How to plate like a pro with chef Frances Atkins

Let’s face it, creating picture-perfect dishes that wouldn’t look out of place on programmes like The Great British Menu or Saturday Kitchen can be daunting!  The professionals make it look so simple and easy. 

However, when it comes to plating food, nailing that picture-perfect presentation can be surprisingly simple.  You don’t need to have the culinary skills of Jamie Oliver, or the artistic flair of Nigella Lawson, to make your plate Instagram worthy.

Here, Frances Atkins, professional chef, gives you some simple and useful tips to follow so you can plate like a pro. 

 

Picking the right plate

Every good chef knows that a plate is more than just a plate, it’s their blank canvas, and that’s how you need to think of it too! Picking the perfect plate means thinking about its size and shape compared to what you are serving.  You also need to think about the colour of the plate and its styling. 

Most high-end restaurants choose white plates because they look great and also enable you to show off the food and colour the best.  However, darker colours can also work well, particularly for romantic meals.  Pick smaller plates for smaller dishes, go for white plates for dishes with a lot of vibrant colours so it helps the food stand out, and, if you’re creating modern cuisine, you can even try a square or rectangular plate.  There’s plenty of options to choose from.

I’d also recommend keeping away from plates with patterns or too much going on, as they can detract from the wonderful food you’ll be serving.

 

Play with texture, colour and shape

The trick here is all about making the presentation of your plate more interesting and giving it more depth and variety. 

Whether this means mixing and matching the colours of your ingredients, so your dish looks more visually appealing, or thinking about the colours of your napkins and tableware to complement your food. 

Try to avoid serving foods in the same colour scheme, as it can make your plate look a bit dull.  Including bright colours that are pleasing to the eye will make your dish stand out and look better.

It’s also important to consider how you position your food on the plate to get the right symmetry.

 

Layer it up

Layering your food is about creating a sense of height.  It’s important when plating food you don’t try to fill the whole plate. 

Instead, try building from the bottom up and layering food on top of each other.  A great tip is using a baking ring so you start with a solid base and build up from there. 

The idea is that when the food is delivered to the table in this way, not only does it look great, but it appeals to the senses of sight.  Your guests can imagine the ideal forkful, one that combines the flavours of everything on the plate, in one mouthful!

 

Finish in style

Last but no means least, it’s important to finish the dish in style and stamp your own identity on the plate.  Whether this means a drizzle of balsamic over your salad leaves, adding a garnish, using crumbs or a frosting for your dessert, there’s endless opportunities to additional texture or an eye-patching pop of colour. My advice though when decorating the plate is to keep it simple.  Less is sometimes more, and whilst it can look nice, you don’t want too much going on or taking anything away from the wonderful meal you have prepared.

It's also worth turning to social media for inspiration! Whether it’s the Insta account of a top chef or your favourite foodie Tik-Tok channel, the creativity and ingenuity on display is sure to fire up some inspiration for your next dinner party.