Food Blogging, Eating, Culture and Food Photography and interview with Shilpa Razniewska, named best Irish Blog of 2018 by Creative Impact, with published work in The Taste.ie, The Journal.ie, and Lidl Ireland.

“We have a very good mix of cultures and traditions at home and we try our best to teach our little boy both our cultures as well as the traditions of our home now Ireland and we all three enjoy them all. It is fun to have so many different things to celebrate and eat. I miss the festival vibes in India, whenever there is a festival, it is so vibrant, colourful and beautiful“

It takes a village, it certainly does; to do just about anything. One of the most welcoming, supportive and encouraging communities I’ve discovered is the food community. Like so many folks who found themselves thrown off kilter, you know when the world tipped on it’s side, slid down a hill and somersaulted straight into surreal reality, I looked to grounding myself in certainty. For me, the kitchen is a certain place and there I could control and manifest through food. Cooking is the oldest form of magic, it is powerful, especially when the food being shared is made with care. A living history that nourishes all the senses. this sounds dramatic, which it probably is, but what is the point of writing or living if there isn’t a bit of a show?

I looked to my kitchen to make the most of what we had available, to nourish my family and to find my footing as I stirred, chopped and washed mountains of dishes. I called my mother for recipes or to clarify some food memory, because like most moms her recipes lived in her and on the plate. I am a mother and my recipes very much live the same way. In a way to occupy the hours of uncertainty, I started to write down and then photograph our meals.

” I started sharing simple healthy recipes with my friends and got a good feedback, so that gave me a push, so I gained the confidence to start my blog. It grew from there, but my photos were nothing like what they look like now, they were all taken on my phone.”

While I cooked and learned all the buttons and knobs on my DSLR (with much frustration) I met different food bloggers, cooking and creating STUNNING food photos, capturing the magic and beauty of their cultures while fearlessly sharing them with the world.

One of the first food photographers and food bloggers who I met, virtually of course, was Shilpa Razniewska. Her style is vibrant, inviting and celebrates food of her home country India, her husband’s Polish roots and their current home in Ireland. It is a celebration of all the nuances that make living in the global era so deeply wonderful. Curious about Indian cuisine? Need a knowing guiding hand to show you the way? You can find her work HERE!

We talked often, sharing our exhaustion as working mothers, having a good laugh, and finding mutual support in navigating through 2019,2020 and 2021 etc. Shilpa was the first to support the idea of a blog! Here we are! Nearly a year and a half after our interview, but here we are! Her recipe for Lamb do Pyaza , an Indian stewed lab dish with ample onions and spices, has been a favorite on our dinner table ever since. It is flavorful, delicious, a great way to try something new and introduce new cultures at the dinner table.

Shilpa takes you through the steps in detail to make sure you are a kitchen hero and in our interview she spares no details of her own successful journey connecting people through food and image.

” I am a self taught Photographer and stylist, I learnt a lot from other Photographers…”

Q:You are so multifaceted that it is hard to find a good starting question, so maybe you can tell me a bit about how you found yourself at the center of food, photography and  blogging? 

A: Thank you Anisa! that is very kind of you to say 🙂 

My Food blogging is what started first, I created my blog Soulful and Healthy when my boy was around 3 years old, he is 8 now!** After his birth I had lost a lot of weight, then came the post natal depression, so in order to feel better I started baking, it was so therapeutic, but with all the baking came excess sugar intake and i gained a lot of weight and that’s when I realized I should start eating healthy and changed my lifestyle. I started sharing simple healthy recipes with my friends and got a good feedback, so that gave me a push, so I gained the confidence to start my blog. It grew from there, but my photos were nothing like what they look like now, they were all taken on my phone. Gradually I gained interest in the photography aspect of it, in order to make my readers wanting to try my recipes I had to make the food look attractive, so then came the food styling part of it. I am a self taught Photographer and stylist, I learnt a lot from other Photographers who share their knowledge for free on Instagram and then I kept practicing and never stopped. 

**Shilpa and her husband have recently welcomed a new addition to their family making their happy trio a full quartet!

Q: How has the current global situation affected your approach to food(scarcity. Food shopping. Prices etc)

A: I have always been cautious about food at home, I think it was the way we have been raised, there is hardly any food waste at home, so we always shopped only what we need and never extra. So the current situation didn’t change much. However we started shopping more organic, in order to stay healthy it is very important what we put into our body, so we started buying more from farms and organic section. It is better to eat good quality food than spend on medication later on. That’s what we believe. 

One of things that we follow at home is to buy only the things that you need to prepare a particular dish, let’s say tomorrow I want to make veggie pasta, then we will buy what we need for that dish. No point in buying lots of veggies and stocking them and then forgetting to use them and then they end up in bin. Another tip is that when I haven’t thought of what I would be cooking on that day I see what is veggies are left over in the fridge and cook something based on that, this also helps reduce any unnecessary wastage. This has always worked for us and we have continued to do so. 

Q: What are your top three favorite recipes on your blog? (You know mine already)

A: My top three favourite recipes from my blog are – 

Chicken curry in creamy cashew paste (Dairy free)

This chicken curry is my ultimate favourite, I have made this like a million times now, for friends, families and occasions and every single time everyone has licked their plates clean! 

The photos aren’t great this was the beginning stages of my photography journey so I was only learning. 🙂

Refined sugar Free Banana Bread

Banana Bread – Sorry but this is the most ultimate banana bread recipe, even before the craze for banana bread hit us all this pandemic I have been baking this and this is so loved by my family, every time I see over ripe bananas at home I bake this and it is gone the next day. It is refined sugar free so win win!

Moroccan Turkey Meatballs with Lemony Couscous

Moroccan turkey meatballs with lemony couscous – This simple yet beautiful bend of Moroccan spices and served with lemony couscous this recipe is another loved one by my readers, it has become a family favourite for some and they has said it is on repeat in their kitchen, nothing makes me more happy to hear that. 

Q: Must have props under $10\10£

A:I have a small collection of cutlery that I use as props which I bought from a flee market in Dublin, you can find beautiful props for under €10 in flee markets. So antique cutlery, some plates and cups all must haves from a flee market. I know we don’t have them anymore now, so keep an eye out online. 

Also for readers looking around online for props what textures, patterns, shapes and colors are ideal buys? 

This is something that would be more specific on each person’s individual liking but if I had to generalize then look for antique, used or worn out cutlery, something that won’t reflect light  when used as a prop. Matte finish plates, cups etc I love ceramic ones too, they look beautiful when used for styling a dish and they are matte finish most of the time. I wouldn’t stick to one particular colour and patterns as such it’s good to have a mix of everything you never know when it might come of use. I wouldn’t buy something very contrasting because end of the day the food or the dish is the highlight not the prop and the plate. 

Q: What is one food that had an unexpected learning curve when photographing?

A: Some of the most simple ones are the most difficult to style, it is a challenge to make a bowl of soup, a bowl of porridge or even hummus to look attractive. Then it all goes down to what toppings you can use to make the food stand out. Also the right use of props will make a boring bowl of porridge look its best. 

Q: You’ve mentioned before that you were born in India, currently living in Ireland and your husband is culturally Polish. That must make for a very vibrant culinary and cultural setting for your son. Where have you seen influences of either culture season your traditions and food? What do you miss most from India? How do find ways of incorporating those different influences and memories?

A: Yes we have a very good mix of cultures and traditions at home and we try our best to teach our little boys both our cultures as well as the traditions of our home now Ireland and we all three enjoy them all. It is fun to have so many different things to celebrate and eat. I miss the festival vibes in India, whenever there is a festival, it is so vibrant, colourful and beautiful that is something I cant show my boys here, but I try to recreate the food we have during those festivals and we dress up all Indian too, it makes up for it. I am trying my best so he has lovely memories of his childhood celebrating these festivities.