The best foodie Instagram accounts to follow in 2016

Instagram has quickly taken over the social media frontier, especially in the world of food. It’s the easiest way to draw someone into your food blog or website or particular skill in cooking, styling or food photography. It’s also of course beneficial for followers as they draw on visual inspiration in cooking from all over the globe, as well as gaining exposure to new and innovative dining experiences.

Here are some phenomenal Igers making waves through their food photography.

Local Igers:

Sam Linsell @drizzleanddip

A very familiar name in the SA foodie world, Sam Linsell’s Instagram account focuses on a balanced way of eating – setting the tone for a homey styling of food. Images include anything from green tea ice cream to classic smoked salmon on toast. Linsell is both a food stylist and food photographer as well as a cookbook author. The @drizzleanddip Instagram links recipes to her blog and also showcases food in Cape Town restaurants.

Clarke’s bar and dining room @clarkescapetown

A beloved diner in Cape Town, Clarke’s really knows how to make one drool over their Instagram feed. They capture the essence of their eatery by getting aerial shots of tables packed with food, or close ups of their greasy cheese burger, or by simply regramming shots taken by their loyal customers. They really will get you frequenting their shop a lot more at the click of ‘follow’.

Fit Clean Foodie @fitcleanfoodie

This account holder describes herself as a food, fitness and health enthusiast. All dishes are gluten-free, sugar-free and consist of whole foods, so perfect for those who have diabetes, are celiac or anyone just wanting to lead a clean eating lifestyle. Her images are not all accompanied by recipes however they are very simple meals, that one could mimic at home. The images’ tone and composition match that of the clean and light lifestyle the food promotes.

Jason Lilley @captainbreadza

Owner of Jason Bakery this baker extraordinaire will have you convinced his captain of bread status stretches far wider than SA. This man is the direct opposite of Time Noakes, so steer clear Banters, do not click ‘follow’. You have been warned. The images mostly consist of his heavenly bready dishes coming out of Jason’s and it’s neighbouring hatch, but he also includes food along his travels. Enjoy!

Dianne Bibby @bibbyskitchen

A Food24 food blogger and stylist as well as a recipe developer, Bibby creates a richly textured setting in all her images. She captures the core of her dishes with bold colour, contrasting lights and darks and close-ups that bring out the various elements in her food. She also blogs for us so her recipes certainly get our stamp of approval. Her recipes are themed around wholesome dishes with much indulgence as well as food for the soul and healthy, wholefood options.

Nikki Albertyn @nikkialbertyn

Her images are heavily styled, which makes sense as she is a designer as well as a Pâtisserista. Images are themed on a white background with only slight hints of colour, making the food really stand out. She also does mini food collages, showcasing different ingredients in their simplest form. The account is a Vsco food masterpiece.

Junior @_____junior__

Junior is that great burger joint on Kloof Nek Road in Cape Town, in case you totally missed out on the  whole burger buzz that took place this year. Junior started a mild frenzy when they took the concept of the original take-away burger, and upped the quality and taste by 100. Their Instagram account is a beautifully styled mesh of 1950s style burgers, doughnuts and decor and really gets across the whole feel of the restaurant. Keep up to date with their ever changing, daily made doughnuts.

Food24 @food24_sa

And obviously high on that local list is your fave, Food24. We promise to keep you updated with all the hot new spots around SA as well as recipes and food news.

International Igers:

Sarka Babicka @sarkababicka

A London-based food and travel photographer, Babicka photographs food in their simplistic and effortless form. Food preparation appears accessible to the viewer and consists of mostly brunch and salad dishes with an overall healthy eating theme. Babicka unfortunately doesn’t include recipes on her Instagrams so you will need to recreate her meals using your eyes and her short descriptions.

New Fork City @new_fork_city

Three young girls share their love of food. They are based in New York, as you might have guessed, but they share food from their travels as well. You’ll find extremely wacky, bizarre and wonderful foods from across NYC, much of which will leave you questioning your current health regime. The images show food exactly as it’s served, no fussing about with styling, and the Instagrams also tag the eatery so you too can go enjoy the food.

Girl Eat World @girleatworld

This account is an equal mix of food and travel as the girl in question holds every food item in front of a different monument or scene from a different city each time. The food is of course constantly changing and each Instagram is heavily contrasted with the rest. She does a hefty amount of traveling and leaves you feeling completely envious with every image, however the account is nothing short of magnificent as you journey the ultimate traveling feast.

Spoon Fork Bacon @spoonforkbacon

A food stylist and a photographer team up to give you elegantly styled images of food made simple. They have a classic approach to food but give little twists to their meals that add bursts of colour to the already bright arrangements found on the plates.  You feel a need to keep on scrolling because these two are doing it so right with every neatly composed image, and they also include recipes as well as meals they’ve enjoyed out of their kitchen. They are from LA so its no wonder why the account feels like a constant holiday.

Bon appétit @bonappetitmag

It’s no surprise that these guys have 1.1 million followers, after all they are a Condé Nast food publication. But their Instagram is particularly cool as it is made up of different food pics from the staff of the magazine, rather than one singular social media manager. So this means there isn’t one dominant theme throughout the food, but a constant pleasing aesthetic throughout the feed. of course we are dealing with the foodie professionals so we wouldn’t expect much less.

Julie Lee @julieskitchen

Julie has created mesmeric food collages in pretty much every image she takes. She has a knack for taking basic food items and turning them into a work of art, so good they look like modern day versions of those old kitchen tablecloths with the printed fruit and vegetables on, but better cos they are actually real. Her whole account is one massive burst of colour, where every day is spring and every photo makes you wants to stock up on fresh ingredients.

Daniel Seidman @danielseidman

This is a man’s tale of food and cooking, all told through is iPhone and from his kitchen. This is honest eating at its best; no holding back. He eats what he feels like so there are a lot of burgers, beers and steaks. The imagery is minimal, with a slight muted filter and a darkening of shadows that really makes the food look overly indulgent and often sinful. There is much pouring and dripping to keep you keen, but don’t go too far down the dark well of his feed as his style definitely took a right turn after week 45.

Milking Almonds @milkingalmonds

You might feel mad with envy after looking at this feed with its stringent styling of minimal composition and dull colouring all with that effective white background many Instagrammers strive for. It’s a vegan account with a focus on plant-based recipes. Trine Rask, the account holder is a Copenhagen Photographer, vegetarian recipe developer and blogger. I promise you won’t be sorry you stepped into her serene space of earthy dishes.

Ella Woodward @deliciouslyella

Deliciously Ella has been making waves in the food and health world after she turned her life around and switched to a whole-foods, plant-based way of eating. No sugar, dairy, gluten, meat and nothing at all processed; a lifestyle we probably all should be aspiring to. She decided to do this after being diagnosed with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome. Her way of eating she says, gave her back her life. Her Instagram is really inspiring and gives you so many ideas of how to cook and eat healthily.

Do you know of great food-themed Instagram accounts we should be following? Tweet us @Food24!