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FOOD STYLIST & HOME ECONOMIST EVIE HARBURY OM '12
What is your profession and current position?
I am a Food Stylist and Home Economist working in print and television, and more recently, an Author of a cookbook, My Bohemian Kitchen: a nostalgic guide to modern Czech cooking.
How did Monkton get you ready for the world of work?
Studying photography at A Level at Monkton cemented the idea that I wanted to work in the creative world. Jane Hildreth and Tim Hardisty gave so much encouragement in their teaching and made an environment that pushed me creatively while having to stick to some boundaries, which got me ready for the industry that I ended up in.
What is your biggest professional achievement?
My very own cookbook, My Bohemian Kitchen, being published by Murdoch Books in September 2025. Having spent the last 8 years working on the food styling and recipe writing, and development for other people's cookbooks, I am so excited to be publishing my own. I began working on it in 2022, and what began as a list of recipes jotted down on my phone at 4 in the morning with jet lag has ended up as a beautifully designed hardback book, available in bookshops all over the world. It makes my heart burst with excitement knowing that people are reading my pages and cooking my recipes at home in their own kitchens.
What has been your most challenging professional moment?
I’ve been lucky enough to work with some incredible cooks and chefs in the industry, such as Dame Mary Berry and Tom Kerridge. Of course, with this comes a very high standard of work expected and sometimes long days to get the work done. I’ve had a couple of 16 or 17-hour days on filming for television. I love every second of it, though.
What inspires and motivates you at work?
My industry is full of people who are passionate about it and love their jobs, which makes for a really fulfilling work environment, where everyone wants to come together to produce a brilliant end product.
The part that really motivates me is the creativity and collaboration at the beginning of a new project. When everyone is feeling excited and ideas are bouncing around off every surface. It makes me want to never stop working.
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with pupils or OMs about getting into your profession?
It took me a few years to find my feet in exactly what industry I wanted to be in. My advice would be that it’s okay to try something out and find out it is not a compatible fit and move on. There’s no need to rush it; don’t underestimate how much you will learn along the way. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people and collaborate. No matter how small, every project expands your knowledge and expertise, and it all adds up.
To get into the world of being a Food stylist and Home Economist - start in the kitchen, whether that means going to culinary school or working in a restaurant kitchen, after that, get in contact with some Food Stylists whose work you like and ask to assist them. Show that you are keen, and that will get you places.