Instagram holiday bakers put names to faces at Montreal cookie swap

When Montreal Instagrammer Rachel Bishop gained her 1,000th follower this month, she decided to celebrate by hosting a Christmas cookie exchange, to meet some of her followers and fellow bloggers.

Bishop, who goes by the handle @greedyinmontreal, is a lover of food and of Montreal.

A croupier by night at the Montreal casino, Bishop spends her days trying out recipes and then posting the results on Instagram.

Originally from England, Bishop came to Montreal 15 years ago. She got into cooking in 2006, when she was laid up by an injury and discovered food shows on television.

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But not everyone shared her new passion.

"My friends and family reap the benefits of my cooking but their eyes tend to glaze over when I try to discuss the recipes," she said.

Thanks to Instagram, she said, "I have found a community who share my love of cooking and food photography."

Bishop's holiday contribution was traditional mincemeat tarts, using a combination of Jamie Oliver and Delia Smith recipes.

Classic mince pies from #jamieschristmas by @jamieoliver. These are found in every household in the UK at Christmas time, a crisp pastry case filled with mincemeat made of dried fruit (currants, raisins, sultanas, mixed peel), diced apples, almonds, citrus zests & juices, brandy and spices. I omitted Jamie’s suggestion of butternut squash purée as I was pushed for time but I will definitely try it next time. The beautiful plate was my birthday gift from my husband, I LOVE it! From @zonemaison . These mince pies were my contribution for my first insta cookie swap that I held at my home today (previous post), and are from this months cookbook at #rainydaybitescookbookclub. . . . . #mincepies #christmasbaking #bakng #feedfeedbaking #jamieoliver #f52grams #foodstagram #foodgawker #amazonkitchen #foodie_features #igfood #igersmtl #instafood #instagrames #eeeeeats #eatingfortheinsta #onmytable #huffposttaste #buzzfeast #buzzfeedfood #yahoofood #feedfeed #foodgasm #foodgram #forkyeah #foodporn #foodpics #foodiesmtl @lifeandthyme @foodie_features @bbcgoodfood @foodgawker @thefeedfeed @thefeedfeed.baking

A post shared by Rachel 🇬🇧in 🇨🇦 (@greedyinmontreal) on Dec 17, 2017 at 6:07pm PST

Food blogger Michelle Barbagallo lives in Montreal's Griffintown. A Université de Montréal pharmacology student, she blogs under the name @thebeaderchef about the meals she makes for her boyfriend and herself.

"Montreal is a fantastic place to be a food blogger!" she says.

Barbagallo says she finds inspiration in Montreal's markets and restaurants and even from scientific talks about current research developments. Her contribution to the cookie share was Viennese crescents, from a family recipe.

Elizabeth Gibson began Instagramming at her home in England, but she has continued as @theginbot since she moved to Montreal this year.

The cookie exchange was a chance to share her lebkuchen recipe from BBC Food. 

Anne Larue is a Montrealer, originally from Breton in France, who blogs from her home in Villeray under the name @anneamontreal. 

With more than 1,300 followers, Larue has a lifestyle blog with an emphasis on Montreal restaurants and activities.

Her holiday contribution was Finnish Christmas cookies from a blog she follows called cakesinthecity. 

This CBC journalist couldn't show up empty-handed.

Here are my Linzer cookies, with red currant and apricot jam.

They are similar to what my German grandmother used to make, based on a Dr. Oetker recipe.

• The winner of the Great Canadian Baking Show