Vegan MoFo: Food Styling, Food Photography and L Mulligan Grocer

Blogging can be a rather solitary pursuit - just the blogger, their computer, and their thoughts. Once people begin commenting on your blog, you feel a little less alone, but sometimes there can be a disconnect between the blogger and the outside world.

But, thankfully, when it comes to food blogging, you don't have to feel alone. Food  is about community, family, friendship; people breaking bread together and partaking in a ritual that nourishes their body and soul. So it makes sense that food bloggers would come together and create their own little community.

 

(That's Gimme The Recipe nearest you and Like Mam Used to Bake)

What helps me feel less alone when blogging is the burgeoning 'Irish Foodies' community that has formed over the past year. I feel lucky that within a few months of starting my blog, I was invited to an event that Bord Bia (the Irish Food Board - 'bia' means food in Irish) held specially for food bloggers. It was the first of its kind held in Ireland and showed that the food blogging community in Ireland had really started to take off.

Food blogging had, of course, been going for a number of years in Ireland already - Bibliocook for example was started in 2005 - and most of the food bloggers (many of whom were already working in the food arena, as food writers for example) knew each other. But it was quite a small community and until this year not many organisations such as Bord Bia had tried to bring food bloggers together for an intiative.

After meeting their fellow food-nuts at the Bord Bia event, Kristin of Dinner du Jour and Caroline of Bibliocook got thinking: what if an organisation was started to represent food bloggers and give them a virtual home where they could meet, swap ideas, and where their websites would be available to interested blog readers and companies? They kept their idea secret but after many months of hard work, they unveiled the Irish Food Bloggers Association (IFBA) last month. At last, Irish food bloggers had somewhere we could call home.

This weekend was the first official IFBA event, a food styling and food photography course followed by a meal at the fantastic gastro pub, L Mulligan Grocer. The workshop was organised by Kristin, with 20 bloggers meeting at the Digital Depot to be taught tips and tricks by Sharon Hearne Smith (a food stylist, food writer and home economist who has worked for Gary Rhodes amongst others) and Donal Skehan (a young food blogger and food writer who has just finished his second book).

 Bloggers watch on as Sharon demonstrates some chopping techniques

 

Donal shows us some of his favourite cookery books

I love finding out about 'behind the scenes' in the media world and it was hilarious to discover that food stylists often use tampons soaked in hot water to add steam to a dish, that soups with toppings often have little ramekins inside them to prop ingredients up, and that pies are sometimes baked with foil or kitchen towel inside if they're not going to be cut into for photos!

Sharon told us about the 'magic stick' she always has on hand at shoots and Donal admitted that he has come up with creative ways of fixing a food mistake.

We looked at lots of beautiful food photographs, many of them of shoots that Sharon worked on, and she was able to point out where she had propped up a lettuce leaf or used olive oil to make food look shiny and freshly cooked. It's fascinating to think that we assume that photographs of food (in cookbooks, magazines, et al) represent reality, when in fact they are a polished, primped and often manipulated version of the 'real thing'.

 
But at the same time, food styling is a form of art, isn't it? A food stylist's job is to make food look beautiful and appealing, to make us salivate and yearn to eat the burger or the cake in the photograph, so why should they not employ whatever tricks they want to make the food look good? Perhaps not everyone will agree with me, but I don't feel entirely cheated by food styling, especially when the resulting photographs are as appealing as the ones Sharon showed us. They turn food into art.

One of my favourite parts of the day was when Donal showed us how he sets up his shots and the various props he uses to make his photographs look so colourful and fun. He has a huge collection of materials, jars, utensils, and wooden boards that he brings together to create stunning shots of his dishes, and it really spurred me on to add more props to my photographs.

It was heartening to see that you don't need to spend a fortune to style a photograph well, and that you don't have to be an expert either. That said, you do need a good camera, which is one stumbling block for some of us. At around €600 - €1000 for a good entry level DSLR camera, the cost could be prohibitive for some .

Donal's set up was top-notch - I could only dream of having a camera like that! Here he is talking about setting up shots:

 

To finish off the day, we were given our own chance to style photographs using props and food we had brought in ourselves. I brought some crumbly brownies and Sharon showed me how I could see how the unbleached parchment paper as a good base for the shot (though as you can see I clearly don't have her skills!).

Above all, what Sharon and Donal taught us was to use what we have (like wrapping paper, tea towels, and parchment paper), to think outside of the box, and to take photographs as we go. For example, if you're taking a photo of a cake, and want to add some icing, you should take a photo at each stage - that way, if the final product doesn't work out, you still have a photograph of the cake pre-icing.

Donal and Sharon were a hilarious team, keeping us entertained with jokes about their perfectionist streaks and making us laugh with some cracking double entendres (Donal told us at one stage to make sure we never burn our nuts...). I hope they work together again soon as their combined experience and fun approach to the presentation made for a really engaging day.

 

So, what are some hungry food bloggers to do after a day dedicated to making the best of food? 

Visit one of Dublin's best new spots for tasty grub: L Mulligan Grocer. This 'gastro pub' (though I cringe using an over-egged phrase for such a cosy and down-to-earth pub) was opened by food blogger Neen of 9 Bean Row, her husband and their friend earlier this year and is fast becoming one of the top spots to visit in the city for scrumptious food. 

As a former vegan, and knowing my fussy dietary preferences, Neen ensured there was a vegan option for each course on our set menu. It was so kind of her and meant the night was totally fuss-free. The menu included beetroot and cumin soup (earthy, moreish and something I must try to recreate!), butternut squash tagine (which had chunks of roasted almond on top), and raspberry sorbet with dark chocolate (the best end to a wonderful meal). 

Every time I go back to L Mulligan Grocer I find they've added something new, a little touch to mark them out from other pubs - like egg timers with coffee, menus housed in old books, railway sleepers as seats and the nicest staff I've ever met.

People probably thought they were taking a huge risk opening the pub during a recession, but they are proof that if you take care of your customers and really care about your food (they support Irish suppliers from around the country) then your business will be a success. 

A huge thanks to Kristin for organising the event, to Donal and Sharon for passing on their skills, to all at L Mulligan Grocer for making our evening meal one to remember, and to my fellow Irish foodies for proving that there is no better recipe than combining friendship with food.