Blogger Spotlight: Michelle Minnaar, Greedy Gourmet

Originally from South Africa, Michelle has lived in the UK since 2004. Due to a lack of good restaurants in Essex, Michelle says that she was forced to put her apron on and get stuck in. Since setting up her blog, Greedy Gourmet, Michelle has switched careers from programming to food photography. In this spotlight, Michelle who appeared on our top ten food blog ranking, chats to us about where extracts the inspiration for her cooking, reveals who her culinary icon is and why veganism will be the next big thing in the food industry.

If you could describe your blog in three words what would it be? Easy family recipes

How did you get into blogging about food? When I moved to the UK in 2004, I didn’t have a clue how to cook. Converting Pounds to South African Rand, I found restaurants hideously expensive and, quite frankly, the offerings in Essex are not all that great. So, I started cooking and documenting my journey, and haven’t stopped since!

What are the biggest challenges and greatest rewards of being a food blogger? The face of blogging has changed so much over the years and the biggest challenge for me is keeping up with new technologies. Nothing stays constant and it’s a must to keep up to date with the latest trends. There are plenty of rewards though. I’ve met fantastic fellow bloggers along the way and love connecting with my readers, especially when they have positive feedback. Great food (exercise is a must!) has been enjoyed along the way and lovely travel opportunities arose as well.

What’s your favourite recipe? My favourite recipe depends on my mood. Right now I definitely wouldn’t mind steak with a blue cheese sauce!

Name one ingredient that you can’t live without? Salt!

Where do you draw your cooking inspiration from? Cookbooks and the internet. Pinterest is also a great source of inspiration – I’m awestruck by people’s creativity.

Who would you consider a culinary icon? Would it be weird if I answered that I don’t have one? I don’t care if someone boiled a potato, mashed it, deep fried it twice, and then crumbled it on top of some other weird concoction. Instead of faffing around with food, I’m much more impressed by individuals who work tirelessly to help spread the word on environmental matters and educating the public about making better choices for their health, animals and the environment, i.e. making the world a better place.

What do you think is going to be the next big thing in the food industry? Veganism. Or at least I hope so. The irony hasn’t been lost on me that I answered steak in question 4. I didn’t know about the atrocities happening behind closed doors in agriculture. This is why I’m systematically converting to vegetarian and ultimately veganism, spreading the word as I go along.

How do you like to work with PRs? I love working with PRs and coming up with a custom solution for each campaign to have maximum impact and longevity for each client. It would help if PRs payment wasn’t in the form of “exposure”.

What’s one piece of cooking advice you’d like to share with our readers? Don’t ever be afraid to try a new recipe or cooking with a new ingredient. Even if you “fail” you’ll learn something!

You’re a popular food blogger, but are there any food blogs that you follow? Running a blog is quite time-consuming, so the only blogs I read are the ones that will help with blog growth, such as SEO.

What’s next in your career as a food blogger? To keep doing what I’m doing. I love capturing authentic recipes with chefs in different travel destinations!