Sculpting Food Art for Film: A Movie Commission for Wuthering Heights

Food Art for Film

I’ve had to keep quiet about this for months, but Warner Bros. just released these photos for the Wuthering Heights movie promotion, so the cat is now thoroughly out of the bag.

Working With the Props Department to Create Edible Props

When the director, Emerald Fennell, wanted a surreal, over-the-top look for the food scenes in the upcoming movie Wuthering Heights, the design team asked if I could fake what they were looking for.

The scene has Margot Robbie eating a bright and luscious strawberry, so large that it feels like an Alice in Wonderland scale.

From Production Problem to Solution

The designers had planned to use special extra-large fruits shipped in from Japan but on arrival they were just regular big strawberries, not extreme enough.

So, I was called at very short notice to see if I could make them 20 realistic, yet deliciously over-sized fruits.

We were super busy and I’d never heard of Margot Robbie but I love Wuthering Heights (thanks Kate Bush) and giant fruit seemed like a fun problem to solve, so I said yes.

THE BRIEF:

• 20 surreal, yet realistic oversized fruits

• Ready within 5 days

• Must be eaten on camera, so somehow had to have the bite of a real strawberry

Making A Prop That Can Be Bitten on Camera

Getting the 'bite': Some materials were too hard, some slumped overnight, others would not survive the journey. Eventually I hit on a sugar, glucose, chocolate mixture with just the right give, yet solid enough to travel.

Sorry Margot — it wouldn’t have been a gourmet food experience — but it was safe, survived the journey and looked great.

Realism at Scale: Details That Matter on Film

I had no idea how close the director would choose to shoot them so I made them as detailed as possible - just in case. 

The next problem was those pesky pips.

The skin of a strawberry is dotted with pips, each one nestled in a little dimple. And those pips had to look real.

After much experimentation, sesame seeds turned out to work perfectly. They were the right scale and were natural so looked 'real'. A quick check to make sure no one was allergic to them and I set to carefully dyeing them shades of yellow to green.

Each one was hand-glued into its own dimple.

It took so long to do that I played three seasons of Stranger Things while making these buggers.

So, I hope you like them!

Will you watch out for them with me?

I cannot wait for the Valentine release — will you go to see it? With a bowl of strawberries smuggled in as snacks?

About the Film: Wuthering Heights (2026)

Directed by Emerald Fennell of Saltburn fame, starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie, the film is set to release in cinemas 13th February 2026.

So far, it’s getting a lot of controversial press for its take and style. I’ll leave you to find outrage and criticism elsewhere as this is a lighthearted blog about making things.