In France McDonald's are trialling RE-USABLE packaging!   I was delighted to be asked to shoot this campaign - even if the biggest challenge was getting the logos to show up.   (I actually thought they had sent me the wrong containers when I saw the white salad dish - talk about subtle!)

Always a pleasure working with the superbly professional and talented team at TBWA\Paris and we enjoyed some great lunches shooting in Shoreditch.   My French still leaves much to be desired, though I keep trying....

Agency TBWA\Paris, Art buyer Carine Gullaffo, Art Direction Paul Reyrolle, Food Styling Anne-Claire Delphin.

 Interview:  BBC Radio - The Food Chain - Thursday 16th March 

You don 't really think of radio as featuring photography, but last week I was interviewed along with South African food stylist Claire Ferrandi and New York food photographer and director Steve Giralt, for a feature on Food Photography on BBC Radio's World Service today at 11.30 am and 11.30 pm and available any time on BBC Sounds at link below photo.

It was great to be involved, if little surprise to hear that we have the same challenges with our work the world over....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct38pb

Wild Garlic Recipes: Time to pick and cook

Where can you find wild garlic?   If you are lucky enough to have deciduous, broad-leaved, mixed woodland nearby, the chances are you might find a shady spot hosting a patch of wild garlic. This lovely vegetable is a real treat as it has a short season and, so-far, doesn't seem to be commercially grown. It's not only tasty - a mild form of the more pungent bulbs we are well used-to - it's versatile and also really good for you. 

In 2021 I had the pleasure of shooting for Janice Murfitt's The Little Book of Wild Garlic  published by Austen McCauley https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=oTSuxe-bcuc. We braved some very chilly mornings to get good light for the location shots and had fun chasing the sun in Janice's garden for a few more while keeping the overall lighting and props styling fresh and simple to emphasise the delicious, natural foods.  The resulting book includes a lovely diverse range of wild garlic recipes to suit all occasions - I thoroughly enjoyed being "tester"! 

Trug with bunch of flowering wild garlic and garlic oil

                     

Chunky wild garlic spring soup

Wild garlic and feta stuffed aubergine pockets

Seared scallops with chorizo and wild garlic

Sue's special Thai Prawn Salad

So on 24th March 2019, with our lease up and our landlady selling, we left Grafton Mews, arriving home just a few hours before COVID lock-down! Since then what changes we have all seen! I am now hiring studios as appropriate to the job - sometimes East London, sometimes West and sometimes literally 5 minutes down the road in Maidenhead. I am pleased to report that hire studios have come on a pace since I used to hire them back in the '90's. But looking at this sadly-neglected Sue in the Studio Blog reminded me that I always promised to post a favourite studio lunch recipe - which we still do sometimes. 

Here it is:  This should serve about 6 with some flat bread (we use Sainsbury’s multi-seeded) on the side. 

Ingredients: 

1 large courgette, 

1 large carrot, peeled, 

1 bunch spring onions, 

1 -2 red chillies, heat as to preference, 

1-2 baby gem lettuces or 1 large bag rocket, 

1 red pepper, 

approx 300g good cherry tomatoes, 

2 packs cooked tiger prawn, 

1 bunch coriander, 

sesame seeds, 

approx 1 tblsp, 

juice of 1 lime, 

sesame oil, 

2/3 volume to lime juice, 

fish sauce e.g. Squid Brand, approx. 1 tblsp, 

1/4 teaspoon sugar, 

Nanami Togarashi - Japanese chilli seasoning, available on-line (optional).

Wash, finely shred or grate all the vegetables (we use a Papaya shredder). Halve the tomatoes, chop the coriander. Toss together in a large bowl, adding prawns and sesame seeds. Mix lime juice, oil, fish sauce and sugar to taste. Dress salad immediately before serving, adding a good shake of chilli seasoning for a bit of heat. Serve with warmed flat breads. 

Enjoy! Better still, come and have some in the studio with us on your next shoot....

OFF THE WALL - Food and Drink Portfolio Print Sale - Thursday November 28th

Between 5 - 9 pm on Thursday November 28th I will be holding a once-in-a-lifetime sale of prints of Food and Drink photography at my studio: 18 Grafton Mews, London W1T 5JG Tel 020 7387 5577 All the colour and black and white images were printed by me for my portfolios and/or have featured on the studio walls with average prices between £15 and £50. The aim is really to get them out of storage and give them all good homes! There are plenty of duplicates, but if you miss a favourite, re-orders may be placed on the day although at a higher rate. Any queries please call or email. Looking forward to seeing you on the 28th!

Exhibition of Drinks Photography

During October a selection of my drinks pics are on show at The&Partnership, thanks to the kind invitation of @tapartbuying.

In the black

I have been totally seduced by the new trend for black foods. I don't know where it began but Prezzo have their range of black pizzas and I was happy to be able to recognise the black burger bun I was served at The Ivy, Cobham as an aesthetic presentation rather than a very mysterious result of some occurrence in the kitchen! Here are some from the series I shot just recently. I prepared the food too!