“Olives changed the direction of my life. My husband Michel and I found...” — Carol Drinkwater Quote

“Olives changed the direction of my life. My husband Michel and I found a ruined farm with an olive grove near Cannes. I became fascinated by olives and found myself travelling around the Mediterranean for 17 months, researching two books on the subject.”

“All olives ripen green, then change to rose, shades of purple, and black. According to region, this process takes about four months and, once the fruits are ripe, they can be picked at any stage.”

“Queen Victoria loved the French Riviera. She visited on nine occasions and did a great deal to give this area its chic international reputation.”

“You get these horrifying straight-to-video things for very little money, then you go to the Cannes Film Festival, and they got some poster of you, 40 ft. high, in the worst movie in the world.”

“In terms of film festivals, Cannes is the greatest launch pad.”

“I wore Armani Prive to Cannes, and that was incredible. The craftsmanship is something I never understood until I wore it: the structure, the integrity of the fabrics, the colours, how things photograph.”