This is such a beauty! Imagine a hot loaf, with hot, melting cheese oozing from thick, soft slices. The olive tapenade and the bright green herbs brings a Mediterranean twist to this simple but very elegant centerpiece. I like sunflower loaf but any artisan bloomer shaped loaf (as per the photo) will do just fine.

For the tapenade

Have a go at making this, it’s so easy! However, I won’t be too mad if you pick up a ready made jar of this in your supermarket. After all brunch is all about easy, no stress cooking..

1 x 250mg jar of black pitted olives

2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp minced garlic

2 tbs of freshly chopped flat leaf parsley

Rest of the ingredients

1 very fresh Sunflower Seed Bloomer loaf

10 slices of Emmenthal cheese or your favourite melting cheese

1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, stalks removed, but leaves intact

1 bunch of basil, stalks removed, but whole leaves intact.

Olive oil for drizzling

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper for seasoning.

For the tapenade

Pop all the ingredients into a blender ( I like using my small Kenwood blitzer for this) and on pulse, mince until all the ingredients are a chunky paste. That’s it, seriously!

Now, moving on, first heat your oven to 180 degrees centigrade.

Slice the loaf at a diagonal into medium size slices. Try not to go too thick or too thin. Liberally spread the tapenade in between all the slices.

Now, add the cheese slices, at least 2 slices per opening, stuffing it into the cavities.

Now, holding the slices open as much as you can stuff in the herbs. Don’t stress about this looking imperfect. It is a rustic dish and when everything melts, it will look beautiful.

Take two sheets of foil and place your stuffed bloomer in the centre. Now drizzle over some olive oil and sprinkle some salt and black pepper over the top. Wrap up the loaf but leave the top slightly exposed.

Bake in the oven for a 7-9 minutes. Keep checking to see if the cheese has melted and that the top is not browning too much. Serve piping hot from the oven, letting your guests tear it apart to their liking.

Sunflower Bloomer