@rocketandsquash

@telltalefood

@rachelaliceroddy

@annagreenland

@we_are_food

@we_are_food

With every budding food influencer papping their morning

eggs, it’s hard to know who to turn to for a foody fix that is relatable and

truly nourishing. The following Instagram accounts for home cooks are lovingly

curated by chefs, food writers and stylists who we turn to for inspiration come

dinner time. Time to tuck in!      

Ed Smith binned a career in corporate law to retrain as a chef and food writer. The corporate world’s loss is our gain as he has tended to a vital but overlooked part of dinner – the humble side dish. This, he says, has the potential to be as inspirational as the main event itself. His Instagram feed has a freewheeling, pleasingly spontaneous feel. His posts are “seasonally motivated, be that ingredient or mood,” according to Ed.

Young cook and farmer Julius Roberts’ focus is on animal welfare, sustainability and slow living. He set up a smallholding in the Stour Valley in 2016 and uses his charming Insta account to share his know-how on everything from pickling to keeping bees. Watch out for his follow-along stories recipes, which have previously included

and an idea for a simple brunch of potato, parsley and a fried egg. Oh, and his lovely lurchers, Loki and Zephyr, as well as some cheeky goats, get plenty of airtime too.

Italophile Rachel Roddy lives, eats and cooks in Rome. She describes herself as a home cook who writes, and her Instagram is full of tasteful – and tasty – images of her poaching a chicken or throwing together a hearty bean stew. The charm is in the immediacy: you can almost smell the fresh ingredients sizzling as you scroll. “I kept a blog for years (which became a column) and Instagram is an extension of that,” says Roddy. “It is also a community.”

Former model Anna Greenland has been truly blessed with green fingers – she grows the highest quality organic veg and herbs for star chefs such as Raymond Blanc, Tom Aikens and Jamie Oliver. She also created the vegetable, fruit and herb gardens for Soho Farmhouse from scratch. “I started my Insta account to inspire people to grow their own – something that brings me great joy,” she says. “By sharing a colourful grid of delicious produce and food, I hope to connect people with the beauty of the natural world. Images need to be seasonal, sharp and tell a story.”

The voice of modern vegetarian cooking, Hackney-based Anna Jones brings us healthy, hearty veggie dishes that are as easy on the eye as the palette. Her lovely images of everything from mouth-watering squash and ricotta pancakes to hearty dals will get even the most dedicated carnivores pausing for some veg-based action. “I spend a lot of time on Instagram so I try to make sure that the people I follow inform and inspire me, from interiors to body positivity, from food to equality,” she says. “I want to learn from the people on my feed, not just look at pretty pictures.”