Hello everyone!
We have woken from our winter hibernation, blinking into the light and rubbing our eyes to find out that… wait, it’s nearly May already?!
Our last issue was the hugely popular Bean Issue, which flew out. We have a few copies left, so if you haven’t grabbed yours yet, be quick and buy one now!
We are gearing up for the year ahead, discussing themes and directions, and getting excited about all the potential contributors ahead of our next issue, which we plan to publish this summer.
Why is Pit published sporadically? This is a frequently asked question. The answer is that Pit is produced in our spare time. We are a team of three people only, all with full-time jobs and other commitments outside of work.
Do we wish we could spend more time and resources on the magazine? Of course! But it simply isn’t possible, so we just concentrate on making the best magazine, as and when we can.
Remember, subscribers, you are ONLY charged when we release an issue. NEVER in advance. The magazine is always in the warehouse, ready to go when your subscription renews.
From left to right: Holly, Rob and Helen.
So, who are the people behind Pit? Say hi to our tiny team!
Helen Graves: Editor
Helen is the Editor of Great British Chefs, the UK’s top premium food website with millions of page views per month. She also writes cookbooks (see: BBQ Days, BBQ Nights and Live Fire - both designed and shot by the Pit team!). She authors a weekly recipe newsletter called Flavour Nuggets and is a columnist on Scribehound Food. In her (very limited!) spare time, she’s a fiction fanatic, racing through paperbacks while chilling with her cats and a glass of wine.
Favourite food smells: fresh basil, garlic butter, brown butter.
Favourite food memory: Stealing a whole jar of pickled onions at my 6th birthday party and eating them until my lips turned white.
Worst food habit: Eating in bed.
Favourite issues of Pit: MSG and Sausage.
Holly Catford: Art Director
Holly is an editorial designer. She’s Design Partner at Esterson Associates, where she’s worked since 2012. She’s Art Editor of Eye magazine and Art Director of History Today. When she’s not designing magazines, she’s either knitting or sewing. Fun fact: She knits around 25 jumpers a year.
Favourite food smell: roasting chicken
Favourite food memory: We’ve always called my favourite meal, toad in the hole, ‘sausage in bed’. When I was five, my best friend Vicky was round for tea, and when my mum shouted that it was ready, we couldn’t find her. The name ‘sausage in bed’ had confused her, and she was tucked in upstairs, under the duvet.
Worst food habit: ordering things I don’t really like in restaurants.
Robert Billington: Creative and Lead Photographer
Rob is a photographer and director who has worked with clients such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Heinz, McDonald’s, Cadbury’s and Captain Morgan while also regularly shooting editorial. When not behind the camera, you’ll find him splashing around in the swimming pool, clipping things in his garden or trying out some new recipe/pickle/ferment in his kitchen.
Favourite food smell: dill, old riesling, cake fresh out of the oven.
Favourite food memory: When I was nine, I went to the Scout Christmas do. There was a competition to taste and identify seven types of baked beans (Heinz, Daddies, Sainsbury’s own, etc) and I was the only one out of the entire hall of about two hundred people to get the answer correct! My Mum, however, was embarrassed that she’d served us so many baked beans that I got it right! Being nine and shy, I didn’t even go up and get my prize!
Worst food habit: Best food habit learnt from Helen: When you’re not sure whether to order a dessert at a restaurant, order it to go and have it back at home! Your future self will thank you.
Favourite issues of Pit: MSG, Potato and Sausage.
Helen, Holly & Rob
Winning Magazine of the Year at the Guild of Food Writers Awards
