Today I want to introduce you to Laura and her lovely food blog The First Mess.
I can’t remember when I how I stumbled upon her blog for the first time, but I immediately bookmarked it and I am a regular reader since. I get a lot of inspiration for vegetarian cooking from her blog, especially when it comes to grains, legumes and salads. You think – although you would never say so – that a veggie burger will always be a subsitute for a “real” one, and that the words “grilling” and “meat” are inseparable? Have a look at Lauras veggie burger or the jerk-style veggie grill and be convinced otherwise!
Her recipes always have some extravagancy – the ingredients, their combination, their preparation – without beeing pretentious. Same can be said for her writing: It’s anything else but noisy, but instead with a calm friendly voice and always authentic. The close connection to the natural ingredients can not only be seen in the seasonal cooking but also in her photographes that create emotions and are at the same time valueing the natural products.
Why “The First Mess”? Laura explains this in her latest post.
That’s what Laura says about herself and her foodblog:
What is your main motivation for writing your food blog?
Just to celebrate healthy and seasonal cooking in a way that’s approachable. I want people to look at one of my recipes and immediately think that it’s do-able and that it will make their life really great, in whatever tiny way. Also, I was kind of itching for a personal creative project.
What is your favourite recipe that you’ve posted?
This summer panzanella with heirloom tomatoes, peaches and kale.
What is your favourite ingredient?
I have too many! Avocado, maple syrup, coconut oil, smoked paprika, Maldon salt…
What are the main influences of your cooking?
The season is first and foremost. I’m always trying to be in tune with what my body needs as well – how a food will satisfy me based on activity, mood, time, aesthetics etc. I try to go into cooking with a sense of my whole life’s goings-on and move forward from there.
What is good food?
If it comes from the earth and it is prepared with true intention, then it is most definitely good.
What does cooking mean for you?
Total freedom.
How important is the photography of your food for you?
Fairly important. Taste is number one. The look and photographic potential comes next. When you’re working with the spoils of nature, the work isn’t usually too hard on the visual front.
What do you think about sponsored blogging?
I don’t think it’s for me. The blog is very much a creative journal where I share food experiences from the happenings of life and the shifts in season. The influence of free product or promotion in exchange for $ seems to clash with that outlook.
What is essential for buying a cook book or for visiting a food blog regularly?
I appreciate a unique perspective and a strong aesthetic. The book or blog has to have both.
What is your favourite cooking book at the moment?
I love Gwyneth Paltrow’s It’s All Good. Simple, approachable recipes and Ditte Isager’s photography is phenomenal.
What is your favourite food blog?
It’s hard to pick one. I love Happyolks, Apt 2B Baking Co., Oh, Ladycakes, A Sweet Spoonful and Sprouted Kitchen.
Recipes and Photos by Laura Wright for The First Mess
nadel&gabel 