J'arrive!

- one of Roger's giant artichokes!

Roger Stowell and his wife Jenny have a charming cream thick walled stone cottage outside the village of Vouvant. Roger is a photographer with many years of experience and worked with so many of the food writers, chefs and other foodie people that I admire. He worked with Anna del Conte on the photographs for her Northern Italy book and with Nigel Slater on a food supplement his did. He worked years ago with Terrence Conran on his Gastrodome cookbook, Albert Roux on a biographical piece and also Mark Hix when he was at the Ivy. The photography residential course – Camerahols - he runs attracts other likeminded foodies like me and as Roger is also a dab hand in the kitchen, we get to learn techniques to improve food photography and to eat his fabulous food. How perfect is that? You get to sleep in a lovely chambre d'hote across the way ran by George and Trish which used to be Roger and Jenny's old house but they wanted a place with less garden to maintain.

Roger was somewhat a pioneer in the world of food photography and prior to that worked on fashion shoots and album covers. He seems to know everyone both behind and in front of the lens. I was showing him a little booklet on comfort food that accompanied this month's Olive magazine and he knew and in many cases had worked with every photographer bar one. He worked with a then little known Elton John on his first album cover, the Rolling Stones for many years, Karl Lagerfield back in the day and currently has one of his organic food shots hanging up in Marks and Spencer's.
Clearly I am in the presence of a legendary photographer!
Jenny whipped up tonight's fare which Roger felt the need to apologise for (entirely unnecessarily) as he was collecting me from La Rochelle. We had Rilettes with Warm Toast followed by Salmon with Buerre Blanc (Roger was mortified that it wasn't homemade this time!) with New Potatoes and Minted Peas. We then had a few slivers of Rebloucon, Parmesan and Comte and a small piece of Tarte tartin. I think we are going to eat really well here.