A Decade on the Plate: Behind the Lens of The Old Spot Cookbook

Photographing a beloved Dublin pub as it celebrated ten years of good food, great pints and community.

First Meeting & Planning

Last year I was asked by editor Kristen Jensen of Nine Bean Rows to photograph The Old Spot Cookbook.

Before any shooting began we arranged a recce at the pub. I walked the tree lined canal from my home in Portobello to The Old Spot in Beggar’s Bush for that first meeting. The kind of gentle walk Patrick Kavanagh celebrated in Canal Bank Walk, a perfect way to settle into the day.

We ordered lunch and talked through the story they hoped the book would tell. I had already read Aoife Carrigy’s beautiful first draft, and her words, drawn from hours spent in the pub, captured the feeling of the place so vividly that arriving with her writing fresh in my mind made it easy to sense the atmosphere for myself.

Shaping the Story

At the lunch table we five sat. Head chef Mark Ahessy, the heart of The Old Spot, general manager Denise McBrien, editor Kristen and stylist Charlotte O’Connell. We listened as Mark and Denise described their vision. They pulled out sample cookbooks for inspiration and we discussed how the building itself, the people and the food could all have equal presence in the final book.

More Than What’s on the Plate

I have always believed a great meal is more than what is on the plate. You can have the most incredible dish, but if the space or the company is not right it will not taste the same. The Old Spot team understood that completely. They wanted to celebrate not just their dishes but the feeling of the place, the suppliers, the camaraderie and the quiet craft behind every plate.

Capturing Light and Craft

Over the course of about a week and a half we photographed everything: bustling kitchen moments, intimate table settings, portraits of the team and the building’s character.

Aoife Carrigy’s words shaped the visual approach from the start. We decided early that the pub itself would be our set. Every shot would be in situ: food on tables and chairs, dishes being plated in real time, light falling where it naturally does. Depending on the shot I used a mixture of natural and artificial light. The dark wood and warm tones of The Old Spot sometimes needed subtle fill and other times a more deliberate use of artificial lighting to create the mood we wanted.

The Final Shot

One of the very last images we created was the team portrait. The Old Spot feels like one of the staff, so I suggested we make the building itself part of the photograph. Mark mentioned there was roof access I had not seen, so he brought me up for a look. From there the idea formed: staff standing on the roof, others leaning from the first floor windows, some perched on barrels outside. The Beggar’s Bush neighbourhood became a character too, with the DART line running just to the left. The final image captured the sense of place and community they wanted to celebrate.

Provenance & a Simple Bowl of Soup

When it came to food a deceptively simple shot of a bowl of soup remains close to my heart. Natural shadow cut across it beautifully and it captured what Mark’s cooking is all about: excellent ingredients handled with care. The Old Spot’s commitment to provenance is extraordinary. They work with trusted Irish suppliers, make almost everything in house and insist on top quality produce. That depth of sourcing and respect for ingredients is what allows a dish as simple as soup to taste remarkable.

People often assume food photography means endless feasting. The reality on set is different. During a shoot food is fuel. You are thinking about light, composition and what comes next. Photography at its best is more than technical choices. It is a slow act of attention, watching how light shifts through a room or how you shape the room with your own lights. Over that week and a half I moved between careful planning and quiet observation, letting the character of the pub guide the work. Those small, unplanned moments became as important as the shot list, the kind of details that make an image feel alive.

Closing the Circle

Not long after the book was finished I went back with my husband for lunch. We sat beneath a favourite painting of a pig pouring wine, a perfect match for their thoughtful wine list, and simply enjoyed the food and the room. It felt like the right way to close a project built on heart, flavour and the pleasure of a meal shared.

If you would like to bring a little of The Old Spot home, you can order the cookbook here:
The Old Spot Cookbook – Nine Bean Rows