Episode 8: Eat With Your Eyes

Ford On Food

It is a fact that people eat with their eyes first. As a chef, I will not get a second opportunity to make a first impression with my customers. A sloppy or badly presented meal will reflect on the customer’s impression of the establishment and will set the mood for the rest of their dining experience. When I’m invited to dinner by friends or family, they regularly apologies for the way they have presented their meals. Personally, I’m just happy someone’s doing the cooking instead of me. Of course, great food presentation is a skill that can take many years to master, but following some simple guidelines can make a difference. It doesn’t involve creating a pretentious looking monument on each plate. Just aim to present the food to the best of its potential. Colour balance is essential. Do not put an arrangement of identical coloured vegetables side-by-side on the plate, steamed carrots would look more effective next to green broccoli, rather than roast pumpkin and sweet potato. Height can make a difference. Lifting the food higher by propping it up or stacking it looks far more appealing than a flat, dead looking meal. Chefs call a meal with no height ‘road-kill’. Keep the meal inside the outer rim of the plate; imagine the rim of the plate as a picture frame. An artist would rarely paint their landscape off the canvas and onto the picture frame. Also carefully, consider your choice of plate. A large meal on a small plate looks busy and cluttered. A clean and simply presented meal within the centre of an appropriate plate looks much more appetising. Also, remember that a great drop of wine will compliment your meal, or at least distract everybody from any mistakes on the plate. Bon Appetite!