Hello and welcome back to The Influencer Blog, firstly I would like to apologise for the radio silence on here! Working 9-5 and trying to prepare for Christmas in a global pandemic was tricky. Rest assured, I am ready to bring you some awesome content in the New Year with lots of exciting blogs already in the pipelines.
However, let's end 2020 on a high, with a classic interview style blog post. Let me introduce you to @ccdinnerdiaries on Instagram...
Hi, I’m Chloe a 22-year-old graduate from Lincoln, I studied Sport Business at Northumbria University in Newcastle. CCDinnerDiaries, my food blog focus’ on recommending restaurant, bars, cafes and small food businesses from around the UK.
When did you start your food blog?
I started my food blog back in December 2019 whilst at my university house in Newcastle. Me and my house mate Alice were sat on the sofa and I joked about making a food Instagram, which she then encouraged me to make
Where did you get the inspiration to start your food blog?
I would say the inspiration to start my Instagram food blog came from wanting a profile and brand where I could be creative and post whatever I wanted, in particular food and drink from restaurants I’d visited. The funny thing is I had actually never followed a food blog on Instagram before, so I never realised the potential and opportunities from starting it.
What has been your favourite thing about starting your blog? Any invites that have been amazing?
My favourite thing so far was when I received an invite to the launch event of the NEW Lincoln Botanist. I’ve always liked visiting the Botanist in Newcastle and always knew it was a popular bar & restaurant, which made it even more exciting! I got to the enjoy the event with my childhood best-friend Holly, and it was so nice to be able to get dressed up again as we had not in ages due to Covid.
Also, I would say the friends I have made from it, as I’ve mentioned my initial intentions were to post pictures of food and drink from restaurants. I never realised there was a whole food bloggers community out there who support each other and share the same interests. As you get older it can be hard to make new friends unless you were to meet them at work or through other friends, so making a blog and finding people who have similar interests helps massively. I have girls from all around the UK who I speak to on a regular basis and I’ve even met and been out for brunch with Hannah (@Hanvfood) a fellow foodie.
What is your favourite kind of content to create for your page?
My favourite type of content to make at the moment are Reels, I’ve made four so far; Edinburgh bar and restaurants, Lincoln bar and restaurants part 1 & 2 and then an insight into the Lincoln Botanist. I love making reels as they allow me to be creative and also, they tend to reach a lot wider than just your followers. My most recent reel has been viewed over 4,000 times with a large amount of these people being new consumers, as your reels are posted on the explore page which reaches a new audience. I highly recommend bloggers to make reels as they are fun, easy to make and the reach at the moment appears to be greater compared to standard posts.
How many times do you try to eat at new places? (pre lockdown obvs)
Lincoln is very limited when it comes to restaurants and bars which is why since returning from uni back in March I’ve made it my mission to try and find new places to eat at. I don’t really have a plan in regard to how many times I try and eat at different restaurants, but when visiting new cities, I like to do my research prior. For example; when I visited Edinburgh back in September, I did so much research to try and find the best places to eat and drink at. I try my best to avoid the big chain restaurants, in particular the Italian chain restaurants! I just love trying new places especially independent restaurants and cafes.
Tell us your dream meal, starter, main, dessert and drink
Starter – Garlic and cheese flatbread
Main – A fillet steak cooked medium-rare with chunky chips and roasted veg
Dessert – Soft chocolate Brownie with salted caramel ice cream
Drink – A bottle of Zinfandel Rose
Where is the first place you want to eat after lockdown?
Miller & Carter Steak house - I’ve been meaning to go for years and I never knew we had one close by in Grantham until end of October. I decided that’s where I’ll have my birthday meal in November with family and friends but that obviously was cancelled. Therefore, I’m going to make sure it’s one of the first places I eat at after lockdown.
Have you found it difficult to grow a following?
At first it was never about trying to grow a following as I didn’t know that it was possible by just posting restaurant food pictures! But when looking back I don’t think it has been too difficult, due to the career I want to go into; digital marketing, so I already knew ways of how to grow a following when I realised it was possible. I’ve done two digital marketing internships where I’ve learnt lots but also from my own research and things I’ve picked up.
Who are some of your favourite food bloggers to follow?
I love too many foodie accounts to name them all but in general my favourite type of foodies to follow are the ones who post about restaurants, bars, cafes they have visited. Usually foodies from other places around the UK as it gives me inspiration to visit new places to try out the restaurants and bars for myself. In particular, London appears to have some of the coolest places to visit, so I love following London food bloggers who post about these fab places.
If I am ever looking for new good recipes, I love Niall Kirkland’s recipes, he’s recently made a separate Instagram page called TheGoodBite where he posts them. I’ve previously made his banana bread and Oreo cheesecake, which were so easy to make and aren’t too bad for you.
What are your future plans for your blog?
Once restaurants and bars are open again, I want to travel to new places, experience the bars and restaurants they have to offer and create more reels just like my Edinburgh reel. I’m hoping to visit London the start of next year which would be a perfect opportunity to make lots of content and especially more reels to recommend places to my audience. People love a recommendation, especially if they’re going to a place they’ve never visited before or are unsure on places to eat. My favourite thing to do is recommend restaurants and bars to people, I have a huge back catalogue of restaurants and bars, also places that are Instagramable 📸 – these are all in the UK! If you are needing recommendations in the future drop me a message and I’ll be happy to help 😊
Likewise, I’d love to carry on building relationships with businesses. Most of the businesses I have created relationships with have been independent local and UK businesses. Some of these businesses have been kind enough to gift me their products or invite me down, in return I have always shared these businesses on my profile to create brand awareness. I hope to continue to use my platform in the future to raise awareness of these amazing brands, especially in the current times when the hospitality and food industry are being affected.
Thank you so much to Chloe for answering our questions. Stay tuned for lots of exciting content coming in 2021!
Beth Xx