A food tale and writing tips from our content / food writer Luke.
A food writer is born
When we were kids, my aunty stayed over for a night
My sister and I are watching Rick Stein’s seafood odyssey – both of us barely talking. My aunty rips into fits of giggles, turning to our Mum:
I’ve never seen two children so enamoured with a cooking programme in my whole life.
There lies the power of food charm. It’ll captivate the blankest of slates.
Stanley Tucci’s recent TV tour of Italy really hit a nerve
Along the way he explored 4 perfect yet particularly simple dishes – with the perfection lying in using next-to-no ingredients and a similar method each time. Coat the semi-cooked pasta in some kind of fat – then, keep adding a tablespoon of the pasta water, and stir until it’s done. Al dente preferably.
What are the Roman classics then?
- Cacio e Pepe – Pecorino Romano and black pepper
- Gricia – Pecorino Romano, black pepper and cured pork
- Carbonara – Pecorino Romano, black pepper, cured pork and egg yolks
- Amatriciana – Pecorino Romano, black pepper, cured pork, tomatoes and white wine
Tasty, nutritious and responsible
- Have a side dish of 2-3 well-seasoned greens – like frozen broad beans, sprouts, peas (all freeze super well) – with a dab of truffle olive oil and black pepper
- Use wholegrain pasta
- Keep to a small handful of cheese – it’s more authentic and makes emulsifying the sauce easier too
- Portion size – the Italian lunch size, no more than 125g of pasta per person
- Use ingredients that are free range, outdoor bred, RSPCA assured and locally sourced
- To reduce meat consumption, Cacio e Pepe is our more regular go-to (alongside Napoli’s Spaghetti Puttanesca)
My tips for writing about food
1. Make human connections
We think people want their food writers to strike a few notes. The content needs some semblance of the charm that TV chefs and authors have made famous. Reminiscence, food love stories – all those tasty chestnuts.
2. Give some food science
As food writers, we steer words towards food science made simple. For us busy folk, gone are the days of ‘giving things a go until they’re right’. People want clear methods that work without having to decipher anything complicated.
3. Write as you’d talk
Our clients have often written some content already, which we review to make sure it sounds human. We also make sure their tone of voice can be heard through their writing.
This is one of the more creative sides of what we do – matching a client’s voice to information that’s relatable and easy to understand. My teammate Tim is an expert here, in case you need any help with your own tone of voice guide.
So here’s to the beauty of these 4 Roman classics
A few simple rules, change 1 or 2 per recipe, and you’ve got a repertoire.