the cause of the fire. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
