Adventures of Kevin the Carrot: Christmas meal inspiration

Pulling crackers, reading bad jokes and most importantly, eating: The Christmas traditions that will never get old. Styled by BOSS Creative Nick Walsh, in the next instalment from Aldi, Kevin the Carrot explores the table at Christmas lunch.

Let's Get Diwali Started! Olivia Gartley for ASDA

BOSS food stylist Olivia Gartley worked on this spicy ad for ASDA to celebrate the festival of Diwali. We love the close ups of crushed Cardamom seeds and colourful, crunchy chillies.

See all of our Manchester-based food stylists' profiles on our website.

BOSS Creatives: 'The Interview'

Our BOSS Creatives came together to create the ultimate team for this shoot. With styling from Lucy Hallard and hair and make up by Martin McClean our model Jacob Crosby exudes a carefree nineties attitude.

Inspired by nostalgia for the grungey decade, this shoot is based on early nineties icons like Keanu Reeves and River Pheonix, with Jacob taking on the role of a sleepy Hollywood star in New York.  

'Last Days of Disco' Styled by Sarah Hills-Smtih

We can finally start planning for party season! These looks from Glamorous were styled by our BOSS Creative Sarah Hills-Smith and we are seriously in love with them. Sequins, crop-tops and crushed velvet: What more could you ask for in a disco collection? See all the looks here.

BOSS Creatives for Oak Furniture Land

The signs are everywhere - Christmas is coming! Although we're dreading Christmas shopping, who can argue with the anticipation of a Christmas dinner? Our BOSS Creatives Lucy Hallard and Rebecca Cawthra worked on the styling and hair and make-up for Oak Furniture Land's festive ad 'Extended Family,' themed around the inevitable unexpected guests around Christmas time!

A Fashion Stylist's Edit: 8 Coats and Boots You Need This Season

Although we're gutted that we've seen the last of the summer sun, at least we can look forward to filling our wardrobes with some wondrous winter garments and accessories. BOSS fashion stylist Sarah Hills-Smith has picked her favourite pieces for AW16.

See Sarah's profile on our website. 

1. 'Aviator jackets are everywhere this season! inspired by the fashionista's favourite Acne Velocite Shearling Jacket, this offering from Missguided comes in at a snip of the price. It's faux fur lines so it will keep you super warm as well as super stylish'

Sarah's Top Tip: Buy a size or two bigger for a cool oversized fit.

Photo: Missguided 

2. 'A leopard print coat is a bit of a classic and the stores seem to bring out new versions every winter. Try this faux fur number from Boohoo.'

Sarah's Top Tip: Avoid the Bet Lynch effect by dressing down with jeans and loafers or an all black outfit.

Photo: Boohoo.com

3. 'A mannish coat in a neutral colour never goes out of style. This one has been given an instant update with some faux fur detailing - perfect for if you're not feeling daring enough to do the full-on faux fur thing!'

Photo: Glamorous.com (BOSS Model Millie)

4. 'This beautiful rose coloured number from Lavish Alice in brushed wool is an elegant but eye-catching option.'

Photo: Lavish Alice 

5. 'Animal print again! This time in a more subtle manner: The Dalmatian ponyhair detail on this classic black boot gives them a luxe feel.'

Photo: Glamorous.com

6. 'Velvet is another trend that seems to get pulled out of the cupboard every winter and this year is no exception. These gorgeous ankle boots in a rich berry tone have me feeling festive.'

Photo: Public Desire 

7. 'Embroidery has been massive this year, adorning everything from jackets to shoes. These beauties from Public Desire tap in to the trend and come in 3 different colour ways, The only problem is deciding which colour to choose!'

Photo: Public Desire 

8. 'Sparkle like a Christmas Fairy in these metallic, mod inspired booties. Wear them for Christmas drinks after work with a leather mini and then right through to spring with keans and a band t-shirt.'   

Photo: boohoo.com

See Sarah's full profile on our website. 

Nick Walsh's Handy How-to Cooking Tutorials for Hotpoint

For quick cooking tips and impressively easy microwavable recipes for everything from roast beef to creme brulee, Nick Walsh has worked with Hotpoint to create these tutorial videos.

Using their multi-functional combination microwave oven, BOSS food stylist Nick and Hotpoint leave no reason to reach for the takeaway menu!

For Nick's booking details, visit our website. 

SAW Halloween Make-Up Tutorial

Wanna play a game? BOSS Creative Rebecca Cawthra does! This Halloween, our make-up artist went for a horror inspired look, recreating the costume from the SAW movies.

For Rebecca's booking information visit our website.

See how she got the look in this video:

'Witches Bitches' and 'Scream Queens' Styled by Sarah Hills-Smith

BOSS Creative Sarah Hills-Smith has used her fashion styling skills to create chic and glamorous witches in these mystic editorials. Look no further for your Halloween outfit inspiration!

See Sarah's full profile on our website.

A day in the life of...a Food Stylist

Nick Walsh, Food Stylist 

Visit our website for booking information. 

What I do… I’m basically responsible for preparing and displaying food for so it fulfils a brief. I normally get the brief from the client a week before the shoot so I know what’s going on depending on the job. For some jobs it’s literally styling a product that’s already there and made, for example tomorrow the client is bringing their product from their café, and then I’ve just got to style it. Other times I will have to prep the food as well. Food stylists arrange the food differently to the way a chef might do it. Quite often for the jobs the client will send over a moodboard or they give me a Pinterest link so I have an idea of what I’m working around.

When I wake up… I normally get up and my pet rabbit Boggle is waiting for me at the top of the stairs, so I feed him. I don’t normally have breakfast unless I’m on a shoot in the morning and they provide it. If I’m working on a TV commercial then call time is usually 7.30am so I have to set off quite early.  TV commercials usually run through until about 7 or 8pm at night so it can be a long day. 

If I’m on a job I normally get in my car and drive to the studio or location but I’ve got a decent sized kitchen at home so I can prep from there rather than from an office or a studio.  This week I’ve got 10 turkeys coming in for a shoot so I will probably prep them from a studio where they've got more fridge space! I think my wife would kill me if I tried to store 10 turkeys around the house. 

How I got where I am… I actually started being a chef just because my friend was a pot-washer in local pub where I’m from in Nottingham. I saw the chefs doing their thing and that’s the first time I ever really thought about it. It’s not a romantic tale: I just thought it looked really cool and I always enjoyed eating food. I always have liked trying different dishes – my favourite place to take girls on dates when I was like 15 was a Teppanyaki restaurant.

I was training Brazilian jujitsu with one of the casting bookers at BOSS and I mentioned to him that I was thinking about trying something different. He mentioned that BOSS represents food stylists in Manchester. I’d thought about food styling before but I didn’t know how to get into it and I didn’t know anyone in the business. Two weeks later I quit my job, handed in my notice and was like ‘Right, I’m a food stylist now,’ and that was it! I did a little bit of assisting but it’s been quite an easy transition for me. I’ve been doing food styling for just over a year now.

The challenges I face are…. I’ve learnt that you don’t have to season everything all the time now! I’ve gone from my whole adult life being screamed at to add more salt and more seasoning and now it doesn’t really matter. It is more about how it looks, but I do try to make it taste nice because we normally get to eat it afterwards.

The one thing that took a lot of getting used to is the waiting. My first shoot that I did on my own we took the first shot and then waiting two and half hours until it was approved and we couldn’t do anything else because the next shot was on the same background and we didn’t want to move anything or do anything in case we only needed a tiny little movement that was like a tomato up a centimetre – so we couldn’t do anything! I was freaking out because in a professional kitchen if you don’t do anything for two minutes you’re lazy so that took a lot of getting used to. But of course it’s part of the creative process and I’m getting used to it now. It feels slow to me but we always get the expected shot rate done.

Apparently I hear that a lot of chefs struggle transitioning from cooking food to styling it, especially if you’ve been a head chef somewhere and you could tell people what do and that your way is right. They might not be used to taking criticism. But for me most people that I deal with are more experienced and they’re the client so as much as sometimes I think it might not be the right way to do it I always trust their judgement.

What I love most about my job… I really love the creative side of being a food stylist. My favourite thing used to be playing with food, creating new dishes and finding new ways to present them. One of my favourite things as a chef was shopping for new plates, which is perfect for what I do now! My old boss always used to make fun of me because if I had a spare half a day I’d be out or on the internet looking at new plates we could order and how much we could get away with spending! But now my job is massively about that. The shoots that I work on all have different styles but they all want interesting crockery. I’ve been out buying roof tiles and I got a plank of wood this week to build up my own little stock. I really enjoy playing with backgrounds and sifting through antique shops.

What surprises people about my job…There’s a technique that happens with a lot of the birds like turkeys where they’re cooked at really low temperatures and then they are brushed to colour them. I’ve heard stories of people using varnish but I always try to use food products like the meat juices. The idea of doing that is to reduce the way the meat wrinkles when it is cooked properly. If you cook the bird super slow it stays in a nice shape. There’s also the use of dry ice for ice cream which obviously melts really fast normally, but if you put it in a box of dry ice for an hour it will stay frozen for quite a while, even under hot lights it will stay frozen.

When I get home... I used to be sick of cooking by the time I got home for dinner when I was a chef. I was a chef for 14/15 years before I became a food stylist. Back then I was cooking all day, every day whereas these days I’m much more open to cooking slightly more elaborate things at home. Now that I’ve got more time at the weekend my wife likes to book in friends to come round and have Sunday lunch – which is nice for them!

BOSS on the big screen

Filmed in Yorkshire, independent movie 'The Incident,' creates an uncomfortable tension that complements the dark and intriguing storyline.

A troubled teenage girl enters the life of a young couple, disrupting their otherwise orderly life in this cleverly executed British psychological drama.

BOSS Creative Martin McClean acted as the Hair and Make-up Director for the production, which will hit cinemas on November 27th 2016.

So you want to be a food stylist? Q&A with Paul Dickson

After starting as a chef many years ago, BOSS Creative Paul Dickson moved into the world of food styling. In this post, he tells us his top tips for aspiring food stylists and reveals the highlight of his career so far.   

Did you always want to work with food?

I started as a chef many years ago and now my career has evolved into a nice mix of food styling, cooking and teaching.

How did you start out in food styling?

I have always naturally been drawn to great food images and I have a HUGE collection of cook books. My first food styling break was with Country Range.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a food stylist?

Start by snapping your own food and post it on Instagram, read cookbooks and if you can get the chance, shadow an experienced food stylist. Go for it!

What do you think would surprise people about food styling?

You never stop learning new techniques and the job is very varied. Things aren’t always as they seem in the final image!

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I like working with like minded creative people and the problem solving aspect of the job.

It’s national chocolate week! What is your favourite kind of chocolate and how do you like to eat it?

I love chocolate - particularly dark 85%. Luckily for me I’m the only one who likes chocolate in my house so I can eat just a few squares per night without the worry of people stealing the rest out of the fridge!

Are there any projects that have been a highlight of your career so far?

I loved working with Country Range on frozen fruit. We worked on a ‘5 Ways With Fruit’ shoot and I was given total freedom on both recipe development and images. I was really pleased with the summer pudding shot with a jug of cream that came out from the shoot – it’s so simple and the lighting works really well.

See more of Paul's work on our website

Donnette Lathbury for Manchester United

You name it she'll style it! The multi-talented Donette Lathbury has worked on everything from fashion styling to hair and make-up as well as men's grooming.

While she is mainly a fashion stylist, recently Donnette took on Manchester United when she worked on the grooming for a shoot showcasing their latest away kit. 

To see more of Donnette's work, view her profile on our website now - http://bit.ly/2dhHpNQ

Martin McClean for Bench Keylooks AW16

With cosy knitwear accessories and bright waterproof jackets, Bench's AW16 Keylooks are a combination of earthy tones for every day and vibrant outerwear to make a statement on the streets or the slopes.

BOSS hair and make-up artist Martin McClean created fresh, dewy skin and relaxed hair tucked into wooly hats and topped with ski-googles.

See more of Martin's work on our website - http://bit.ly/2d9qsSm