Food & menu photography. Craigdarroch Inn Hotel.

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Foyers is a small village nestled at the foot of the cliffs of south Loch Ness, roughly half way along on the south side – not the busy A82 side. There you will find an exquisite hotel owned by an ex- Gordon Ramsay Holdings trained chef – The Craigdarroch Country House Hotel – now called the Craigdarroch Inn. We were asked in 2011 to come in and initially do a full property and interior photography shoot the fine interior with spacious rooms all with huge four poster beds and dining plus social rooms to match. We were then asked to do a full food photography shoot of the menu. The ice-cream dish served on a nest of fresh raspberries came with a white chocolate ribbon and raspberry sauce…

Each of the dishes presented were all of a strong colour in composition which was great when it came to shooting. Chef had thought through the ideas we had prior to the shoot and created dishes that were structured well for a photograph – yes, sometimes chef’s creativity can sort of be at odds with the camera! Easy to shoot vertical images, which not only showed the skill of the chef but also their attention to detail and desire to use on the freshest of ingredients. The chicken and tagliatelle had a sauce that maintained its air bubbles just long enough to achieve the shot we were looking for – not only plate but also across the table towards the windows over looking Loch Ness. The only issue here is that the usual Highland weather prevailed and it threw it down! The raspeberry with ice cream and the ribbon took a little longer to get right – the ribbon made by chef had to be reshaped so that it formed a curve that worked in the camera – not too easy as it kept breaking so chef had to make more! A strong menu for shoot that represented real chef skills in the Highlands.