The Great British Bakers Of Instagram
Here are our favourite Insta chefs to follow for delicious, healthy recipes that you can actually cook up in your kitchen
Short of a Gordon Ramsey tongue lashing it can be easy to slip into bad habits in the kitchen, relying on salty, sugary ready meals or your university staples of beans on toast and all-day cereal to save time and money. But it doesn’t have to be this way. It’s possible to rustle up decadent feasts without breaking the bank and home cooking can even boost your health. Recent American research on more than 9,000 participants found those who cook at home six to seven times a week consume less calories, fat and sugar than those cooking only once or less.
Recent research found those who cook at home six to seven times a week consume less calories, fat and sugar.
Further reading: 10 Protein Commandments To Live By
To provide you with daily inspiration, follow these culinary wizards on Instagram. Whether it’s energy-boosting breakfasts, nutritious lunch box solutions or a stunning feat of smashed avocado and sweet potato engineering, they’re revolutionising the way people cook, eat, and live. Feast your eyes and say goodbye to your takeaway menus — at least until the weekend.
1. @theboywhobakes
Who better to learn from than the original Great British Bake Off champion Edd Kimber, continuing to wow with his mouthwatering pastries, pies, tarts and treats. Alongside the sugar dusted delicacies, Kimber’s posts act as a lens for discerning food tourists as he galavants around London, San Francisco and New York unearthing hidden culinary gems you’ll be dying to experience yourself.
Further reading: 5 Documentaries That’ll Make You Hangry
2. @thefoodgrinder
Alex Dodman cuts through the celebrity chef waffle to make cooking up lean treats a piece of cake. His light-hearted take on other popular Insta chef videos reveal how simple it can be to make delicious #nofussfood and his food prep solutions will give you no excuse not to make up your own lunch box. From British home comforts like chicken and mushroom pie to protein truffles, he uses easy to grab ingredients to spearhead innovation in the simplest of ways. Heard of a chicken burger accompanied with strawberries and pineapple? You have now.
3. @clean_eating_alice
Alice Liveing [pictured above] is living proof that you are what you eat. Three years ago she started her page to document efforts to eat better and lose weight. Now a PT, fitness cover model in her own right and author of two recipe books that have sold like catnip hot cakes in a cattery, she’s arming others with the ingredients to get and stay fit (FYI that usually involves making eggs look like gifts from the gods).
Further reading: Should I Give Up Sugar?
4. @symmetrybreakfast
If Pablo Picasso held a frying pan instead of a paintbrush, he’d have hoped to cook up the stunning creations Michael Zee serves to his partner Mark van Beek for breakfast. A feast for the eyes as much as the palette, they prove that with a bit of prep and planning you can expand your early morning repertoire far beyond gloopy porridge to delights that will make you bound out of bed every morning.
5. @we_are_food
Anna Jones quit her job, enrolled in Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen in London and hasn’t looked back since. Devoted to putting vegetarian food at the centre of every table, she believes healthy food is as much about pleasure as anything else. And that it doesn’t have to revolve around steamed chicken breasts.
6. @georgiepuddingnpie
Another disciple of The Naked Chef, Georgina Hayden is one to watch. Bringing it home to the simple delights of getting her hands dirty in the kitchen, this Jamie Oliver creative is the perfect inspiration for a lazy Sunday afternoon when weather is keeping you barricaded indoors. Clear the decks, fire up the oven and get stuck in.
Words: Nick Manser