I love a good magazine, from Gadgets to Bushcraft to Rugby Union, Cricket and everything in between, basically I am a sucker for a good glossy magazine.  They are perfect for the holiday journey or simply as great coffee table candy and best of all a good mag is essential to keep on the shelf in the loo!

Serious Food Magazines

As my all-encompassing passion is everything foodie the emergence of some fantastic new foodie titles that are worthy of being referred to as “Serious Food Mags” has me immediately scrabbling for my credit card and hastily completing the online subscription.  Now these are proper good reads, with great stories, some factual, some fiction, interviews, cartoons, great photography (or food porn as I have heard it called), fascinating illustrations even diagrams and the odd recipe.  These magazines are at the forefront of a food revolution, somehow totally immersive media experiences but only in two dimensional print.  With a mix of retro, modern and futuristic design, displays of food art, or is that artistic food? They are a revolution in food literature, nothing like the recipe and advertisement filled efforts from the local newsagent that we may have been used to.  Seek one out, borrow, buy or even subscribe, just steal ten minutes to yourself and have a jolly good read.

So here is the run down of my favourites, in no particular order.  If I have missed any please keep quiet! I have not the time or the money for any more subscriptions!

Lucky Peach – Food Quarterly

Lucky Peach Magazine Issue 1

First published in the summer of 2011 and produced by Chef David Chang from Momofuku’s and Peter Meehan.  Lucky Peach is as quirky as it’s title,  an eclectic mix of food ramblings from our American Cousins.  Contents include surreal illustrations, cartoon strips, diagrams and even the odd recipe.  (Why Lucky Peach? Momofuku means Lucky Peach in Korean)

Fire & Knives – Food Quarterly

Fire & Knives Magazine Issue 1

A truly British retro food publication edited by Tim Hayward and best described here in his own words “Fire & Knives had to be about love of, enthusiasm for and fascination with food, in all its aspects.    It could never be about being a connoisseur – literally “one who knows” – it had to be about an amateur – “one who loves”  Everybody eats,  And a fundamentally elitist concept like “connoisseurship” is no longer appropriate in a country that’s finally maturing into a proper relationship with its food culture.  So we gave our writers a simple, one line brief: write as an amateur, about something you love.”

Contributors include Tim Hayward, Tom Parker Bowles, Matthew Fort and our own Josh Sutton.

Gin & It – 100% Alcohol By Volume

Gin & It Magazine Issue 1

A relative newcomer and sister publication to Fire & Knives and written in a similar style but more gin soaked & red wine fuelled! First published in 2013 edited by Kate Hawkings.  A collection of boozy muses on everything from cocktails, (the Gin & It of course and know it doesn’t stand for Indian Tonic) through to IPA’s and finally wine label articles that even manage to squeeze in reference to Yorkshire Chorizo!  Well done Josh & thanks that’s another pint of Grand Cru Bitter I owe you!

FOOL – Food insanity brilliance & love

Fool Magazine Issue 2

A quality find from Sweden, this is more, more how do I put it “Swedish” it has a suave swagger, clean minimalist lines with evocative black & white imagery  Oddly though it lacks the Swedish branding and design I knew in a previous live.  Not just for a Scandinavian perspective of food trends, restaurants and writing this magazine also incorporates world travel with exhaustive food research visits to China and France, its a hard job but someone has to do it, just wish it was me!.

meatpaper

Meatpaper Magazine Issue 1

“Not the first ever magazine about meat but Meatpaper is the only magazine about the idea of meat” Another import from the United States of Meat sorry America.  Everything to do with meat the same arty photography as the others but this time “RAW MEAT” includes everything to the new renaissance of traditional butchery in America through to Meat Art that is in the style of Damian Hirst Art made from dead animals or more specifically raw meat.  Can also get pretty deep touching on the philosophy and axiom of meat eating and the kosher debate.  Also looks at food history and hunting.

The Foodie Bugle

The Foodie Bugle issue 1

The new face on the block and just back from the printers, this little tomb of calm and tradition was first published in February 2013, edited by Silvana de Soissons.  As I’m a bloke! I can only describe The Foodie Bugle as the more feminine of this selection of magazines, it includes more than just food, everything from flower arranging, food history, baking banter and farm tours to laundering your kitchen linens.

The Gourmand – A Food and Culture Journal

The Gourmand Magazine

Another relatively new kid on the block, The Gourmand is a London based food journal that binds inspirational words, images and ideas with the humble and universal subject of food. Editors David Lane and Marina Tweed, first published 2012.  Part food diary and travel, part chef & restauranter interviews.  Some great articles and photographic imagery.

WOLF Magazine

WOLF Food Journal

Just found another!! WOLF – A NEW, FREE, QUARTERLY FOOD JOURNAL available only online and including some interesting articles on Fermentation, Wild food foraging and more from Noma, Simon Rogan and Fergus Henderson.

WARNING: the following links to websites may include options to subscribe to these publications!

Fire & Knives www.fireandknives.com
Gin&It www.ginandit.co.uk
Lucky Peach  www.mcsweeneys.net
FOOL www.fool.se
meatpaper www.meatpaper.com
The Foodie Bugle www.thefoodiebugle.com
The Gourmand www.thegourmand.co.uk
WOLF Food Journal http://issuu.com/wolffoodjournal/docs/wolf/15