During Social Media Week in London, I couldn’t let it be all work and no play. So the thought of heading to Google London HQ for a little bit of Michelin star quality food and some top tips from a renowned food photographer seemed the ideal way to spend an evening. Oh and there was wine. And did I mention that it was at Google?! Fun.

After a nice and simple presentation from photographer David Griffen where we learnt simple basics such as how to get in close to the food, how to get the best light and how to counteract harsh yellow lighting that affects the quality of a photo.

Then we got to sample some amazing food prepared by Michelin star chef Pascal Aussignac of Club Gascon. The top picture is his Glazed Butternut squash, Roquefort and Trappeur Salt Tart and above is a twist on the old Surf and Turf favourite. It is duck carpaccio with a sea urchin foam, romanesco cauliflower and lotus root crisp. It was such an inventive dish, despite the strong sea flavour (not my favourite unfortunately!). It was then followed by this delightful conception…

Duchess Marmite. You either love it or hate it. I loved it! There was so much cheese… The French hate Marmite but love cheese so Pascal was trying to find a way to bring Marmite into a traditional dish thereby merging the two cultures. It got such a fabulous response (from the English crowd), that he figured that it was worth adding to his future menu planning! That’s an exclusive right here, people!

So, I’m ending this on a fun guessing game.
What do you think these canapes are? (please ignore the blur!)

I’ll give you a hint: The chef was French and this is a delicacy. Oh, and they taste like chicken.