Graham says:
Use odd numbers
There’s one basic rule…
There is an art form to making food look natural.
It needs to look as though it’s fallen where it’s
fallen on the plate and still look good. Some
people have an inbuilt talent for that kind of food
art, and others find it difficult. The idea is to try
and make it look as natural as possible, to invoke
an idea of where the food has come from, to
give it a story, so forget symmetry. Stop trying
to make everything match up. Use odd numbers
wherever possible.
There are no tricks to plating up a delicious
looking plate of food, but there is one basic rule
that I stick to in my kitchen, and it’s how I always
approach a dish: if you cannot eat it and it doesn’t
actually contribute anything to the actual eating
of the dish, then it shouldn’t be on the plate.
Treat every dish differently
Every dish will have its own flavours and
accompanying garnishes that match it just right,
and you can’t just plate everything in the same
way as it just won’t work. Everyone should be
dictated to by the seasons regarding the food
they cook, assuming they want it to be fresh and
seasonal. In the autumn the colours will be more
woody and brown, so that needs to be enhanced
with brighter pops of colour. Give it a bit more
thought rather than just throwing on a sprig of
herb. And don’t just throw a load of mixed cresses
on the dish, or a bunch of micro herbs just
because it’s the fashion. Do they enhance the
flavour and really make it sparkle? Some will and
some won’t, and it’s amazing what difference a
little thought can make.
the dish, so if you’ve got something that doesn’t
look right try moving things about and you might
be surprised.
Make it easy to eat
It’s all very well stacking ingredients up on a plate
into a big tower, but how can people eat that?
They have to take it apart, and as for the waiting
staff, watching them try to move about with a
big tower of food is awkward to say the least.
People want to be able to eat their food without
disassembling it first, so make it easy on them
and try not to make stacks if you can help it.
Plus if you can see what’s on the plate it’s easier
for the chef to balance colour and texture, and
make it look incredible rather than just quite
good.
It’s the small things
Sometimes moving one element of a dish a tiny
fraction on a plate can change the entire look of
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Graham’s book, Sex, Drugs and
Sausage Rolls is available now from
all good bookshops priced £35.