Oil and Vinegar

I have  just discovered Oil and Vinegar – an interesting opening in Highcross.

Oil and Vinegar is on the lower ground floor of Highcross Leicester in Unit L7

It’s likely to be the kind of place you’ll either love or hate.  It’s somewhat high concept – the core offer being big glass dispensers full of oil and, well, vinegar. Then there’s all sorts of cute little bottles, phials, flagons and whatnot which staff will fill at your request.  There’s a big range of simple olive oils,  oils flavoured with garlic,lemon, chilli and so on and versatile vinegars including fig balsamic, marc de champagne vinegar and even sweet vinegars such apple,lime and elderflower.  They had a couple of balsamics put out for tasting and they were stunning.

The rest of the shop is very definitely in the gift food market. Pricy but appealing bottles and jars of  marinades, sauces and looks-good-but- not-sure-what-I’d-do-with-it items such as creamed pistachios or artichoke and garlic paste. It’s like a floated-off section of an upmarket department store food hall and the kind of place that doesn’t usually open in Leicester –  so welcome to them and I look forward to trying out a few vinegars.