Tuesday, 4 March 2014

Winter Salad - Beetroot and Kale Panzanela

We have been getting an organic veg bag from Goodness Growing for the last few months which has inspired me to be much more creative when it comes to dinner.
I have been meaning to share this recipe for some time, a nice wintery variation of my favourite summer salad Panzanella.  I used a mix of candy stripe and normal beetroots to make a pretty plateful.  Anything to brighten a gloomy winter day!  And as always use the best real bread you can get your hands on, this time I used a Malthouse Sourdough from The Haxby Bakehouse.



Beetroot Panzanella
Feeds One

2 large ripie tomatoes
1 thick slice of sourdough bread
1 clove garlic 
A sprig of fresh rosemary
1tbsp salt and pepper
2 beetroots, boiled, peeled and diced
A handful of curly kale or cavelo nero, shredded and blanched for 3 minutes in boiling water
8 cherry tomates, halved
1/4 red onion, finely sliced
1 tbsp hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Dressing
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp maple syrup
Salt and pepper

Preheat the grill on high.

Roughly chop the tomatoes and tip into a large bowl.  Squash them with your hands until all the flesh is reduced to juice.

Rub the slice of bread with the clove of garlic and crushed rosemary.  Drizzle with olive oil and place on a baking sheet under the preheated grill.  Toast on both sides until golden then carefully cut into rough cubes and add to the tomatoes in the mixing bowl.  Mix together and set aside for ten minutes while you prepare the remaining vegetables.

In a separate small bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients.  Add all the other ingredients to the tomatoes and bread and mix well.  Drizzle over the dressing, plate and enjoy.




Wednesday, 12 February 2014

Miss Kiki's Miyabi

I am very excited to share this shoot with you!  This is the reason for the radio silence back in January.  

As Christmas and New Year became a distant memory I jumped into 2014 with this shoot for the fantastic Miss Kiki Salon.  The dresses are stunning and Kate and Rob are such inspirational people to work with!  It was an absolute pleasure to work with the whole Miyabi team.  

The full set of images can be seen on the Miss Kiki Salon website or if you happen to be in London between now and the 7th March they will be part of an exhibition to launch the collection at The Reading Room, Frith Street.





Shoot Credits 

Photography: Victoria Harley
Millinery: Ugly Lovely
Hair and make-up: Julie Ann Pattinson
Model: Sarah Jones

Thursday, 6 February 2014

Pizza and beer, what more could you want?

How did it get to February already!? 
2014 has got off to a flying start which I will be able to share more of very soon.  So, in the meantime here is a little offering of pizza and beer! The perfect pairing.

This week I was invited to a pizza party thrown by Dan the baker.  Dan and his wife are starting their own bakery using an Alan Scott wood fired oven.  They have been kind enough to let me document their project taking shape from the ground up (more shots here).  It was a pleasure to see the oven finished and get to taste some of the first produce, baked by torch light in the rain!

And so to the natural partner of pizza….great beer!  The beers of Bad Seed Brewery are just that.
At the end of last year Chris and James kindly let me go along to shoot and very patiently (and probably more than once) explained the process to me.  More images can be seen on the Bad Seed website under the gallery tab.  
Seek out their beers, I promise you will not be disappointed!




Saturday, 30 November 2013

Quarmby's Deli, Flapjack Nation and an announcement

I am sorry it has all been a bit quiet on here over the last few weeks.  There is a good reason!  
As you know I have been working on my Oven Ready Project over the last 18 months.  I have spent the last couple of months putting everything in place to self publish the first of what will be four small books!  
I have moved the project to a new home here.  The book launches on December 11th with an event in Leeds and will be on sale on the night and online.  A few more details to sort but I am nearly ready.

I also wanted to share some of the fantastic clients I have been working with over the past few months.

These shots were produced for Quarmby's Deli ahead of their launch last month.
These shots were created for the wonderful Flapjack Nation in Wales.
This was great fun and all done remotely!  Hopefully one day soon I will get to meet the lovely 
Lucy in person.



Sunday, 10 November 2013

Recipe Sunday! Vegan Christmas treats

I know, I know it is a little early to mention the C word quite yet! You know...Christmas, but I posted a quick snap of this treat on Instagram last week and someone very sweetly asked for the recipe!  So here it is.  This is my variation of a recipe which my Mum and Grandma used to make.  It has gone down so well in our house that it will now replace the traditional mince pies this year.  I think Grandma would be proud.
Happy Baking!

160g soya margarine
95g soft brown sugar
2tsp cardamom, ground
250g wholemeal plain flour
125g porridge oats
1 340g jar vegan mincemeat 
(my favourite is this one from Meridian which is widely available)

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Line an 11x7" flapjack tin with baking parchment and set aside.
Place the margarine, sugar and cardamom in a small non-stick pan over a low heat until the margarine has melted and the sugar dissolved.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl combine the flour and oats.
When the margarine mixture is ready pour into the flour and oats and mix well.  The mixture will look like rough bread crumbs rather than a dough so don't panic if it feel a little dry.
Spoon half the mix into the prepared tin and press down well to form the base of the slice.  Next spread the mincemeat over in an even layer.  Sprinkle over the remaining flour mixture and place into the oven.  
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is lightly golden.  Remove from the oven and cool.  Cut into pieces and enjoy, I like it best a little warm with a spoon of vanilla soya yogurt and a cup of Earl Grey.

Quick dull health and safety note:  The mincemeat achieves a temperature close to lava so don't give in to temptation and try and sample too soon!! Let it cool for a good ten minutes at least.  Remember a burnt tongue is no fun at all.




Monday, 28 October 2013

Introducing...Holroyd and Pickles!!

Ladies and Gentlemen!  I give you Holroyd and Pickles!

Shoot Credits:
Hair and Make Up: Helen Guy
Collection: Holroyd and Pickles
Photography: Victoria Harley
Special thanks to Alex Harley and Jim Waite


Sunday, 27 October 2013

A teaser...

In the famous words of Monty Python..."and now for something completely different!"

If you follow my twitter feed you may have guessed what I have been upto over the past few months.  Launch day is almost upon us so I can finally spill the beans that I have been shooting the first collection of the amazing and beautiful Holroyd and Pickles.  A bit of a departure from pea poking but I have loved every second of it!  

I feel like a bit of a mean tease now as I am not quite done tweaking the full post of shots, so until tomorrow here are a few behind the scenes shots!   

Shoot credits:
Model: Millie Dollar
Hair and makeup: Helen Guy MUA
Collection: Holroyd and Pickles
Photography: Victoria Harley