When a chef, one who runs a holiday property in the country none the less, emails to ask if you want to come down to Tasmania to teach a two-day food photography and styling workshop, the only possible answer is yes.
When she mentions that she’ll do all the cooking, talks about stringing fairy lights through the trees for dinner and sends you photos of a possible picnic location at the end of a pier you know it’s meant to be.
And so it was that I found myself, a mere month after that email, flying down to the Apple Isle with a checked bag containing more props than clothes in tow — because that’s totally how I roll.
The weekend workshop was an exciting and immersive experience for everyone involved. It was filled with a gorgeous group of women, incredible food, bundles of inspiration and more laugh-until-your-stomach-hurts instances than we could count.
Ellie, the aforementioned hostess, is a spectacular chef and each meal she produced was more impressive than the last.
The food was hyper-local (octopus caught by Ellie’s husband, oysters from five-minutes down the road, eggs from the backyard chickens, ginger beer and award winning wine from nearby family-run breweries and wineries) and each bite was a feast for the eyes as well as the taste-buds.
Now you can be sure that I’ll be sharing more photos soon, but for the time being I’ll leave you with a few drool-worthy images of breakfast on the second day, and a recipe for the only thing I made the whole time — a Pineapple & Kiwi Green Smoothie.
Prep.Prop.Style.Shoot August 2015: Day 2 Breakfast
- Spinach, Smoked Salmon, Poached Eggs, Hollandaise, Homemade Bread
- Brioche French Toast Bake
- Pineapple & Kiwi Green Smoothie
- Ruby Chai Tea
Two extra gold stars go to attendee Arwen for bringing Ellie flowers and not minding that I immediately hijacked them for the table, then whipping up the most gorgeous Hollandaise to top Ellie’s perfectly poached eggs and fresh bread.
Oh, and that fairy-light lit dinner and pier picnic I mentioned?
Well, due to inclement weather plans were changed slightly this time around — but as we’re already planning two more workshops for November and March you can bet those settings will definitely come into play!
The upcoming workshops have a limited number of space available so grab your spot here for November and here for March. While you’re at it, don’t forget to sign up here for the Prep.Prop.Style.Shoot email list and be the first to know when new dates and tickets are released!
Pineapple & Kiwi Green Smoothie
Refreshing and bright (in taste and colour thank you very much) this green juice combo packs a sweet-tart punch at any time of day.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- half a pineapple, peeled and cored
- 3 kiwi fruit, peeled
- 4 handfulls baby spinach (roughly 2 cups)
- 1 pear, core removed
- juice from 1 lime
- small handful mint leaves
- 500 ml (1 pint) coconut water
- lime wedges, to serve
METHOD
Blend spinach leaves and coconut water until very smooth. Add pineapple, kiwi, pear, lime and mint and blend again to desired consistancy.
Add ice if you wish — to the blender or glass. Serve with lime wedges and extra mint.
COOK’S NOTES
- If possible, find a young coconut and cut it open yourself instead of using packaged/tetrapak coconut water. A single coconut will yeild a full pint of water nearly every time. The water from a mature (hard brown) coconut is not the same as that from a young one.
vegan // vegetarian // gluten-free // dairy-free // probably paleo // nut-free // soy-free
I would love to attend a food styling workshop {and also always have fresh flowers in my home}.
Looks absolutely gorgeous JJ. Is your workshop iPhone and DSLR? I’m away at the moment, but in 2016 would love to do this.
Beautiful photos J. Wish I could have been there. Please do one in Sydney! You do photography and styling, I’ll do social media strategy 😉 xo
Wow. This is so stunning JJ! I definitely agree that it was a no-brainer in terms of attending this workshop (particularly in Tassie, I’ve always wanted to visit… that last photo is stunning). Love the colours in this shoot – the brilliant hues of the flowers, that creamy drizzle of hollandaise, this gorgeously coconutty, refreshing green smoothie. I pretty much feel healthier just after looking at it (funny how photos do that!).
Thanks for sharing this weekend with us. I seriously want to attend a worshop asap! xx
I can’t take my eyes from the smoothie. Looks so inviting. YUM!