My food blogging idols

Approximately 2 years ago I had never written anything more significant than a sharply worded letter to an airline or bank & I believed a blog was something you did in the bathroom & required you to light a match after. How your life can change so quickly is beyond me.

I stumbled upon blogging innocently enough while googling recipe ideas, I am sure I had seen them before that but I never paid it much attention. But in my vagrant googling I discovered a few blogs that inspired me to begin my own.

I have no delusions of food blogging grandeur. Bake & Bloom is simply my own recipe & floristry notebook & I am genuinely touched when people stop by & take the time to read about my efforts.  That isn’t to say I do have goals- I want to buy a better camera & improve my food photography, I never imagined that I would enjoy photographing cakes so much. I am improving my cooking on a daily basis through trial, error & vigorous taste testing by colleagues & family.

These are the top 5 blogs that inspired me to begin my journey & continue to inspire me on a daily basis.

1. http://www.bakerella.com/ This was the first food blog that really made me sit up & pay attention. It really struck me that this was not a professional baker, in fact she doesn’t even make her own pie crusts & often uses cake mixes. The whole point of bakerella is making everything look completely adorable.
2. http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/ Joy is funny, this is the best comedian/food blog hybrid I have seen. I don’t think she means it to be funny, she is just doing her thing, telling her day to day story. Her food styling is organic & honest, her recipes are things you want to make at home every day.
3. http://souvlakiforthesoul.com/ I found Peter through foodbuzz while looking for a yummy bean soup recipe before I completely understood what foodbuzz was. The biggest reason I like Peters blog is he is a successful Australian food blogger. He is the blogger I aspire to most, his photography is world class (in my humble opinion) yet he is self taught, his food is seasonal & inspired by his Greek heritage. There is something about reading souvlaki for the soul I find incredibly healing when I feel a little lost.
4. http://www.cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com/ Asthetically, this blog is a feast for the eyes. This is what the buffet will look like in heaven I am sure. Aran is in her words Basque ex-pat living in the US since 1998, her food is steeped in heritage. She works as a freelance food photographer, stylist & writer so it is no surprise it is stunning.  I love the way her children are so involved in her creative process, not only did her blog make me want to write..it kind of makes me want to be a mummy.
5. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/ This is the first example I had seen of a successful & highly commercial blog. Ree has regular giveaways of kitchenaid & Le Crusset products, her own cookbook, a bunch of sponsorships. Basically the pinnacle of success in the food blogging community. BUT! She is just a lady who moved to the country, married a cowboy & likes to cook him a brisket. It is fab! I honestly think if the writers of sex & the city got a hold of  her they could have an award winning series on their hands. Read the story of how she met & married her husband “Marlboro Man” It will make you simultaneously swoon & resent your unromantic significant other for weeks. 

So thanks guys, for inspiring me & especially to those of you who read me.

 Much love….xox Shannon