This is the splendidly creative food of Georgia of the Hill Food Company, with a few words to accompany her visual feasts.
1. Georgia, how did you start off on your @hillfoodco journey, and what are you doing now?
I have cooked all my life, but I'm especially passionate about farm to plate eating. I am never happier than when I'm cooking something I have grown, nurtured and picked myself. This is how I first really fell in love with cooking, barefoot in the soil, eating as I went. I also really believe in the entire experience of eating: for me the food is only as good as the ingredients you put into it, so a beautiful table with beautiful china, linens and flowers is as integral to the meal as the food itself.
2. In what context do you work, and could you explain a little your relationship with what you create and how you photograph it?
I work a lot as a private chef in beautiful homes all over England. All of the food I photograph is about to be eaten, so the food is genuine and the photos are often rather hastily taken. I've always found that food created and styled for photoshoots alone never have the same impact.
I always use natural light, which can mean balancing dishes on window sills and climbing on tables for a quick snap before the food is served. I've never been one for recipes, and although I typically create a dish in my head beforehand and can picture how and on what dishes it will sit, I often change my mind at the very last minute and turn it into something quite different! As I finish a weekend of private cooking and flick back through shots, I often find my favourites are the ones of raw ingredients – before I have had a chance to cook them. I don't know what that says about myself, that I could stare at a photograph of a pile of asparagus sitting on a plate for hours and find it totally mesmerising!
3. How did you find working with PLUMES?
I don't usually use dishes with markings on them... yet PLUMES provided a challenge that I actually really enjoyed. There is a photo of some girolles sitting in the bowl on the sink – it catches the light beautifully, and the feather imprint is so subtle I find it super effective!
The Hill Food Company like to do things a little bit differently. Based in Notting Hill, West London but travelling all over the UK and abroad, they cook food that is exciting, beautiful and tastes as good as it looks. They run a small setup with big ideas and a commitment to eclectic menus: so every event they do is beautifully different.
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