Food & Prop Styling

Tablescapes

Back in the day, we ‘entertained’: we went out for ‘dinner parties’ and the hostess was expected to know how to ‘dress’ the table, ‘do’ the flowers and deliver Cordon Bleu dishes from copper pans to hostess trolley in flurry of Margot Leadbetter chiffon bell-sleeves and snobbery. The host meanwhile, poured the G&Ts adding a lemon-twist.

Times have changed. Men now cook, chores are shared and we don’t dress-up. We no longer have matching dinnerware gracing the table, all set with a frightening battalion of cutlery and cut glass goblets. We no longer have set courses, and are lucky to be offered a pud. Few of us have a designated formal dining room, and prefer to eat in the kitchen or in open-plan living spaces where the kitchen is free- range and unfitted. We also love eating outdoors. And rather than doing our explorative cooking a la Francaise, we now plunder the world for inspiration and prefer to mix and match our food and help ourselves from platters and bowls – with possibly chopsticks at the ready or, even, just hands.

The rulebook has been thrown out, and we now style and prop our tables and our dishes organically – to complement our environment, our mood and our relaxed food. We do not host dinner parties, we have friends around for supper – and on the spur of the moment. Unfettered from etiquette, we are more free to be creative with the tops of our tables, trestles, counters or cutting-edge builders planks. Mismatched cutlery, plates, glasses and, even, odd chairs have become de rigeur. We see beauty in the quotidian; ordinariness is our benchmark for creativity.

But how do we make it work? How do we make the everyday beautiful? And how can elegant and contemporary results be achieved on a minimal budget? When does the food take part? How does it work on the plate? What should we cook, and what exactly is going to deliver the wow-factor? Having styled endless shoots for magazines and newspaper supplements, Alastair Hendy is a master of the dinner table and how to make it sing. In this workshop Alastair will show you how you can achieve effortless results, firing you with renewed inspiration – yet using the simplest of props with bold and delicious food. 

Workshops are held at two unique locations: A G Hendy & Co Home Store’s kitchen at 36 High Street, Hastings, our Georgian shop and restaurant set over three floors; and at our spacious warehouse home in Shoreditch London. You choose.

How do I book?

Please see our Booking page

Please see our Contact us page

Please read our Terms & Conditions.

Some more questions answered

All recipes will be provided for you to take home

All props and ingredients to make our lunch are included

Nearby on-street parking is available in Hastings only

Gift vouchers available

Location details

The course starts at 10.00am and concludes at 4.30pm.

Hastings

A G Hendy & Co Home Store
36 High Street
Hastings Old Town
TN34 3ER

London

No. 2
8 – 13 New Inn Street
Shoreditch
London
EC2A 3PY