Top food trends for 2023-2024

Cost of cooking

We may only be at the advent of the cost of living crisis, but it is already having an impact on home cooking and foodservice alike. Hence, thrift and frugality are ‘in’,
and flashy shows of wealth are ‘out’ but help is at hand in the form of retailer initiatives, influencer recipes, techniques for cutting food waste and affordable menus.

Beige comforts

Purse strings are tight but food is a pleasure people aren’t willing to give up. Indeed, it’s often the budget-friendly ‘beige’ staples that offer comfort when the going gets tough. Many are turning to their go-to… bread as the humble sandwich goes ‘gourmet’ and let’s not forget about simple, versatile toast. Consumers are also leaning into familiar favourites like porridge, and mac & cheese.

Perfect patisserie

Fans of classical cooking, rejoice! French Patisserie and viennoiserie are firmly in fashion. As well as being delicious, ‘proper’ French pastries are near-impossible to replicate at home making them an affordable luxury out and about when budgets don’t allow for blowout meals. Think super laminated croissants, caramelised, multi-layered kouign-amann and classic caneles.

Real and recognisable

Consumers are increasingly getting their nutritional advice from doctors and scientists rather than influencers, moving away from magic bullet cures towards common sense healthy eating that everyone understands. As concerns around artificial sweeteners grow, consumers look to naturally sweet foods and in general the unrecognisable and artificial is rejected in favour of minimally processed.

Mamma Mia

In times of uncertainty, people lean towards what they know and if there’s one cuisine that embodies simple, satiating goodness, it’s ‘forever favourite’ Italian. At home, it’s all about cooking up unfussy, flavour forward pasta and risotto. In foodservice, Italian trattorias are popping up, serving pared back homestyle fare.