Island life

This week we've been daydreaming about islands: perfect little pockets of alone time, away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Here are some of our favourites...

1. Isola Bella

Isola Bella is one of the Borromeo islands in Lake Maggiore, Biarritz, and has been described as a 'floating wedding cake'. It's gardens were commissioned by Count Carlo Borromeo in 1632, and are reached through the Borromeo Palace. Old Carlo didn't believe in doing things by halves, and the result is the vast, baroque gardens crammed with statues and water features. Vistiors are left in no doubt as to Carlo's wealth and power. It might sound a bit brash, but we can't think of anything nicer than sitting on the grass, listening to the lovebirds and looking out to sea.

2. Taprobane

Sri Lanka's only privately owned island was built up in the 1920s by Count de Mauny-Talyande and has had all sorts of impressive visitors since. It's not too isolated - only 100m from Weligama Bay - and ca be reached by wading, 'elephant or sedan chair'. Of course it costs an arm and a leg, but who needs limbs anyway.

3. Pine Island

A small private island in the heart of central Maine's Lake Maranacook. Just looking at it makes you feel relaxed...

4. Nanuku Levu

This is just getting ridiculous... a 10 acre island in the South Pacific. Basic but beautiful, this little wonder will set you back a grand total of £333 a night. Excuse us while we get on Momondo and have a quick browse for flights....

One Woman Whirlwind: Alexa Perrin

Every Wednesday we'll be talking to someone we work with about how they got to where they are, where they hope to go next and what advice they'd give to anyone wanting to get into the industry. This week we're talking to wonder-woman Alexa Perrin, owner of PR agency apr consultancy and founder of the Experimental Food Society.

Teatime: How would you describe your job?

Alexa: Most enjoyable! I count myself very lucky that I have found what I want to do in life and am truly passionate about it. Without it, I wouldn’t be so driven. 

I am founder of apr consultancy, a PR agency set up in 2008 that works across the lifestyle spectrum specialising in food and drinks brands as well as cultural events. Clients include Borough Market, Willie’s World Class Cacao, The National Trust, Sing London, Bulldog Gin and House of Wolf to name a few. In addition to regular PR services, I also offer assistance in on & off trade account expansion and account support. 

I am also founder of the Experimental Food Society, an organisation featuring the UK’s most talented and pioneering food artists. It is the only organisation of its kind both in the UK and globally and features a range of talents, from Professor Charles Spence, an Experimental Psychologist at Oxford University who works with global food companies and Michelin star chefs to make food more multisensory to Food Landscape Artist Carl Warner who makes extraordinary scenes entirely out of food. The society takes the form of an online directory, a series of talks, an annual Spectacular which is a large-scale, two day exhibition that culminates in a banquet and is active throughout the year with various commissions. Set up in 2009, its aims are to champion food arts in the UK, offer a platform to the incredible talent here, inspire others to follow a career path in this area and to excite everyone with some truly exciting happenings in the food industry.

Artwork by EFS member Carl Warner

I am also a judge for the Young British Foodies, presiding over the experiential category alongside Bompas & Parr, and a member of Courvoisier Future 500.

Teatime: How did you end up where you are now?

Alexa:  Serendipity. I should have known I would end up in food and drink but at the beginning I cant say I did.

If I go back and read the school essays I had to write on summer holiday adventures, they revolve entirely around food. As do my diaries.

At the tender age of seven I could be found making a mess in the kitchen, talking to a non-existent camera about the joys of baking in an early attempt to become a TV food chef. When I went to Texas at the same age to stay on a ranch for several months, my first port of call was to make a large batch of Shirley Temple (a non alcoholic cocktail) which I tried to sell on the roadside.

This could be partly explained by the fact that I actually come from a family of foodies. My uncle was one of the first people to bring Thai restaurants to the UK in the early 80’s and I spent much time in his restaurants buying exotic food stuffs, helping in the kitchen and sampling different foods. My mother used to bake cakes for local businesses and I would sometimes also help her. She went on to open a restaurant in Brighton.

Another explanation is that I am just plain greedy.

When I started out in my career I didn’t have an end goal in mind, I just followed my interests and worked hard.

My first proper job was working at Conde Nast, initially at Vogue and then moving on to work in Media Research across their portfolio of titles. From there I went on to work in production, working across various publications such as Dazed & Confused, The Face and Arena to name a few.  I made a move from publishing to PR around ten years ago, working as PR Account Director on Hendrick’s Gin in addition to a series of other premium food and drink brands and it was here that I really found my niche, realising that I wanted to work in food and drink. Once realisation dawned, the floodgates opened!

I went on to set up to set up my PR agency apr consultancy, then the Experimental Food Society followed shortly after.

Setting up both has been a lot of hard work. Many weekends have been worked on, my poor friends have been invited to events so that we can see each other and despite being banned, my laptop came on honeymoon.

Regardless of the hard work, it has never felt a chore because I really do love it. 

Teatime: Do you wish you had done anything differently?

Alexa: Not at all. Of course there have been mistakes and areas that I haven’t enjoyed but each has been a valuable lesson.

Teatime: What are you working on at the moment?

Alexa: I am currently organising this years Experimental Food Society Spectacular, alongside a series of activities on behalf of my clients.

Teatime: What have been your favourite projects so far and why?

Alexa: As I work for myself, I have the luxury of only choosing and working on projects that I think are fabulous, which makes it very hard to choose. 

I get a great amount of pleasure from supporting start-up brands and seeing them grow. One of these was Bulldog Gin. I launched it into the UK market in 2007.

As its founder was based in the US, I managed all aspects of the brand from launch strategy and on and off trade expansion and support to PR, events, advertising and sponsorship. By 2010 the brand had been successfully launched into the super premium gin category and was stocked nationally by over 200 accounts including Selfridges and Waitrose.

I also greatly enjoy long-term projects with a specific end target. One of these has been managing the PR for Ping! an event hosted by Sing London, a fabulous participatory arts organisation. Ping! was a three year ping-pong project which was held in the run up to the Olympics and funded by Sport England, with the aim of getting a million more people playing sport.  The event saw 100 ping pong tables (half permanent, half pop-up) placed in various cities across the UK throughout each summer of the three year run up. Everyone got involved from members of the public to Boris Johnson, our British number 1’s and even Her Majesty the Queen. The project also has a fantastic legacy with the permanent tables remaining, and the pop up’s being offered out to charities across the UK. Of course I particularly love the fact that ping-pong was invented by the British.

Teatime: What are your hopes/plans for the future? Do you have an end goal?

Alexa: Besides particular aims for the Experimental Food Society which I have listed above, more of the same.

I don’t have an end goal as such, other than to follow my interests and work really hard, making the best use of opportunities and support people along the way. I believe that as long as you do this, you end up exactly where you should be.

Teatime: How and when does inspiration strike? Do you have a process for coming up with ideas?

Alexa: Britain and more specifically London is the most fabulous place for taking inspiration from. I cant think of any other country or city I would rather live in or call home. It is so culturally rich that every day life creates the most fabulous of mood boards from which one can look back at and take reference from.

Due to this my electronics are overburdened with snap shot images of things that interest me or that I think might become relevant.  I have a ridiculous amount of notebooks and torn articles or images from magazines and papers. I often send myself emails with thousands of links to online articles or information that I think might be of benefit at some point and have been known to take afternoon tea menu’s from hotels (paid for I might add) or buy up half of a department food hall to sample. I also read a lot. The list of reference points is endless and I could go on. 

These reference points are often called upon when coming up with ideas. Other processes vary by project.

Teatime: What are you interested in right now?

Alexa: After just having had a daughter in January, I am particularly interested in baby milks and foods and any matters relating to them. Did you know that British baby milk is currently being rationed because the Chinese are buying it in bulk due to fears over the safety of infant products made in their own country? 

Additionally Insects which we served at the Experimental Food Society banquet in 2011. Experimental Food Society member Stefan Gates has just hosted a TV show on them titled ‘Can Eating Insects Save the World’ and Josh Pollen of Blanch & Shock is about to take part in an event at the Wellcome Collection called ‘Exploring the Deliciousness of Insects’ alongside the Nordic Food Lab. Are they the protein of the future?

I am also very interested in EU food regulation.

EFS member Stefan Gates

Teatime: Who do you admire and why?

Alexa: I greatly admire people who carve out their own job titles with no footsteps to follow. 
Carl Warner for instance who is a Food Landscape Artist or Emily Crane, a Gastronomic Tailor, both of whom are Experimental Food Society members. Despite coming up against obstacles when applying for a fashion degree because Professors just couldn’t understand her vision of biodegradable food fabrics, Emily forged ahead. Luckily a Professor saw her vision and conviction, offered her a place and the rest is history. 

Edible Couture by Emily Crane

I also admire people who pioneer change utilising progressive knowledge. Experimental Food Society member Professor Charles Spence for instance, an Experimental Psychologist at Oxford University who Heads up the Cross Modal Laboratory. He works to gain a better understanding of our responses to food and applies his research to food to make it more multisensory.

Professor Charles Spence, image via Wired

I also admire people who work to better peoples lives. For instance there are some university professors currently working to improve the palatability and pleasure of food for people suffering from throat cancer.

In truth, I admire many people and of course it varies by sector.

Teatime: What is your advice for people who would like a job like yours? 

Alexa: Stick with your gut instinct and don’t drink gin neat!

You can find out more about Alexa's work with apr via the website and Twitter. You can keep up with the Experimental Food Society via it's website and Facebook page.