henry hargreaves and charlotte omnès bring james bond's lavish meals to life

henry hargreaves and charlotte omnès bring james bond’s lavish meals to life
all images courtesy of henry hargreaves

to a 1950s postwar audience, ian fleming’s james bond novels were an escape, offering gripping stories of a handsome man’s glamorous and gritty adventures around the world. the books narrated a fantasy filled with exotic locales, beautiful women and lavish meals, down to the finest detail. while the movie adaptations center around bond’s envy-inducing travels and gorgeous leading ladies, the extravagant feasts he wined and dined on are largely absent from the nearly two dozen 007 films.

‘thunderball’ — spaghetti bolognese with chopped garlic and chianti

for the series ‘dying to eat’ photographer henry hargreaves and food stylist charlotte omnès return these luxurious meals to the limelight, providing an enlightening glimpse not only into bond’s character, but the author as well. one meal from each title has been styled to match descriptions of a wide variety of settings and scenes, from a swiss hotel room to a miami beach club. each dinner becomes a story unto itself with hidden clues throughout — like cuff links and a woman’s purse — giving insight as to what may have happened before, during and after. by presenting an authentic picture of what was considered exotic or gourmet at the time, the photographs reveal much about the cultural climate of the day, as they do about the food.

‘only live twice’ — kobe beef

 
‘moon raker’ — fried soles and welsh rarebits and coffee

‘diamonds are forever’ — medium dry martini, beef, smoked salmon

‘the spy who loved me’ — eggs, bacon, toast

‘live & let die’ — little neck clams and fried chicken with bacon and sweet corn

‘from russia with love’ — smoked ham and peaches

‘on her majesty’s secret service’ — pâté maison, poularde a la creme

‘goldfinger’ — stone crabs, vodka martini

‘the man with the golden gun’ — walkers deluxe, eggs benedict

‘dr. no’ — lobsters and fruit

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