Ever wondered what I spend my days doing over at heat magazine? Well wonder no more, Rich Leigh & Company recently interviewed be about what it’s like to be a food editor of heat magazine. Enjoy!
Meet the Foodie – Corrie Heale, Food Editor of Heat
by Emily Urban-Smith | May 3, 2016 | PR blog | 0 comments
It’s 6 months since we began our ‘Meet the Foodie’ Q&A and we’re mega chuffed with the journos who have taken part in the feature so far.Picture 15380
This month, we’re pleased to introduce Corrie Heale, Food Editor of Heat magazine (@ch_rabbitfood)
If you’re not familiar with the blog, Meet the Foodie is a monthly Q&A with food journalists and bloggers – a nod to the fact our Northern office specialises in food and drink PR. To date, we’ve interviewed:
Sheena Horton (Eat In) here
Fae Gilfillan (Veggie) here
Karen Barnes (Delicious) here) and
Lucy Blackwell (Bella, That’s Life, Take a Break) here
Jenny Tregoning (Stylist ) here
Before becoming food editor of Heat, Corrie was researching the possibility of starting her own vegetarian cafe or wine and cheese shop – and whilst she hasn’t given up on her dream, she’s enjoying her job at Heat too much to give it up just yet.
The food pages at Heat (or ‘your drunk best friend’ as she sums the magazine up as!) are full of fun, affordable and occasionally ridiculous things, so Corrie spends her working day planning, designing and writing the food page with content that suits their readership. Outside of work, Corrie’s life is all about hobbies that make her happy – jogging, knitting and singing opera to name a few 🙂
Read on to find out more….Enjoy 🙂
1. How did you get into your role at Heat?
I never expected Heat to ask me to be their Food Editor, for starters I’m the Art Editor, so I’m more used to designing pages than writing them but my interest in food clearly hadn’t gone unnoticed.
It was common knowledge I’d done a nutritional diploma for fun and had just started my own food blog corriesrabbitfood.com. I was also regularly signing up to cookery and food photography courses so it was clear to everyone that met me I had a keen interest in food. Meanwhile the food page in the magazine was looking tired and unloved, not helped by the fact there was very little food on it. So when the magazine went through a redesign I was asked to be co editor along with the Deputy Online Editor Anna. We both had food blogs so it made sense for the two foodies in the office to do it.
Between us we selected and cooked the recipes we featured as well as came up with new and exciting content. Five months later however, Anna found another job leaving me soul food editor, which was scary but exciting. Another redesign later my new page and I are now in full swing and I love every second of it.
2. Did you always know you wanted to work in a food-based role? What would you be doing if you weren’t doing this?
I didn’t actually, I studied design at university so came out wanting to design magazines and although I love and still love being a designer my interest in cooking gradually became more than just a hobby. Over the years food took over my passion for design. Before I became food editor I was already researching starting my own business so like to think I’d be on the road to having my own vegetarian café or wine and cheese shop by now. I haven’t given up on this dream though; I’m just enjoying my job at heat so much at the moment that I’m not ready to give it up yet.
3. Please sum up your magazine in one sentence
Your best drunk friend.
4. Can you give us a bit of an insight into your ‘typical’ working day?
I struggle to get out of bed everyday, so I always miss my bus and roll into work around 9.45am. I scoff cereal at my desk and scroll through hundreds of emails about exciting new yogurts and toasters until conference at 10.30am.
Conference is the big meeting heat has everyday where we go through the latest celebrity gossip and decide what to put in the magazine. It’s pretty long so get out around midday and design a couple of pages before lunchtime. At 1pm I heat up last night’s dinner and spend most of my lunch hour planning, designing and writing the food page. Once the editor has approved it, I then go about sourcing the recipes and imagery alongside designing other pages in the magazine.
My day finishes around 6pm but once a week I’ll pick a recipe from one of my collection of cookbooks and on my way home stop off at Sainsbury’s to source the ingredients. I get home around 7pm and cook whatever I’ve chosen for my boyfriend and I or if I’m too tired he’ll kindly offer to cook it for me. If it’s tasty I’ll schedule the recipe to be featured in the magazine.
5. What do you most like hearing from PR’s about?
I like to feature fun, affordable and occasionally ridiculous things so I anything a bit different.
6. What is the most exciting thing about your job – and the most uninteresting?
I find cookbooks very exciting so I’m lucky that I get sent so many beautiful ones to review. I also get thrilled about trying new products, whether it’s a new crisp flavor or a coffee machine. I can’t say I find any part of my job uninteresting, but I guess being repeatedly contacted about a product I’ve previously said no to featuring is annoying but not uninteresting.
7. What would you say the perks of the job are?
I love cooking but it’s not exactly a cheap past time so I’m lucky I get to select and cook exciting recipes for the magazine that perhaps I couldn’t ordinarily afford to cook at home. Similarly dining out at new, exciting restaurants and then going home to my little Camden flat makes me feel like a modern day Cinderella.
8. What are your favourite hobbies outside of work?
My life is all about hobbies and doing things that make me happy, so I have LOADS! I like jogging, knitting, writing my blog and singing Opera (perhaps not all that well but I give it a good go). I also like to give Thai massages although since qualifying as a therapist I prefer to receive them rather than give them these days (obviously).
9. What’s your favourite restaurant?
I’m a greedy girl so prefer simple, hearty food, not keen on micro plates
of pea purée and Parmesan foam. I don’t really have a favourite restaurant because I like to try new places if I can but you can’t go wrong with good old-fashioned pub grub… That being said though if I could pick anywhere to eat tonight I’d go to Wahacca with a couple of girl friends.
10. You’re throwing a dinner party and anyone dead or alive can attend – who are the first 3 people on your guest list? And what 3 courses would you cook?
David Attenborough, JK Rowling and my dad Graham who tragically died 6 years ago. I think they’d all have a good laugh together and wouldn’t mind eating my entirely vegetarian menu.
To start I’d make feta, mint and courgette fritters with a cucumber pickle and homemade zatziki. Then for mains I’d do my leek and mushroom breton served on a bed of chickpea and garlic mash. And finally for dessert I’d bake my dad’s favourite, spiced apple cake served with cinnamon Crème fraîche… God I’m hungry!
corriesrabbitfood.com 