Adventures: Bakehouse Wanders Brighton Part 2 Hi everyone! After months of procrastination, I'm thrilled to finally share part two of my Brighton adventure—because who doesn’t love a seaside story? Picking up from last time, I started my day at the Flint Owl Bakery for breakfast and coffee, followed by a visit to Vero Gusto, an Italian bakery, to pick up some delectable treats. Although I’ve been to Brighton plenty of times, my adventures have mostly centred around the Marina and the beach. This time, I wandered into The Lanes—a popular spot with locals and tourists alike, but a place I’d never explored. I didn’t even realise I was in The Lanes at first—that’s what happens when you don’t have a plan. From what I gathered, The Lanes are a mix of independent shops focused on ‘hip’ culture (do people still say ‘hip’?), fashion, and antiques. None of these are really my thing, but you know what they also had? A pasty shop. Now that is definitely up my street… or lane. The ...
Course: Hangout & Capture with Baz
Course by Sorted Food (presented by Barry)
Course objectives
Following the trend of course and book reviews, here's another one, but something a little different. While not primarily a cooking course, this program focuses on food photography, which sounded intriguing and quite useful, especially when setting up a new food-themed blog. I discovered this course through the Sorted Food Youtube channel's newsletter, which I'd recommend signing up for. The timing was very fortuitous, knowing that I would need to hone my photography skills with food as the subject.
Content
This course is presented in three parts, each with two sessions. One session teaches the focused concept, while the other covers a recipe that can be used to create the subject matter. Although not provided with a specific schedule, I chose to complete each part weekly, treating it as a weekend project.
Each session consists of a series of short videos that break down activities into easy-to-follow steps. This feature is highly useful as it allows you to repeat a specific segment of video without having to rewind to a particular spot, which is especially helpful if you tend to forget details like I do.
One aspect I particularly liked was the emphasis on principles rather than specific objects. As Barry mentioned each time, you're free to cook the provided recipe or create your own within loose boundaries. For the first lesson, I followed the recipe provided, but in the following weeks, I created my own recipes, which worked well for the photos. As a completionist, I still watched the instructional videos for the recipes I didn't make, partly for inspiration and partly because I might try them another time.
The provided recipes, assuming the content is unchanged, include a burger, spaghetti dish, and a kale and egg dish reminiscent of a green shakshuka. In the last week, I made pizza (see last week's post for the recipe) as my grand finale. I'll admit that my organizational skills are lacking; it was mostly a coincidence. Pizza happens to be my specialty, and it made sense for a show-off final dish.
Instructors
Barry is the sole instructor in this series, and if you're familiar with the Sorted Food Youtube channel, you'll recognize him. Initially, it felt a bit surreal taking instruction from Barry. For those unaware, he is considered one of the "normal" home cooks on the channel with no professional training. However, this course showcased his expertise. To clarify, Barry's cooking knowledge is evident in the Youtube videos; he just doesn't always utilize that embedded knowledge under pressure!
I was genuinely impressed with Barry's teaching. He was clear about the objectives of each lesson and provided explanations with enough detail to understand and apply elsewhere, without overwhelming a novice. Dare I say, having completed both courses provided by Sorted Food, this one was more explanatory and informative, although I don't intend to create a sense of competition between them.
Learning Experience
As I mentioned earlier, the education comes in bursts of videos. I suspect this is partly due to the platform's style, but the videos are broken down into sensible-sized chunks that are easy to keep up with.
The approach taken is very down-to-earth and novice-friendly. I entered this course as a photography novice and always felt that I understood what I was trying to do. Each week, I achieved a great shot and gained enough knowledge to carry forward to the next project.
Even with no prior skills, I felt that I progressed and came out on the other end able to take better-than-decent shots without any training wheels. I probably won't be selling my photography to a magazine anytime soon, but for someone new to the world of food photography, I feel much more competent for my current needs.
The course is designed to be practical, and while it's not a strict requirement, it's created to allow you to go at your own pace while practicing alongside the instructor. Although the instruction is clear and detailed, you're much better off getting stuck into the practicals and experimenting.
Since there are no equipment requirements beyond a camera phone, you can jump right in and get started. If you're concerned that your phone isn't modern enough, don't worry; mine is seven years old and barely hanging on, yet I managed to capture photos that exceeded my expectations.
One great feature of the platform is the class discussion board, where you can upload your own photos and browse those of your classmates. In my course, unfortunately, only a handful of us made use of the social aspects, but those who did were a pleasant and friendly bunch. Perhaps in future courses, the discussion tools need more promotion to boost engagement.
Support and Feedback
It's important to note that the course consists of pre-recorded videos, so you should expect that feedback won't be immediate, which is fair. Questions asked by the class were answered to the best of their ability given the text-based format. With a pre-recorded course, there will always be a feeling of one-way communication, but it seemed that efforts were made to respond and engage in a conversational manner.
The questions I asked were responded to quickly and with ample knowledge. For example, I inquired about using artificial light for darker environments, and I received helpful feedback that I've since used to great effect.
From what I could tell, all questions asked were answered with the same level of attention. I appreciate when questions are addressed specific to the individual, as it allows others to learn by observing, yet it still feels like you're being heard.
Materials and Tools
For the most part, all you need for the course is the camera on your phone and a few props. The list of required items isn't extensive and is by no means definitive, so you probably already have suitable items. I only had to purchase one thing, a white pasta bowl, as I didn't have white crockery. In case you're wondering, it cost me £3.45 at Sainsbury's.
All instructions are available both in written and video form. The course primarily relies on visual content, so you'll mainly use the videos. However, the printed notes come in handy for future reference and serve as a shopping list.
Production Quality
The video quality is excellent, which is expected in a photography course. The sound quality is also high, ensuring you have no trouble following along.
I have a few quibbles with the website hosting the course, as it can be unresponsive or not very user-friendly at times. However, I won't hold this against the course itself, as it's clearly a third-party platform.
The printed documentation is of high quality and worth keeping. The content remains available for up to six months after your course, but make sure to download the recipes for future use within that time. The Sorted team is great, and they might help if you forget, although I can't guarantee it.
Cost and Value
When I purchased the course, it was only £15! That's not a typo; it was really £15. Please double-check the current price when purchasing, as it may have changed. However, at the time, it was an incredible value. Value for money is subjective, but I can't imagine anyone disagreeing that this was exceptional value.
I genuinely believe I couldn't have gotten more out of a three-part course for such a small financial investment. With many courses, there's a balancing act between cost and usefulness, but in this course, despite the well-made content, the initial financial barrier is minimal.
Personal Experience
Starting this course, I knew I was entering it with very little knowledge of photography, particularly food photography. Given the price, I assumed there wouldn't be much content, and I might pick up a thing or two. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Barry managed to share a lot of useful beginner knowledge within a short span in a way that was easy to understand.
I imagine if you are experienced in the field, this course might not be for you. However, I'll assume that most of us aren't well-versed in lighting and composition. Most people tend to include their own faces in every photo, obscuring the subject.
I really enjoyed the community feel of the course, which is unusual for a hardened introvert like myself. There's something about learning at your own pace while also having little chats with your cohort along the way.
There's a lot of support and praise from the team, perhaps even too much praise. I don't think anything got critiqued, which is understandable for beginners who need encouragement. However, a few constructive pointers for those openly contributing their work would be nice too.
Pros:
- Clear teaching and instructions
- Well aimed at novices
- Explanations regarding purpose and goals
- Interaction with classmates
- Ability to ask questions
- Alternative recipes
- Its very inexpensive
Cons:
- The external website hosting the course can be buggy
- Only one image can be uploaded at a time
- No critique to identify areas for improvement
Final Recommendation
Are you the type of person who likes to take photos of your food but struggles to make it look as good as it tastes? Then, you should definitely consider purchasing this course.
All feedback is subjective, but I can confidently say that this was an absolutely fantastic course. I learned so much, and it has inspired me to improve beyond what I initially set out to learn. When I began, I knew I was starting a food blog and wanted some skills to make it look better than just point-and-click, and this course certainly achieved that.
I won't claim to be an expert now, but my images already look more appealing. With winter approaching and limited natural light, a moody shot phase may be in store!
The course starts in batches, so be sure to sign up for the newsletter to find out when new classes begin.