Bio
Eleanor Maidment is a freelance food editor, consultant and recipe writer. She is currently the food editor on You Magazine (Mail on Sunday), writing a weekly column, recipe and curating the food pages. She also writes the recipe cards for Waitrose every month, and writes and consults for various other publications and brands. She was the food editor for Waitrose Magazine from 2011-2018 and published her first cookbook California Living + Eating: Recipes inspired by the Golden State in 2019. 

Life before Leiths:
“I have always loved food and cooking. I studied Social Anthropology at Edinburgh University and wrote my dissertation on the anthropology of food. After graduating I joined Square Meal’s editorial team, writing about restaurants, chefs and travel. It was a fabulous job and I stayed there for six years before deciding I want to be more on the recipe-writing side of things.” 

What inspired you to enrol at Leiths?: 

“I knew I wanted to be a food editor on a magazine, so I contacted various people in the roles I wanted and asked for their advice. They all said “go to Leiths”!” 

Life after graduation: 

“I did a fair bit of work experience immediately after graduating from Leiths, and soon after landed a part-time role at Waitrose Food magazine. I ended up being the Food Editor on Waitrose magazine for eight years. It was truly my dream job! 

I left Waitrose to write my first cookbook which was published in 2019, and have been freelance ever since. I started working with You Magazine in 2021. I love working on magazines as there’s a tangible product at the end. I enjoy the planning that goes into recipe features and making it all come together at a photoshoots. Everyone in the food world tends to be so lovely to work with.” 

Any wise words for future grads?: 

“Compared to when I first started working in food editorial so much has changed. There are so many brilliant, wide-ranging opportunities available now. I know work experience can sometimes feel like a step backwards, but it’s a great way to meet people and to understand what kind of different roles are out there.  

I absolutely loved my time at Leiths. I learnt so much and it got me exactly where I wanted to be career-wise.”