We visited the food stylist, cook, baker and food photographer Aimee Twigger in her kitchen in South Devon, England and the minute we saw her flower pasta, fresh baked breads and cakes with toppings out of a Isabel Codrington still life we fall in love with her food aesthetics. So much, that we wanted to know everything about how she does it.
IRMA: Your food creations look like paintings, where do you start. Is the cake topping or pasta filling already in your mind or do you plan it? If so when does this creative process happen? In the grocery store, at the baking board or in a sketchbook?
AIMEE TWIGGER: Thank you, I love to take inspiration for painting for my style of photography. I usually get inspired by the seasons or what produce is available. I love to try and only use things that are in season at the time. I sometimes create in the moment but most of the time I draw out my ideas in a note book. I love to doodle my design ideas down and then bring them to life.
IRMA: Cooking and baking with flowers looks beautiful but does it also has a well being factor? Which herbs and blossoms work perfectly for your health?
AIMEE TWIGGER: I love to use edible flowers and herbs when I cook because I really enjoy foraging for them on walks. Each has their own season to look forward too. They are pretty but they also have a great flavour. It’s great to use elements on cakes or in recipes that are completely edible and colourful. They have each have a range of health benefits. Hibiscus can help lower cholesterol. Lavender is good for vitamin A. Roses are packed with vitamins and antioxidants. Pansys have antimicrobial properties. I don’t know an awful lot about the health benefits to them all. Generally, use them for taste or decoration purposes rather than for their health benefits.
IRMA: You are a photographer and food stylist, but all your clothes match the full picture. Do you also make your own cloths?
AIMEE TWIGGER: I photograph and style everything I shoot unless I am lucky enough to collaborate with another creatives then we style together. I don’t make my own clothes. I love to collect vintage linens and other linen clothing for my photos. I really love son de flor, for their linen dresses and aprons. If I travel to France, I love to look for linens at the brocante.
IRMA: How important is it today to work creatively, no matter what you do for a living and how does your environment inspires you for a balanced life?
AIMEE TWIGGER: I think it’s really important to be creative, it does amazing things for a person’s mental wellbeing. I was in such a dark place before I started my blog. It gives me something to focus on and have a creative outlet. Even just the task of creating some pasta or a loaf of bread can be really therapeutic. However, I do find that it can sometimes have the opposite effect on occasions. Like any creative mind, sometimes you worry you have no new ideas and don’t feel like creating or you feel like the things you are creating are not good enough. I think that is a normal feeling that even the most talented artists have felt during their careers. I tend to go through fazes when I am in a really creative mood and have lots of new ideas. Then I have other times when I have no ideas and don’t feel creative at all. when I am not feeling in the mood to create, I try and find another completely different creative outlet instead. I will make something out of clay or draw or even just go for a walk in the woods. Then before I know it I am inspired to create again. I think the seasons play a huge part in my inspiration. I find I am most inspired when the seasons are the most interesting, the blossoms in spring, colour changing leaves of autumn and the whimsical element to Christmas. January and February tend to me the hardest months for me creatively. I don’t think the environment outside is that inspiring during those months. It’s cold and dark and usually raining. The first blossoms are just starting to appear on the trees and with it hopefully new ideas will flow.
IRMA: What cooking ingredient is totally overrated?
AIMEE TWIGGER: Avocados, I’m not a huge fan, though I suppose they can be good for vegan baking.
IRMA: How do you find the perfect combination of different tastes and ingredients. It seems like matching colours together to create something harmonious.
AIMEE TWIGGER: I love to experiment in the kitchen and try different flavours together. That is probably my favourite part of creating recipes. Finding a balance in sweetness, sharpness and saltiness it was a normally aim for.
