For our latest edition of ‘Meet the Foodie’, we’re delighted to introduce oImage may be NSFW.
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ur first blogger to the series, Emily Leary of award-winning food and lifestyle blog, A Mummy Too (@AMummyToo)
Our Meet the Foodie Q&A feature, which has been running since late last year, was set-up in connection with our Northern office’s specialism in food and drink PR. To date, we’ve interviewed a range of fantastic journalists including:
- Sheena Horton (Eat In) here
- Fae Gilfillan (Veggie) here
- Karen Barnes (Delicious) here) and
- Lucy Blackwell (Bella, That’s Life, Take a Break) here
- Jenny Tregoning (Stylist ) here
- Corrie Heale (Heat ) here
- Laura Rowe (olive) here
Founded in 2011, A Mummy Too was born out of Emily’s love of family, food and photography. A multi-award-winning writer, presenter, photographer (and of course, mummy), Emily began her blog as a place to celebrate all that and after it grew at an incredible rate, she left her career in digital marketing to pursue A Mummy Too full time.
Because A Mummy Too is a very real reflection of all her passions, Emily admits the line between work and leisure time is very blurred, with her hobbies including travelling, cooking, photography and spending time with her family.
Read on to find out more about Emily’s typical working day for one of the UK’s most successful blogs and which chef ‘heroes’ she would choose to invite to her dinner party.
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1. How did you get into your role as a food & drink blogger?
While I was on maternity leave awaiting the birth of my daughter in 2011, my young son and I started baking and adventuring together and photographing our efforts. As I worked in digital at the time, setting up a blog seemed like a fun and easy thing to do – so fun that I kept it going even when I returned to work.
I wasn’t really prepared for how quickly it took off. I think that timing was a significant factor. I was blogging as a working mum at a time when the UK was rising out of the recession and lots of parents were working harder and longer hours than ever.
The classic image of a matriarch at home, keeping things running and having dinner ready on the table just didn’t (and doesn’t) apply to as many of us as it used to, and so my blog, which is effectively my record of all the ways we find to enjoy special meals, moments and memories together as a family with very limited time seemed to resonate in a manner that has seen it go from strength to strength.
2. Did you always know you wanted to work in a food-based role? What would you be doing if you weren’t doing this?
I had no idea I’d end up in a food-based role, I’ve always loved food and always adored writing, but I fell into PR and digital marketing at around 19 while still studying, and stuck with it right until I gave it up to blog full-time in 2013. My career path was running in that direction for a very long time, so probably still would be had I not found such a passion for what I do now. Not that it’s entirely different – in many respects I’m still using the communications skills I developed in my old role.
3. Please sum up your blog in one sentence
Food and lifestyle for busy parents.
4. Can you give us a bit of an insight into your ‘typical’ working day?
My working days generally fall into one of three types:
1) I’m at my desk by 8am and start by checking my emails, social mentions and reviewing my overnight analytics – a lot can happen while the UK is sleeping. Then, alongside the usual emails, calls, meetings and admin that go with any job, a lot of the day is spent researching, planning and writing. If I have recipe commissions coming up, I plan them on paper first, from likely ingredients to method to how I might lay out the styled final images. Then towards the end of the day, I place grocery orders in advance so that I have the right supplies when I need them.
2) Starts like the above, but then a grocery order arrives, and I spend the morning cooking and honing the recipes, shooting and then use the afternoon for editing and client catch ups.
3) When I’m out of the office on a shoot, the day looks very different, and I typically spend a lot of time in front of the camera. Again, I’m keeping an eye on what’s happening live across my channels as and when I can, and I’ll try to step out at lunchtime to return urgent calls. These days are generally long and intensive, but great fun.
5. What do you most like hearing from PR’s about?
Unique collaborations. It’s great to be kept up to date with press releases, but the most exciting emails are the ones that invite me to join forces with a brand to create something new and different.
6. What is the most exciting thing about your job – and the most uninteresting?
I get to work with a lot of really great talents and brands across the industry, so that can be exciting. The boring bits are the same as in any job – the admin!
7. What would you say the perks of the job are?
I think there’s a bit of a misconception that blogging is all about the freebies, but the excitement over receiving a ‘free’ packet of stock cubes wears off pretty darn quick, especially if you’re then expected to spend half a day or more creating and shooting a recipe with them.
The real perk, I think, is being able to do what you love and love what you do. It’s hard work and long hours, but I’m genuinely happy to get to work in the morning.
8. What are your favourite hobbies outside of work?
This is a hard one to answer because my blog is a very real reflection of all my passions, so the line between work and leisure time is very blurred. I love travel, photography, cooking and spending time with my family.
9. What’s your favourite restaurant?
With kids aged 4 and 8, we spend more time in chain restaurants than I should perhaps admit, but I’m pretty unapologetic about is as there are several that cater very well and affordably for hungry families.
For the sheer joy of it, I’d probably pick Café Ginger on Rue Jacques Cœur in Paris. Everything they serve is organic, free from anything animal derived, and totally delicious.
10. You’re throwing a dinner party and anyone dead or alive can attend – who are the first 3 people on your guest list? And what 3 courses would you cook?
Nigel Slater, Nigella Lawson, Michel Roux Jr. I’m not sure what exactly I’d cook – something so easy I’d be less likely to mess it up under the obvious pressure of cooking for my heroes, I guess. Probably a nibble-able starter, hearty bowls of spicy pasta and something zingy for dessert.
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