Julia Platt Leonard
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Julia Platt Leonard

WriterLondon, United Kingdom
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Julia Platt Leonard
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Julia Platt Leonard

WriterLondon, United Kingdom
About me
I'm a writer and marketing & food consultant with a real passion for eating, cooking, and writing about food. I write weekly for The Independent, write a food blogs called The Chile Trail, and test recipes. One of my passions is hosting live events where I have the opportunity to talk with leading food writers and chefs about how -- and why -- they got into the food business. I've hosted events for Soho House, the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Octopus publishing and others. I made the switch to cooking from advertising and direct marketing and graduated from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts in Boston, MA. I worked in restaurants and catering before moving to London. I created the popular culinary salon programme at leading cookware and kitchen shop Divertimenti and I'm the proud the author of Cold Case, a children’s mystery set in a restaurant and published by Simon & Schuster.
Projects
  • Four bean salad with bulgur wheat and herbs
    Four bean salad with bulgur wheat and herbsBeans -- everything from traditional green beans to broad beans and runner beans -- are hitting the green grocer shelves this month. Blanch them and pair with lots of lemon (juice and zest), some bulgur wheat and as many herbs as you can chop and you've got the perfect summer salad. I know some leave the case on broad beans but I think it looks and tastes much better, once you've peeled them. It can be meditative too (if you're not in a rush) and you've got the windows open and the music cranked
  • Whipped ricotta and mascarpone with honey thyme apricots
    Whipped ricotta and mascarpone with honey thyme apricotsI've been back in the kitchen this week, working on upcoming recipes including this one for The Independent. It's incredibly simple and not too sweet, which is a plus when cooking with really ripe fruit like these apricots. Apricots are a tough one because they can look absolutely gorgeous but be a bit wooly on the inside. But get them when they're just ripe (I look for ones that come from Italy) and they're a dream. Some butter, honey and sprigs of lemon thyme and you're done. Recipe will be on
  • Slow roasted chilli tomatoes with burrata and basil
    Slow roasted chilli tomatoes with burrata and basilNext up on The Chile Trail will be this recipe -- a riff on the classic tricolore salad but with slow roasted chilli-spiked tomatoes and a liberal sprinkling of chilli pequin on top. The perfect answer when you want tomatoes but know that (sadly) they're not quite in season yet. The slow roasting -- about 6 hours in a very low oven -- concentrates all of the sweetness while the chilli gives it some heat. Photographed on a vintage tablecloth I picked up in Arizona -- a real find. Post will be liv
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Work history
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    Food Writer(Various)
    United KingdomFreelance
    I write and photograph a weekly recipe column for The Independent and also write articles for them on food producers, farming, cookbooks, food trends/industry news. In addition, I write food and lifestyle articles for Country Living. I also write for corporate clients, and wrote the Booth's Christmas Book in 2017.
    (
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    Event Chair(Various)
    United KingdomFreelance
    I chair live cookery events interviewing food writers, chefs, and leading producers including events at The Cheltenham Literature Festival, Soho House, Stoke Newington Literary Festival, Cookbook Confidential at the Southbank Centre and Foyle's, Les Dames d'Escoffier Edible London and the AGA Festival. In addition, I have hosted wellbeing events as part of Nourish & Inspire.
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Skills
  • Copywriting
  • Moderating
  • Journalism
  • Consulting
  • Marketing
  • Food Blogging
  • Food Editorial
  • Food Photography
  • Food Styling
  • Food Creation
Education
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    GraduateRadcliffe College
     - Boston, United States
    I studied food writing with former Cook's Illustrated editor John Willoughby.
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    C
    GraduateCambridge School of Culinary Arts
     - Boston, United States
    I attended and graduated from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts where I studied cooking and the hospitality industry.
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