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just in time ....
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Delighted and hugely relieved, our DHL shipment arrived last Friday morning just in time for Douk, a Lebanese fund raising event in London.
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Shorkk's shelves are now looking a little less empty.
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just enough...
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Our DHL order was small, just enough to keep us going until our pallet arrives. This left Beirut on Tuesday, sadly 2 months later than we had hoped.
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Shipping goods from the eastern Mediterranean would definitely have been quicker on a Phoenician boat!
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Given the small quantity we order, we had to wait for the container to fill up. Our shipping agent says that fewer boats were stopping in Beirut over the last two months for obvious reasons.
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shipping by air
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While it's quicker, airfreight is of course more expensive. Middle East Airlines insist that olive oil is boxed in wood rather than cardboard, adding to the weight of the shipment which impacts the cost considerably.
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Keen to keep the weight as low as possible, Zejd's popular 3L tins EVOO have gone by sea. It takes a month to sail to Rotterdam, and then anything up to 3 weeks until they're transported to the UK. So sadly they won't be here until April!
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We apologise for having to raise the prices slightly on some of the ingredients.
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Our faithful dog Suki enjoyed a rare sunny day in January guarding the box
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understanding your oil
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Rachel Roddy's article in the Guardian last week is helpful if you want some tips on what to look for and how to taste olive oil. Tasting is the key, she says.
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If you visit us at any of the markets or fairs we do, we always offer a taste of Zejd's EVOO and the other ingredients. It isn't something that supermarkets routinely do!
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polyphenols matter!
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Youssef Fares, the owner producer of Zejd, is very pleased with the analysis of his 2024 season extra virgin olive oil.
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Tested in Athens, the polyphenol content of Zejd's "souri" EVOO is 815mg/kg.
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This is much higher than what you can expect to find in supermarket olive oils. As an example, Odysea's Greek EVOO has a polyphenol count of 573mg/kg.
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making the postage fairer
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We've added in a 48hr tracking option on our website if you're not in a hurry for your order.
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Royal Mail prices keep creeping up, but so far they have been reliable and take liquids, which is why we use them.
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by weight
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Since there's a big difference between ordering a 50g bag of za'atar mix and one that weighs a kilogram, we've done away with the flat rate postage.
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We've added a weight system at the checkout and found smaller boxes for the za'atar and oregano!
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Bassatin Baanoub's 1kg bag is for za'atar lovers; please get in touch if you're interested.
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a sell out success at Douk
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Thank you so much to those who came to Douk last Sunday to help raise money for a charity in Lebanon called Bedayati.
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Happy ticket holders in a long queue on a sunny Gloucester Road quickly snapped up delicious treats like Philip Khoury's Beirut chocolate bar and Khayo's Knayfe in Comptoir Libanais.
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Sania's okra
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A friend staying from Beirut has shared her recipe for a popular Lebanese dish made with okra. The magic touch is the drizzle of pomegranate molasses at the end of the cooking which adds a vibrant finish.
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Made with frozen okra this interesting vegetable is highly nutritious and the recipe is warming in chilly February.
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shorkk markets & fairs
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For those in Bristol, if you're pressed for time, we have a click and collect service.
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