Guest Interview: Aimee Twigger from Twigg Studios
chiaroscuro master, flavour queen and baking goddess all in one.
Hello lovelies and Happy April !
April is a month bursting with vitality and change as spring takes centre stage in the Northern Hemisphere. Named after the Latin word "aperire," meaning "to open," April symbolizes the blooming of flowers and trees. It's often a time of renewal, with longer days, milder temperatures, and nature coming to life. In the Southern Hemisphere, it marks the heart of autumn, with colourful foliage and cooler days.
April offers many opportunities for meaningful reflections, like Earth Day on the 22nd, reminding us of our responsibility to protect this planet we call home. It's also a month of spiritual and cultural observances, including Easter and Passover, celebrating hope and tradition. So here's to embracing the energy of April! May it be a time for fresh ideas, new beginnings, and the moments that make life bloom. What are you looking forward to this month?
I know what I am looking forward to - lunch breaks in the sunshine and savoring the tranquility of my back garden as the season comes to life. The joy of longer evenings bathed in golden light feels like a gift. Sun shining through my window pane with a promise to stay, this promise seems to fix everything that wasn’t fixable until right now.
I'm thrilled to introduce today's guest, Aimee Twigger of Twigg Studios! Aimee's work as a food stylist and photographer is an artistic journey that turns everyday ingredients into visual masterpieces. From her incredible creations featured in top publications to her ability to inspire through storytelling, Aimee brings creativity to life in a way that's truly unique. We'll explore her creative process and share insights into her world—it's going to be a fascinating conversation you won't want to miss!
Her stunning photography and culinary artistry have always inspired me! Aimee is Chiaroscuro master who loves playing with shadows and moody atmosphere in her photos. Chiaroscuro is a technique in art that uses strong contrasts between light and shadow to create depth, drama, and a three-dimensional effect. Art lovers will know of names like Caravaggio and Rembrandt who were well known as masters of Chiaroscuro in painting world. This technique is not limited to painting—it has influenced photography and cinema as well, where lighting plays a crucial role in storytelling.
Please introduce yourself to those new to Twigg Studios ?
Hi I’m Aimee, I have been sharing recipes and photos on my blog and Instagram Twiggstudios since around 2013/14. I feel like I don’t share as many recipes and photos as I once did, I am still massively passionate about cooking and photography though. I love visual storytelling and dark and moody photography and seasonal cooking. I love foraging and spending time in nature.
1) What is your favourite cuisine and why ?
This is such a hard question as I love so many different cultures cuisines. I really love Italian food, especially pasta and risotto, but i also really love Indian and Asian cuisine too. I love slow cooked stew like meals, that you find in so many countries different cultures, it feels like the ultimate comfort food.
2) What is the weirdest food you've ever eaten?
This is such an interesting question that I have thought about a lot over the last few years. I realised that the concept of "weird" food is truly subjective and often depends on your cultural background. During my travels, I've encountered a variety of unique foods that challenge my perceptions. For instance, in China, I observed vendors selling skewers of live scorpions and other unusual delicacies. While these offerings seemed foreign to me, I recognized that they are a regular part of life for many in that culture.
This experience made me reflect on how my own culinary background might seem strange to others. British cuisine could evoke a similar sense of curiosity or surprise in those unfamiliar with it. It's fascinating how food is deeply tied to cultural identity and traditions, and what might be considered unusual in one place is often a beloved staple in another.
I remember in Iceland hearing about Hákarl (fermented shark) being sold but I didn’t see it.
In Norway we were served reindeer stew when we visited a Sami camp, we sat and heard stories about how important reindeer herding is to the Sami people, I felt kind of weird eating it while hundreds of beautiful reindeer wondered around outside, but I guess its no different to venison for us in the UK or kangaroo in Australia.
3) What are your top 3 favourite cookbooks (or books if you are not into cookbooks)?
I have a huge cookbook collection; I had to downsize it last year as I ran out of space. It’s strange but it felt hard to part with them as i had been collecting them for such a long time.
I think if I went by the book that looks the messiest (covered in chocolate fingerprints) that’s a good sign its well-used. That would have to be Sweet tooth my lily vanilli, I bake her brownies all the time, they are a firm favourite.
I really love Cherie Denham’s book The Irish bakery. Its full of handed down recipes and feels really special. The photography in it by Andrew Montgomery is just incredible. It feels like a really lovely book to just flick through.
My third favourite cookbook is a hard one as I love so many, possibly one of Gill Mellers as I love how he cooks with the seasons. I get so lost in the photography in his books, which again was captured by Andrew Montgomery.
4) Your earliest memory of baking/cooking something ? What was it and How did it go ?
My earliest memory of baking was making little fairy cakes with my mum, Drizzled with white icing and sprinkles. I used to love assisting her, probably so I could lick the bowl.
I think she still has the same electric whisk now, and I am sure it was given to her by my Nan, i'm surprised it still works.
My mum never baked anything too adventurous, usually things like cupcakes or banana bread. I think that my mum is a lot more confident in baking and cooking now, I'm sure the popularity of cooking shows like The Great British bake off or Jamie Oliver really inspired her.
When i was very young my great Nan lived next door to us, so i often would go and help her cook too. I remember her with her apron on making a pie. She was very short, so i remember her having to stand on a little step stool so she could reach the worktop, i would squeeze in next to her and stand on it with her.
5) What would be your top 3 advice for someone new to baking/cooking ?
Start simple, try some easier recipes, with fewer ingredients and straightforward steps, this will help build your confidence.
Read the recipe thoroughly first, so you know what steps there are and you can get everything you need ready.
Take your time and enjoy it.
For baking I always use electric scales, that way I know I have all the quantities right.
Don’t forget to add salt, even to sweet dishes.
6) Your top 3 tips for newcomers to food photography ?
A photograph is essentially a still capture of light, so to take a great photo, you need to understand how to see the light and how it affects the subject.
It may sound technical, but there is a really easy way to grasp this concept. If you choose an object, like a piece of fruit, and carry it around the house, you can observe how the light hits it from different angles in various locations. It’s also beneficial to place the object by a window and walk around it to see how the light and shadows change when you view it with the light behind it (backlit) or when the light hits it from the side (side lit). It’s all about practice—seeing how you can manipulate the light using screens or reflectors. The direction of light in food photography is important, as it can enhance the subject. Generally, I shoot with side light, but back light can be very effective for certain foods, especially in drink photography.
Practice and trial and error have greatly helped me improve my photography skills. You don’t need to invest in a lot of lenses and equipment at first; I found that having limited equipment was beneficial. I started with just a 50mm lens, which helped me learn because I had to move around the subject rather than simply zooming in and out with a zoom lens.
If you are starting out and can only get a few pieces of equipment, I would recommend a 50mm lens, as most camera brands offer a reasonably priced one. A good, sturdy tripod is also essential, especially if you want to be in the shots yourself.
7) If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I am such a sucker for hearty comfort food dishes, like the sort of thing my nan would cook. Meals like slow cooked meaty stews packed with veg like swede, leeks and potatoes. It seems boring, but it always feels like a hug in a bowl.
I think I would be really happy only eating pasta with a yummy slow cooked ragu or a homemade tomato sauce for the rest of my life too though.
8) If you had the chance to choose anyone in this world to cook or bake with in their kitchen then who would it be ?
I would love to bake with Mary Berry, she seems like such a lovely lady, I can’t believe she turns 90 at the end of march. I think it would be so fun to help her bake something like a Christmas cake or something.
9) What's on your shelf / what are you reading these days ?
My friend Suze recommended the Sarah j Mass book series A court of thorns and roses, so i am currently halfway through that, I’m on book three.
I quite enjoy listening to books with audible while I’m on the computer so I have been working my way through the lord of the rings and the hobbit, its quite fun listening to it.
The latest cookbook I got was The potato book by Poppy O’toole from Poppy cooks, so I have been flicking through that too.
10) Creatives also need an outlet - What is your outlet or a way to unwind or relax ?
I love walking with my dog, spending time in nature is so therapeutic. I also really enjoy watching tv and films. I just got some paints and a sketchbook as I think that will be a fun way to relax, I enjoy doing anything creative.
11) What would be your top tip on gifting a foodie friend or family ?
I love to find artisan or small businesses that make interesting ingredients or edible gifts. I also think its lovely to gift cookbooks to foodie friends and family.
Its fun to try and find unusual flavour combinations. I often look for foodie gifts when i travel. I often get artisan chocolate or something local.
I try and think of things the person i am gifting to is interested in, for example my friend Suze is a mixologist so I love finding unusual flavour gins, rums or liqueurs for her. Every birthday and Christmas I try to find a new one to send her. I found a interesting chocolate rum by a Cornish company last year. I love to give flavoured salts and things like that, sous-chef.co.uk has so many interesting ingredients for sale. I love shopping there, its the perfect place to order things to make a foodie hamper for people.
Its always so lovely to give or receive something handmade too, like a jar or jam or chutney.
12) Lastly , Tea or Coffee ?
Tea for sure, I love it. I drink so many cups of tea a day. Recently I have been enjoying the occasional coffee, I got really into drinking it last year when I was in Italy and Spain. I especially love coffee if it’s in an espresso martini, or an iced coffee in the summer.
This post would be incomplete without a bit of flashback. I have been admiring Aimee’s work for so many years. Few years ago I had the chance of attending a styling workshop with Aimee and the photo below is one of the end results from that day. I wanted to see a chiaroscuro master at work and watching her create made my learning curve a little less steep. This is a full circle moment right here, learning from her and dreaming of making beautiful photos to interviewing her today. Let’s take a moment to realise that we sometimes inspire quietly and unknowingly, Aimee is one such powerful inspiration in my life.
Recipe inspo - I would love you to try Balsamic Cherry Amaretto pie , I make this every year without fail and my summer feels incomplete without it. I make a big batch of this pie filling and store it in the fridge and use leftover filling as topping for pancakes, crepes or sometimes use as quick crumble base too. It is what I call “gold standard” and never fails to delight the one consuming it !
This was great Hazel. Thinking about photography as a capture of light is SO interesting to me and makes so much sense. Such beautiful photos too.
Such a brilliant interview!