Eat My Words- Helen Graves – Food Stories

I first stumbled upon Food Stories by Helen Graves (@FoodStories) looking for a review of the 2010 London annual Jerk Festival. I love jerk chicken, but maybe not as much as Helen. She lives and writes in Peckham, South London and her blog champions the local eateries which abound south of the river. If you are looking for reviews of the latest concept restaurant in Hoxton – Food Stories is not the place, however if you are looking for a huge selection of great local food and recipes with eye catching photography then you are in the right place!
We caught up with Helen for a quick chat about food and blogging, enjoy.
What got you into food writing?
Well, I started my blog Food Stories back in summer 2007 as a way of
recording my recipes and it just sort of mushroomed from there really;
now it’s very much influenced by where I live (in Peckham), so I cook
a lot of African and Caribbean food and I have a serious addiction to
the fiery scotch bonnet chilli.
How do you choose a restaurant to review?
To be honest I tend to write about local places (those in South East
London) because I think that’s the kind of places my readers are
interested in. I’ll most often end up writing about a local Caribbean
jerk chicken place rather than some swanky outfit in Mayfair; it’s
just the kind of food that rocks my boat.
Who is your current favourite chef?
Hmm well I’m not really a chef groupie but it has to be Brett Graham
at The Ledbury.
Most underrated Local Restaurant? (and maybe most overrated!)
There’s a great little shabby jerk place in New Cross called Smoky
Jerkey; it’s not really the kind of place you want to linger but the
food is fantastic!
How has blogging in general changed your outlook on food/restaurants?
It hasn’t! My views on food are the same as they always were – I just
witter on about it online now instead of boring my
partner/friends/family with it. Actually, I still do that anyway.
What’s the biggest mistake a restaurant can make in your opinion?
Apart from serving rubbish food you mean?! Well, there are many of
course but I find it really sad when a chef doesn’t have the
confidence to stick to one style and do it well. A confused menu that
hops around all over the place makes my heart sink as soon as I sit
down.
What do you think the London food scene is missing?
More proper BBQ joints like the recently opened Pitt Cue Co. The place
is small and I need more BBQ! (ed. Amen!)
Who’s your favourite food writer/critic?
Definitely Marina O’Loughlin at The Metro. I agree with her on almost
everything. She seems completely down to Earth, she’s funny and the
woman talks sense god damn it!
Thanks so much Helen, You can find Helen @ http://helengraves.co.uk/
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