About the Author

Cara Hobday has been a London-based professional food journalist and stylist for 14 years, a contributor to Waitrose Food Illustrated and Ideal Home and the author of a number of cookbooks.

Jo Denbury is a freelance journalist, stylist and writer based in London, was former associate editor of Telegraph Magazine and features editor at Elle Decoration.

Reviews

As any chef will tell you, if you want to bore your dinner guests silly then serve them a plate of monochromatic slop devoid of visual acuity. A formless, flaccid tuna casserole comes quickly to mind. What this clever book does (one hopes) is inspire you to elevate ordinary dishes into works of art with simple tips, instructions and recipes for more than 100 sweet, savoury and colourful garnishes. (You could tart up that casserole with some quickly sculpted vegetables, for example.) Five sections show techniques, tools, ingredients and designs used by chefs in hoitytoity restaurants that you can apply at home, with step-by-step photos showing exactly how to do it. With a few basic skills, you too can serve food with flair and impress everyone.-- (11/25/2010) In recent years chefs have boldly created new techniques and styles for giving food a visual flair that goes far beyond the ordinary. Authors Hobday and Denbury have combined their writing and food stylist talents to create this extraordinary guide to food presentation.... If you are ready to take your cooking to an entirely new level Hobday and Denbury will be your guides.-- (08/25/2010) If you're looking to master fancy food presentation, these step-by-step guides can help you get the process down pat.--Ashley Gartland"Oregonian" (06/22/2010) Recommended for large or specialized culinary collections, this appealing cookbook could be used as a text in culinary schools as well as in the kitchen of the adventurous home cook.--Christine Bulson"Library Journal" (09/24/2010) The book lays out plating and cooking methods in methodical detail and accessible language, from radish roses to noodle nests.--Niesha Lofing"Sacramento Bee" (03/24/2010)