Behind the scenes: Our Winter issue

From recipe testing to sourcing the perfect crockery, timing food preparation and maximising on daylight, a lot goes on behind the scenes during a Dish shoot day. Here's a little insight into how we created our Argentinian section in the latest issue...

It's shoot day, and at 6am work has already begun for Dish Food Editor Claire Aldous. Over ten years of experience creating recipes for Dish has taught her the importance of organisation – an early start is essential for packing up the car with precision, ensuring no ingredient is forgotten and no desserts spilled en route to Manja Wachsmuth's inner-city photography studio.

The rest of the team – Editor Lisa Morton, Stylist Lianne Whorwood and assistant Olivia Atkinson – meet at 8.30am to unload two cars' worth of props, food and styling materials. Detailed planning ahead of the shoot means that there's already an agreed upon aesthetic for each shoot, the details of which are honed over a morning coffee.

For our winter issue, Claire wanted to share some of the amazing food experiences she'd encountered on a recent trip to Argentina (featured in more detail in the travel section of the issue). Variations on rice puddings could be found everywhere she went in Buenos Aires, so she was inspired to combine a creamy, cinnamon version with a classic dulce de leche and a crunchy almond crumble. The right glassware was essential for showcasing the beautiful textures of this dessert, chosen by prop stylist Lianne. Everyone in the team has a hand at some point in curating the perfect scene for each dish. 

The best parts of a day of shooting come after each carefully considered shot, the eating! On this shoot, the team enjoyed rice pudding for breakfast, it's a hard life! 

See the final photos in the latest issue of Dish, on sale Monday 27th July.