About

Hello! And welcome to my blog.

I’m a lover of far-off lands and all things gustatory living in South West London. I started this site in October 2012 - it's intended to be a personal anthology charting the places I visit, the cultures I experience, the food I eat, and the impressions they make upon me.

I studied Astrophysics at university and worked in a software company for several years - neither of which automatically marry themselves with the love of travel and food, but I was always planning the next flight and dreaming of the next tasty morsel. I now spend most of my time either eating, travelling, writing about the two, or photographing them. I'm also founder of londoncheapeats.com - check out the great work the team have been up to.

I was brought up surrounded by exceptional cooking from my Mauritian mother and Turkish-Cypriot father; appreciating the huge range of flavours available in the culinary world is something I actively seek out and happily partake in on a daily basis.

This blog chronicles my thoughts, experiences and endeavours along my global journey of discovery. All words and photography are my own and I hope you enjoy them.

If you would like to get in touch, I would love to hear from you. 

Leyla Kazim

The Cutlery Chronicles Creative

I am a London-based freelance writer, photographer, blogger, and digital influencer, specialising in travel and food.

I spent the best part of 2015 on one big trip, eating my way around the world - great memories. I share my global stories through this blog, my social media platforms (@thecutlerychronicles on Instagram, @LeyLaLaa on Twitter, /thecutlerychronicles on Facebook, and here on YouTube), and a number of online and print publications.

As a lifestyle photographer, I specialise in food, drink, restaurants and travel. I have worked for clients from across the hospitality industry including restaurants, bars, chefs, caterers, suppliers, media agencies, and journalists. My work and client testimonials can be found at leylakazimphotography.com.

I'm also an established food and travel writer. I am a regular contributor to The Caterer and Great British Chefs, and I'm the resident restaurant critic for T-VINE magazine.

My words and/or photography have also featured in the The Huffington Post, Evening Standard, JamieOliver.com, Good Things Magazine, Suitcase Magazine, The Culture Trip, Eat Travel Live, GoodFood Channel, LoveFood.

By combining expertise in the fields of photography, words, and social media, I produce tailored collateral designed to meet specifications, from copywriting and content marketing, to social media campaigns and photography, and a lot more in between. 

You can take a look at my LinkedIn page for more information.

Commissions

I am always happy to hear about commissions, brand collaborations, new restaurant openings, press trips and review opportunities either for The Cutlery Chronicles or another outlet - I cover food and travel both in London and beyond. 

Please get in touch about any of the above.

Testimonials

I aim to obtain a testimonial from every client I work with. You can find these on my LinkedIn profile and on my photography website.

Media Coverage & Contributions

April 2017

Guardian Careers – panellist on ‘How to turn your hobby into a job’ live chat

February 2017

Culture Whisper - featured in Five of London's Best Instagram Foodies

December 2016

Business Insider - featured in The 50 best food bloggers to follow on Instagram in 2017

November 2016

Huffington Post - interviewed as part of Millennials Paving The Way: An Interview With Instagram’s Top Visual Storytellers

September 2016

Evening Standard - featured as one of London's top 10 foodie influencers on Instagram

July 2016

Olive Magazine - Fridge Raider with Leyla Kazim

Budapest Finest Magazine - The Cutlery Chronicles Takes a Bite out of Budapest

June 2016

Jamie's Food Revolution - The Cutlery Chronicles: My thoughts on sugar

May 2016

Lalani & Co - Where to get your matcha fix in London

Guild of Fine Foods - a food judge at the Great Taste Awards 2016

jamieoliver.com - How to make tzatziki

March 2016

Foodism - a weekend takeover of their Instagram account

February 2016

Silversea - My gourmet Mediterranean cruise with Silversea

Skyscanner - Cheap alternatives to London's fanciest restaurants

Tabl - How to take pictures of food... properly

Great British Chefs - Seven amazing street food dishes to eat in Penang

January 2016

The Caterer - Menu Watch: Jidori

Evening Standard - featured as founder of London Cheap Eats in top 20 cheap eats article

December 2015

Featured on Instagram's list of Suggested Users for the second time

November 2015

Great British Chefs - Beyond pho: Vietnam's regional noodle soups

Tilda Rice - Tilda Supper Club with The Cutlery Chronicles

October 2015

Project Bly - Thai Biryani from Chiang Mai, Thailand

Great British Chefs - A Cambodian royal Khmer cooking class

Great British Chefs - Sang Khya L’peouv (pumpkin custard)

June 2015

Good Things Magazine - featured in #EPICPHOTO What does it take to achieve food fame on Instagram?

April 2015

Good Things Magazine - Photo Essay: Eat the Streets in Taipei

February 2015

jamieoliver.com - A wonderful wonton soup recipe 

December 2014

Featured on Instagram's list of Suggested Users

T-VINE - Review: Arabica Bar & Kitchen 

November 2014

The Culture Trip - Beloved Spanish chef shares his secrets for decades of success 

The Culture Trip - 10 of the Best Dishes from the Regions of Murcia and Andalucia 

October 2014

The Caterer - Better Business: Queensberry hotel, Bath 

September 2014

The Caterer - Foodservice Focus: Gather & Gather

The Caterer - Better Business: The Stockbridge 

August 2014

The Caterer - Foodservice Focus: BaxterStorey

jamieoliver.com - The best basic hummus recipe 

July 2014

The Caterer - Better Business: The Great House

Lalani & Co - Stopping for tea at Curators Coffee 

June 2014

Lalani & Co. - La Gelatiera 

T-VINE - Lemon Compendium: a book every household should own  

May 2014

The Caterer - Better Business: The Traddock 

Eat Travel Live - What to eat in Osaka 

Bespoke Menu Design - Trend Spotlight: Juicing (photography only)

April 2014

Suitcase Magazine - International Supper Clubs in London 

T-VINE - Soho's Ba Shan: Hunan cuisine full of fire and flavour

February 2014

Jamie Oliver Magazine - 5 Bloggers to Watch this Year

July 2013

Morrisons Magazine - Blog Watch

June 2013

Good Food Channel - Favourite Blogs: The Cutlery Chronicles 

Great British Chefs - Halloumi pasta with lemon and mint 

May 2013

Great British Chefs - Mexican chipotle wings with creamed corn 

Square Meal - Blogger of the Week


Kind words

Jamie Oliver Magazine - Blog to Watch this Year, February 2014*



* They did make a mistake with the details of my Cypriot heritage, but kindly apologised and corrected themselves via their Twitter account.

Morrisons Magazine - BlogWatch, July 2013



Square Meal - Blogger of the Week, May 2013