The Instagram influencers bringing food from phone to table

Nothing says more about you than your Insta feed. Mine is full of food and I spend many happy minutes watching recipe reels.

These are an ever-increasing source of inspiration and I can’t help but feel that the ’gram is the way forward for mealtime magic.

I chatted to six Insta chefs to see what they think.

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Dalia Haber @fastfoodmystyle

4,601 followers

I am a busy mum of three who loves to cook. I love spices and flavour and creating new dishes for my kids to eat in a healthy way.

I set up a website on which to post my recipes, did a one-day intensive iPhone food photography course and then started sharing online.

I love the creativity of Instagram and people telling me they love my recipes. My posts generally get at least 100 likes and I once got 1,000 for a hummus recipe!

Ottolenghi-type recipes get the most engagement. I have met loads of fellow Insta-foodies and been featured in Ocado magazine, Jewish newspapers and even my shul magazine.

Recipes you might see on my feed: spiced rice / beef kofte

• Accounts I follow: @her_dark_materials, @sami_tamimi, @oksanarichie

James Linden @Livelikelinden

12.3K followers

I started my Instagram food account in 2017 after realising that half my life is spent either cooking or eating. I am what you call a food blogger – I eat out, I review, I cook, I share recipes and, of course, I take pictures of it all. I do it because of my love of food – it’s always part of the conversation.

Even when I’m eating, I’m thinking about what the next meal is going to be. I want others to share my love of food, I want them to try my recipes and go to restaurants that I love.

I’m not a professional chef, but I cook well and my food tastes good so why shouldn’t I share that? There is nothing more rewarding than someone sending me a picture of a meal they have cooked from one of my recipes.

Recipes you might see on my account: Thai chicken traybake / chilli con carne

• Accounts I follow: @simplyfoodbymandy, @at_dads_table, @fitwaffle

 

Jake Dryan @plantfuture

111K followers

My grandfather is from Italy and was a chef his whole life, so I’ve been a foodie since I can remember. I left school at 16 to study at culinary college in Westminster and then earned my stripes at the Hilton Metropole.

I now run online cooking lessons from home and post short recipe videos on my Instagram account, which I set up in February 2018. I have also just published a recipe book, The Plantfuture Home Cook Bible, which focuses on quick, simple plant-based meals. I’m not vegan, but my food focus is ‘plant strong’.

During the first lockdown, things really started to pick up on my Instagram. I get great feedback and many of my reels have hundreds of thousand views, with a few over a million. I’m one of the only trained chefs in the plant-based Instagram niche.

People still enjoy cookbooks, but a more interactive version will emerge due to technology. I think video is definitely winning at the moment – look at the success of video-only Tik Tok, which is video only.

Recipes you might see on my account: oyster mushroom kebabs / celeriac cutlets

• Accounts I follow: @thomas_straker, @carolinagelen, @veggieanh

 

Penina Ehreich @simply.pea

5,276 followers

I started Simply Pea during lockdown, while taking a break from teaching science, to share simple kosher cooking with recipes, tips and techniques to help make mealtimes less stressful and more fun. I genuinely do it to help people.

Cooking shouldn’t be a chore and things can be made easy so why not share the tricks I have learnt over the years?

I think my science background helps me to made things clear and simple so even a novice can try a recipe.

It’s such a great feeling when I receive messages from people who always found cooking difficult but, due to my video tutorials, have made meals they and their whole family love.

The engagement I have with my followers is really rewarding. People seem to love the video aspect and the step-by-step guides I make, so I think this is the way forward for me.

Recipes you might see on my account: Blood orange tea cake / spiced fish tagine

• Accounts I follow: @chantzyw, @sarahlasry, @garlic.and.ganache

 

Emma Spitzer @emmaspitzer

15.9K followers

I am an enthusiastic home cook who loves keeping it simple. I was a finalist on MasterChef in 2015 and this gave me the confidence to share my love of cooking and recipes.

I started posting stories about food with recipes on Instagram to keep an active profile and connect with like-minded people. My stories regularly get more than 1,000 views. My feed posts could be better, but my photography and styling skills are below par!

There is always a place for recipe books – nothing replaces them – but Insta gives you the inspiration and ideas, plus exposure to chefs whom we may have otherwise missed.

Recipes you might see on my page: shakshuka/ sticky Korean-style tofu

Accounts I follow: @pinchofnom, @smittenkitchen, @thelondonbruncher

 

Denise Phillips @denises_kitchen

7,347 followers

I am a professional chef (I trained at Prue Leith) and cookery writer. Since 2015, I have used Instagram as part of my mission to show that Jewish food can be tasty, attractive and easy to make. I feature my new recipes and use reels and stories to showcase my skills as a cookery teacher and to promote my events and partnerships with interesting new food companies.

I get a real buzz from the feedback, which is everything from a simple thumbs up emoji, all the way to photographs of people’s success with my recipes. The world is smaller on Instagram – I get leads to people and companies in the UK and the US. I love the fact I will do a two-minute recipe reel in the morning, and by lunchtime it might have been seen by more than 3,000 people. Instagram is definitely the way forward – it is so much more engaging and addictive than recipe books..

Recipes you might see on my page: bao buns with satay cauliflower florets / chocolate and chestnut roulade

• Accounts I follow: @challahprince, @kosherdotcom, @adikosh_123