How to Write for a Food Magazine

How to write for a food magazine

For the modern cook there is only one thing more satisfying than cooking up a favourite meal or signature dish for friends and family; being able to share it with the wider world. As our fascination with home-grown produce and 'old fashioned' home cooking increases, so does our desire to share our favourite recipes with the rest of the world. But how best do to that?

Food magazines such as BBC GoodFood and Delicious magazine are a great place to showcase unique and original recipes. If you have the patience and are willing to delve a bit deeper into your own culinary psyche, writing for a food magazine can be fruitful.

Before you jump headlong into the detail; the 'how many cups of' and 'pre-heat the oven to', consider the time of year. Food magazines are entirely influenced by the seasons. In the autumn, warm, hearty meals and soups are the order of the day, something to see the reader through those rainy October days and chilly November nights. In the summer, cool salads and al fresco dining experiences are all the rage. Match your article and recipe to the season to make sure a magazine will consider it suitable for the time of year.

Now that you've matched your chosen dish to the season it best suits, give us a flavour of your thinking behind it. An introduction to a recipe is crucial when enticing readers to make your dish; if it inspires and makes the recipe jump off of the page before the reader gets to the ingredients list, you've got them. Remember that passion is what makes cooking such a rewarding experience. Editors and readers alike want to know why you love this dish. What inspired you? Why did you swap ingredient A for a dash of ingredient B? The more you can tell them about what makes this recipe an absolute-must, the better.

Now that the reader is hooked, make sure that you write-up an accurate ingredient list. Try to list the ingredients in the order in which they are used in the recipe and always show the quantity needed of an ingredient next to it. Use cooking terminology such as 'a pinch' and 'a dash' instead of more general phrases such as 'some of' or 'a bit of'. To help the reader arrange their kitchen (and to show just how professional you are), create separate ingredient lists if your recipe includes a sauce, side dish or any component part that needs to be created by the would-be cook e.g. if they need to make a caramel for a dessert or dressing for a salad.

Finally, separate and number each step of the recipe from beginning to end. Keep the instructions simple! Try not to overcomplicate the different steps and,where necessary, write separate steps for any sauces or side dishes so as not to confuse the reader. For added flair, consider including personal 'handy hints' to give the recipe character and a personal touch.