Improving your food photography: a guide for bloggers

I was chuffed to bits when I was recently approached by the Foodie Bugle (the well-known online food and drink magazine) and asked if I’d write a feature on food photography tips for bloggers. There are already a lot of articles, blogs and books that provide advice on food photography, but they do all tend to be geared towards bloggers who have digital SLR cameras. I decided to write a more general piece to be useful to bloggers, regardless of the type equipment they have. In fact, many of the areas I touch on (bouncing and reflecting light etc.) can be applied to most areas of photography.

If people do find my advice useful, I may well do a follow-up piece here in the future with tips on styling and basic photo editing. Please let me know if you’d find this helpful.

As always, you are welcome to contact me if you want any specific advice on your own food photography work. Just pop your questions in the comments section of my blog so that I can respond to you there and hopefully help others who have a similar query.

You can read the full article here.

Banana and Cinnamon Breakfast Smoothies

I’ll admit that is so simple that it can hardly be called a recipe, but I’ve recently seen so many people buying pre-packaged smoothies that I thought I’d remind everyone just how delicious and easy they are when you make them yourself.

On days when I don’t feel like eating a substantial breakfast I tend to go for a smoothie instead, particularly at this time of year when I’ve eaten my body weight in porridge over the winter and want a change.

I’ve used some lovely Sussex yogurt but any natural yogurt will work just as well. This makes a quite a thick smoothie which can still be sucked up through a straw. If you don’t like yours too thick then just add more ice. Serves 2.

You will need:
2 Large bananas
250g natural yogurt
Pinch of cinnamon
6 ice cubes

Simply add the all the ingredients to a food processor and blitz until smooth. Serve immediately. Will also keep quite well in a plastic drink container for a few hours if you want to drink it on the move.

Pasta with Pancetta, Peas and Parmesan

We’ve had some really beautiful weather in the past couple of weeks and, with my new raised veg beds complete, I finally managed to get out and sow my first ever vegetables. I’m fortunate that my Mum is a trained horticulture specialist and garden designer, so she helped me select some fruit and veg that would be fairly easy for me to grow and I’d be able to harvest this year. She really is in her element in the garden and it was lovely to spend the day with her as she showed me the different ways to sow each of the seeds and how to water and care for them. There really is something so satisfying about spending time outdoors in the mud!

At this time of year, when there’s not a whole lot of excitement around in terms of fresh fruit and veg, I tend to rely on whatever I’ve got stashed in my freezer or store-cupboard. This simple pasta dish that takes about 15 minutes to make and it’s an ideal mid-week supper when you’ve had a busy day at work and want something quick and satisfying to eat.

You will need:
400g of dried Penne pasta
3 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove
½ an onion
150g panchetta, cut into thin slices
2 tbsp of of crème fraiche
150g frozen peas
Parmesan for sprinkling
Serves 4

1.) Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and then cook the penne pasta according to the instructions on the packet.
2.) In a large pan, heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion until it begins to soften. Add pancetta and cook for about 4 minutes, or until it begins to brown, then add the garlic and peas. Cook for about another minute, or until the peas are cooked, and then turn off the heat.
3.) Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the onion, garlic and pancetta. Add 2 tbsp of crème fraiche and mix gently until well combined. If you prefer you sauce more creamy then just add more creme fraiche. 
4.) Serve on warmed plates and sprinkle generously with parmesan.

Lemon and poppy seed shortbread

Last Sunday was one of those days when I wanted to bake something treaty but couldn’t quite decide what. I needed fresh lemon juice for another dish I was making that day, so I thought I’d make use of the zest and play around with a shortbread recipe.

The flavors of lemon and poppy seeds work well together, and I’m always surprised just how much flavour poppy seeds have considering how small they are.

You will need
150g unsalted butter, cut into small chunks and left until at room temperature
150g plain flour
75g cornflour
75g caster sugar (plus a little extra for sprinkling when cooked)
A pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of poppy seeds
Grated zest of 1 ½  lemons 

Makes about 12 biscuits

1.) Beat the butter and sugar together in a mixer until pale and creamy, then stir in the poppy seeds and lemon zest and a pinch of salt.
2.) Sift in your plain and cornflour to the bowl and, using a fork, gently mix the ingredients together until you have a soft dough. Be careful not to overmix.
3.) Dust a sheet of baking paper, place your dough on top and roll it out to about 5mm thick. Place flattened dough in the fridge for 45mins - an hour.
4.) Preheat your oven to 170oC/Gas Mark 3
5.) To cut your dough either use a 6cm pastry cutter or an upturned drinking glass of around the same diameter.
6.) Place your shortbread rounds on a non-stick baking tray and bake for approx. 20mins or until slightly firm.
7.) Remove them from the oven and sprinkle with caster sugar.
8.) Leave them to cool on the tray for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to fully cool and harden.