At Home with Nicole Brixi

A loaded olive oil bread dip for sharing

At Home With is an original series from Honest Toil exploring the people using our olive oil in their own homes. Through conversations, recipes and personal stories, the series offers a glimpse into the spaces, traditions and rituals that shape the way we cook at home – celebrating thoughtful ingredients, shared tables and the role our olive oil plays in everyday kitchens.

For our latest At Home with, we spent the afternoon with Nicole Brixi – creative strategist, fashion designer, devoted collector of trinkets and self-proclaimed dip enthusiast. Nicole is the co-founder of CASA GAJA, a creative project she runs with one of her closest friends in Portugal. Born in Brazil and now based in Europe, her approach to food is shaped by a lifetime of gathering, improvising and making something special from whatever is available.

Growing up as an only child in rural Brazil, Nicole developed a habit of collecting things. Seashells, rocks, coins and, at one point, even coloured cotton buds found their way into carefully assembled shrines. That instinct to gather and curate remains at the heart of how she approaches creativity today.

Alongside her is Matilda, her beloved dog and self-described clone in a different vessel – "only her vessel is way more fun to cuddle". According to Nicole, Matilda's favourite snacks are baby carrots and her favourite place to nap is tucked beneath an armpit.

When it came to choosing a dish for Honest Toil, there was never really any question. Nicole describes dips as her favourite food group, so naturally she prepared what she calls "the dip to end all dips", a loaded olive oil bread dip built for sharing. Layered with hummus, garlic, basil, tomatoes, olives, chillies, pomegranate seeds, parmesan and a generous amount of Honest Toil, it's the kind of dish that quickly becomes the centre of a table.

Her love of cooking comes from watching her mother and stepfather in the kitchen growing up. With Brazilian and Argentinian influences shaping family meals, there was always variety on the table and an understanding that even when the fridge looked empty, something delicious could be made from whatever was left. Nicole calls it "the everything paradox" – the ability to turn seemingly nothing into something. For her, that's the mark of a great cook.

And perhaps that's why this dip feels so fitting: generous, abundant, slightly chaotic and designed to bring people together. Perfect for summer hosting, picnics in the park or a table full of friends, it's a recipe that encourages sharing, lingering and going back for one more scoop.