Five Minutes With… A Food Stylist

A food stylist, writer and cook, 32-year-old Rosie Birkett lives in Hackney with her fiance. Her blog A Lot On Her Plate became so popular that Rosie published a book with the same name last year. Belle caught up with her to find out more…

WHAT WERE YOUR EARLIEST FOOD INFLUENCES?
I grew up in rural Kent where we had fruit trees and a vegetable patch as well as a stream running through the garden where we could fish for trout. I’d go mushroom picking and looking for cobnuts with my dad. With all that produce on my doorstep, I became very interested in food and where it came from. My mum’s a brilliant cook so she was a big influence but it was only when I went to Leeds university and started cooking for myself that I really started cooking properly.

AFTER UNI, YOU STARTED WORK AS A FOOD JOURNALIST, WHAT WAS IT LIKE GOING FROM WORKING ON THE INSIDE TO BEING A COVER STAR IN YOUR OWN RIGHT?When a mag used a picture of my Salted Butterscotch Popcorn Cheesecake, it was a bit surreal. I know how much work goes into putting a magazine together and how important the cover is so I was so thrilled. That recipe has been so popular too and I loved that people liked it so much and wanted to talk about on Twitter and Instagram.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT SUMMER EATING?
We live near lots of green space and there’s nothing better than grabbing some wine and food and heading out to make the most of the good weather. I like to make simple food that doesn’t leave me hanging around in the kitchen. Fresh simple salads with light vinaigrettes are ideal. I love bbqing too, there’s nothing better than that smoky flavour in summer.

YOU’RE HUGE ON INSTAGRAM WITH OVER 46,000 FOLLOWERS. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT THE SOCIAL NETWORK?
It’s such powerful platform for sharing ideas and images and as a food food writer, it’s great to see what people are interested in by posting a picture and gauging the reaction. I also love the interaction I get with people who’ve made one of my recipes and post pictures of their version.
Instagram’s also a brilliant way to go round the world without leaving home, following people’s adventures in travel and food. The only downside is that you can end up oversharing so I try to keep some moments special and private rather than being tempted to post all the time.

YOU’RE PALS WITH FELLOW FEMALE FOODIES GIZZI ERSKINE AND ELLY CURSHEN, IS IT NICE BEING IN A BIT OF A GASTRO GANG?
Yes, it’s really nice having other women out there who are doing a similar thing to me. It’s quite an unusual way of working – I do pop-ups, food styling and writing as well as my own recipes and books – so it’s great to have others out there to talk to. They’re great fun too and we all like to have a good time together as well as being supportive of each other’s work.

YOU’VE DEVELOPED SOME SUMMERY RECIPES FOR MISSION DELI WRAPS. WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION?

I’ve always used them as they are just so versatile and when I went to Mexico a couple of years ago, I got even more into that kind of food. I’m very passionate about cutting back on food waste and a product like this that you can use with leftovers to create great dishes is really useful. For example, if you’ve got some left over veg and a couple of wraps, you can cut up the wraps and bake them to make brilliant chips and dips.

• This summer, food writer and stylist, Rosie Birkett has put together a collection of mouth-watering recipes using Mission Deli Wraps, which are super soft, so they are easier to fold and hold fillings better . For more information and delicious recipe inspiration visit www.missiondeli.co.uk