Heathrow appoints Hemsley + Hemsley as new 'Food Instagram Ambassadors'

Heathrow has today (October 3) become the first airport in the world to enlist ‘Food Instagram Ambassadors’ with culinary business Hemsley + Hemsley.

This service is said to help travellers take the best Instagram food shots before jetting away.

Hemsley + Hemsley’s tips for taking the most Instagrammable food photos ever include getting the perfect lighting - and never ever using the flash, rearranging food to make it look more striking, framing dishes creatively to fire the imagination and they advise on how to develop a signature Instagram style.

Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley both said: “We know that now, more than ever, people will eat with their eyes first, predominantly using their phones to search for and choose dishes and destinations that look best on a plate.

“We love sharing our culinary adventures and over the years have picked up a few techniques for taking great food snaps.

“We’re excited to be sharing these tips and tricks with Heathrow passengers travelling to exciting destinations, so they too can embrace the food-photo-sharing phenomenon and start capturing creative images that will be a hit on Instagram.”

It is estimated that half a billion pictures of food have been uploaded to Instagram with popular hashtags like #foodie and #foodstagram, demonstrating that food is still hugely popular on the platform.

The food Instagram phenomenon has also led to a rising trend for foodie tourism, with new research from Heathrow showing that one in seven UK travellers have chosen a holiday destination purely for the Instagrammable cuisine.

Over a quarter (27 per cent) say they enjoy their holiday more when uploading pictures of dishes to Instagram, while one in five travellers (18 per cent) will only choose to visit restaurants serving food they think looks good on Instagram.

Passengers are encouraged to visit any of Heathrow’s exciting restaurants before their flights, order food or drink, watch the Hemsleys’ ‘how to’, then put their newfound knowledge into practice before setting off.

A new expert guide published by Heathrow entitled Taste the World features Hemsley + Hemsley’s tips on taking great food photographs, as well as foodie spotlights on 10 of the most Instagrammed food destinations in the world.

Heathrow’s head of food and beverage, Ben Crowley, concluded: “With a third of British people eager to improve their food photography skills, we are delighted to be partnering with Hemsley + Hemsley to celebrate great food across the world.

“With our wide range of restaurants and dishes, Heathrow is [a] playground for budding food Instagrammers to brush up on their abilities before they reach their destination.”