Instagram is a strange and scary place for the TV chef. In days gone by, a celebrity chef could survive and thrive on the small screen, needing little more than a small amount of culinary talent and a marginally larger amount of camera presence. We live in a cruel, cruel world, though, such that the whole Loose Women-guest-by-day-and-top-shagger-by-night vibe that these chefs harbor is often no match for the ultra-high-tech, time-lapsed culinary culture that rules Instagram today. Some of our nationally treasured chefs have played their Instagram hand impeccably, providing some much-needed relief from the often nightmarish social media landscape. Other chefs, as we are about to find out, have crashed and burned in the face of modernity. Nigel Slater I will hold my hands up and admit that I want, very desperately and viscerally, to shrink down into a small, pixelated version of myself and be submerged permanently into Nigel Slater’s Instagram profile. It is not just that his feed offers us all an escape from our own lives (please, Nigel, keep showing me pictures of your plum tree as it changes colour with the passing of each season. Please, let me live vicariously through your rooftop garden and impeccable taste in home furnishings, even if only for a fleeting moment) – it’s that he has captured the simple essence of what an Instagram post should be. Nice picture in picture bit, nice words in caption bit. No self-loathing, no giveaways: job well done. From Nigel Slater's Instagram: Baked Apples From Nigel Slater's Instagram: Chickpea Mash and Italian Sausages Ainsley Harriott Ainsley Harriott’s Instagram is the Lawful Good of Dads On Social Media. It is, admittedly, tricky to be a Dad On Social Media in 2020. Get it wrong, and you may end up trudging through the dismal realm of Ted Cruz or Paul Hollywood (see below). Get it right, though, as Ainsley appears to have so effortlessly done, and you have an unfiltered glimpse into what it means to feel human joy. A true Dad looks at Instagram and sees not a marketing tool or a chance to analyze audience engagement, but simply a medium through which he can share images of the things that he loves – and Ainsley’s love for food shines through in his photographs, which are real, delicious-looking and full of life. From Ainsley Harriott's Instagram: Chocolate Drop Scones From Ainsley Harriott's Instagram: Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs From Ainsley Harriott's Instagram: Pie
