The ingenious Narroway Studio is a creative food space and daylight photography studio in the heart of London’s Hackney. A collaboration between three visionary women changing the face of food.

Narroway is brought to you by food writer, stylist, and author Anna Jones; food writer, stylist and art director Emily Ezekiel, and food + lifestyle photographer, Issy Croker…

Tell us about Narroway Studio...

Narroway Studio is a creative food space in the heart of Hackney, where we work and shoot, we also hire it out for shoots and supper clubs too. It’s where we work and develop recipes, we also hold workshops there a few times a year too. It’s a really calm space overlooking St Johns church with a beautiful but homely kitchen at its heart.

Where did the idea for Narroway Studio come from?

We have been looking for a space to call our own for quite a few years now. We all work for ourselves but our work overlaps a lot as we often shoot together for different columns, books, brands or for other chefs cookbooks, so it made sense to have a place we could all base ourselves. We’ve all been in the industry a while and we wanted somewhere to call home and to be able to collaborate with each other as much as possible. Being freelance and working from home or in a different location every day is fun but sometimes it can a bit lonely. The space had been a photography studio before but it needed a massive amount of updating- we replastered, had new electrics put in and got new floors, then we started on the kitchen and decorating. We called in Emily’s brothers and partner Seb to help us out with a lot of stuff but we all got our overalls on and got stuck in.

What do you have planned for Narroway this year?

Narroway is a hub of activity at the moment, Anna and Emily are working there each week writing and testing recipes for some book projects. We have loads of shoots booked in with brands and chefs we love.

There is a bi monthly art club @charcoalartclub with life drawing and dinner, which is run by our friend Rosie Ramsden. We also have a few charity dinners coming up and plans for our next workshop in the Spring.

Do you have any Narroway tips for cooking en masse in these transitional months?

Anna - Make something simple. People will always be thrilled with a bowl of pasta and a well dressed salad, don’t over complicate things. Simple is best, lower on stress and more fun. Just buy good ingredients and cook them simply, the best cooking lesson anyone ever taught me.

Is there a specific dish that you would make using any of the Falcon range at Narroway?

Anna and Emily have made this whole roast squash recipe in falcon baking dished many times, it is a winter favourite 

What's the most important piece of advice you have been given?

Emily - when I was 18 I worked in an Italian restaurant and the head chef constantly told me to follow my gut, it always felt like it was something old people said. But as my work in food and styling became a career I understood that more and more. I know if something isn't going to work the moment I start it, but for others, you should understand it might not look like the picture, follow your gut and amend a recipe or a cooking time if you feel it needs it. Cooking and creativity are instinctive.

Anna - I think the most important advice I have been given is that if you don’t ask, you don’t get. I don’t mean that in a pushy sense but more if you are not clear about the things that you are aiming for they are less likely to happen. My career has been made on taking some risks, working hard and asking…

Issy - I think Emily actually gave me the best piece of advice, which is that in this industry you are only as good as your last job! Remembering this really makes me want to keep developing as a photographer with every job that I do.

What are your tips on the best places to eat, drink and source ingredients in London? 

We all love food packing a punch. Here are a few of our favourite places to eat out:

Som Saa for amazing Thai 
Brat for faultless seasonal British food 
Raw duck & The Picklery for incredible pickles and clever seasonal cooking 
XU London for delicious Taiwanese food
P.Franco for the best wine around
Drop wine app for incredible wine delivered to your door
Natoora for beautiful produce 

Visit Narroway’s website to book the space or any of their events, classes and workshops

And find out more about the amazing women behind Narroway Studio:
Anna - www.annajones.co.uk @we_are_food
Emily - www.emilyezekiel.com @emilyezekiel
Issy - www.issycroker.com @issycroker