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Instagram/Niamh Browne
food envy
All in the details: Food stylist Niamh Browne on what it takes to create mouth-watering food snaps
The Wicklow-based nutritionist and chef shares her secrets.
AS A NUTRITIONIST AND food stylist, Niamh Browne prides herself on creating dishes that not only look good and taste good, but serve your body well too.
A self-confessed “professional supermarket shopper”, Niamh is passionate about growing food and knowing where it comes from. “I believe in using the best quality ingredients you can get for the things you use most of,” she says.
Following a bout of glandular fever aged 17, the Wicklow-based foodie became interested in the power of food to bring our body to optimum health. These days, she divides her time between recipe testing, cooking, food photography and prop-sourcing, among other things.
“Things can vary quite a bit,” says Niamh of her typical day as a food stylist.
A huge amount of time can go into preparation, which might include sourcing props around town, or sourcing things like flowers from Smithfield market.
Niamh’s career began “as most stylists do, by assisting some of the more established food stylists and learning from them on set.”
A graduate of Ballymaloe’s world-famous 12-week culinary course, Niamh says there’s no formal training for food styling. However she has attended some workshops both in Ireland and the UK:
The workshops were great in terms of meeting people in the industry; food stylists, writers and photographers and of course picking up skills and gaining some great quality images for my portfolio.
So what’s the every day diet of a nutritionist who spends her days creating beautiful food? Niamh tries to prepare her meals from scratch where possible:
My partner and I are currently going through a delicious ramen phase at home. We roast a chicken, make bone broth with the carcass, then add miso, tamari and lots of herbs, veggies, noodles and a 6 minute egg. It’s really comforting and feels like it’s doing your good at the same time.
Often the simplest food is the best, for photography but also for your body, says Niamh:
Excellent bread and some freshly picked leaves can really elevate a simple meal.
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