South Ronaldsay & Burbay Horticultural & Industrial Society prize winner - Martin Parr from Real Food

Patrick Grant's favourite photo from Real Food

We've heard how his new collection was inspired by Martin Parr's Boring Postcards - here he is on Parr's new book

"I really, really love Real Food " says Patrick Grant reclining on a sofa of his Savile Row tailors, Norton & Sons.  "It’s all the things that I really like! There’s a café round the corner from my house called the Gypsy Rose Café  and it’s totally what you'll find in Real Food  It’s the way they write the sign board outside, the yellow star with something really badly written in green pen, nowhere near the centre, that just conveys 'oh shit' I've  run out of room for the last two letters!'"

We've already revealed how Grant's current collection for his E.Tautz label was inspired in part by Martin Parr's Phaidon book, Boring Postcards. It seems Grant has one or two favourites from Parr's new book, Real Food as well. 

“I love the photograph on page 48 - it’s a photo of a single green bean and it’s Called South Ronaldsay & Burbay Horticultural & Industrial Society. So many things are great about it. For starters: why would you have a horticultural and industrial society? I mean, in what sense are those two linked? And this is a prizewinner in the category named ‘Any Other Vegetable’. It’s the fact that it’s won first prize and it's just one green bean, on a paper plate, on a Formica table top. It really tells a story of us Brits. Why would we give prizes for somebody growing a bean? Why would we then present it on a paper plate? It’s also a compositionally beautiful photograph. I love that one!”

 

Martin Parr and Patrick Grant at the launch of Real Food at E. Tautz
Martin Parr and Patrick Grant at the launch of Real Food at E. Tautz

One of Parr's photos could also provide some more sartorial inspriation it seems, this time in the form of a tie. . . “I also really love the fried egg on the toast (on page 63). It’s perfect. It’s the shape of the plate, it’s the toast within the plate, it’s the egg within the toast and how the colours are so harmonious - the ticks of orange on the plate chime with the egg yolk. And you can see that this egg has been fried in a dirty frying pan - that crust round the edge is unpleasant but you know you’re going to love eating it. It’s going to dribble down your tie and leave a couple of eggy spots. Maybe we should do that in the next collection - have a jacquard of an eggy spot on a tie!”

Take a look at Real Food in the store and find out why it’s such a hit with one of the most exciting mens and womenswear designers and entrepreneurs working in the UK today. Take a look at Martin's other books too and when you’ve done that, check out Patrick Grant’s E. Tautz site too.