Don't be to fussy about exact quantities. Blend the ingredients in a kitchen processor, but don't overdo it, some texture is good. Keep back some of the oil and adjust the acid oil balance at the end.

Some variations. You can use a little English mustard to warm things up. You can use red wine vinegar instead of the lemon juice. A teaspoon of horseradish will add just another layer of complexity to the flavour.

Serving. Just spread it onto some French stick sliced into rounds. For a real indulgence you can spread some lightly toasted ciabacca bread with a soft goat cheese. Then spread on some tapenade and top with slices of ripe tomato and maybe a fresh basil leaf. I also enjoy a sandwich made with ripe tomatoes and tapenade between slices of white Italian bread.

A generous spoon of tapenade can enliven a meal of grilled or steamed fish. Or perhaps you can stir it through some freshly cooked pasta like you would use pesto.

Tapenade will keep in a jar in the fridge for a couple of weeks in the unlikely event that you don't eat it all at once.