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Receive our newsletterClaire Frank delves into the delicious world of food blogging.
There has been a revolution in food, and it isn't about eating. You have probably been in a restaurant and seen someone taking a picture of their starter and you can be pretty sure they are doing it to show someone else. They might even be going to write about it later. Food blogging has taken over the culinary world and the food critics of our national newspapers are upset – until now they were the only ones allowed to have an opinion. Those of us who love food and write as well were always envious of their job – being paid to eat? We dream about work like that. Critics who have publicly moaned that too many people were getting in on the act have been inundated by indignant food bloggers, but when do they ever come out of London? Of course London has some of the best restaurants in the country but here in East Anglia we have some of the best produce, some great chefs (including Jamie and Delia...) a lot of dedicated cooks and foodies, and those of us who know where to find them want to tell everybody else.
When I worked in a restaurant the thought of a food critic discovering us, writing amazing things and launching us into celebrity-land was always tempered by the fact that they might not get it, would write something rude and send us in a nosedive into even greater obscurity. Like a Michelin star it's as much a blessing as a curse. And although the critics still have some influence, now that anyone can have an opinion I'm sure it keeps them on their toes. Tracey MacLeod, food critic of the Independent, recently came out of London and reviewed The British Larder, a Suffolk country pub that has opened recently and has a chef’s food blog of the same name.
A quick look through the thousands of food blogs that I can connect to in a moment takes me into a world that was previously inaccessible. From beautifully photographed decorated cupcakes in New York, to Sushi in Japan, via a dessert maker in Indonesia and a German Chocolatier. The skill and dedication of people who cook, photograph and write about their food is inspiring, and can make you instant friends with people who are as passionate as you. My favourites are the local blogs that just celebrate the joy of eating - Rate My Sausage from Kings Lynn, or Roast Potato from Essex. I write about gorgeous Suffolk food, there is so much of it. I am not an expert chef but I do love cooking and eating, and nothing pleases me more than buying a pumpkin from the side of the road, or a home-made cake from a village fete, or discovering a cafe that still sells liver and bacon casserole (with fried onions and cabbage) for under a fiver. I want to celebrate what comes out of my garden, from down my road and in my community.
It should be easy to find good and cheap produce – just as easy as it is to find a simple risotto or pasta in Italy, and through my blogging I want to encourage, not condemn. I try not to write bad stuff because I know how hard it is to make a great restaurant work, and I also know all the shortcuts - the ‘local’ crayfish that come in a bucket of brine, the bought-in desserts - and the misguided combinations and elevated prices.
So now anyone can do it and it’s going to be big - in August 2010 there was an International Food Bloggers Conference in Seattle, featuring food sponsors, talks on blogging ethics, special diets and five course menus for breakfast lunch and dinner. I might call my blogging mates in this area and see if they want to come with me next year; because we are going to change the way you think about food.
