What's good ?

Perhaps I should say something about what I think is "best practice" for a food blogger. The two key things are in my opinion, to write something that's new and original, and to respect the work of others.

This doesn't mean that you can't refer to or talk about a recipe written by someone else, but I honestly don't believe that you have to cut and paste it. Every week, many food bloggers manage to write original, compelling and entertaining posts which have me coming back for more, which are all the better for being entirely their own. What I mean by that is that they can write "around" a recipe, talk about why they like it (is it easy ? is it comforting? is it just the best in its class ?), how they made it, any points at which they strayed from the recipe or adapted it; and maybe crown it all with some great photos of their own. And they don't feel the need to pad their blog out by cut and pasting the recipe.

Want an example ? One I saw and responded to just today is http://miskcooks.com/2012/02/07/dan-lepards-breakfast-soda-bread/ - simple, elegant and straightforward, it immediately cut to what the blogger liked about the recipe, and had me hooked when she said: "quite possibly the best". It clearly identifies where the recipe is from, and what the home baker likes about it, and gives a link to where the casual reader can find a version of the recipe, along with a recommendation to buy the book. It suggests a way of using the bread (great with soup for a weekend lunch) and communicates the blogger's bubbling enthusiasm.

I really think it matters that bloggers tell you where to find a recipe, rather than just repeating it. If you're a food writer working for a newspaper or magazine, the chances are that the publishers monitor the traffic to their web pages, and if lots of people go to the ones where your recipes are, it may help to keep you in work. If the recipes are on the author's own website, more visitors and a higher number of page impressions may help to show that you have a "following", which may mean you get more work commissioned - and like everyone else, food writers work for a living. And in any case, don't you owe it to a writer you admire to let them control the distribution of their recipes, and to share your readership with them if you write about their recipes ? So without even getting into the area of copyright, I think there's a strong moral argument for linking to the original, or giving details of the book it's from, rather than filling your blog with someone else's work. You can still write about what you make, and showcase your photos, and feel that you're lined up with the good guys.