Nice’ n ’cheesy does it! Seventies fondue sets are back in fashion
IT was the dish of the 1970s, a cheesy tabletop favourite at middle-class dinner parties the length of Britain.
And now, thanks to our appetite for retro chic, the fondue is undergoing a revival.
As winter approaches, sales of fondue sets have soared. John Lewis has seen sales of its £85 Craft Copper Fondue Set leap by an astonishing 166 per cent compared to last year, while its new Dutch offering by Boska, the £250 Mr Big Fondue set, has sold out.
Lakeland said sales of its £38.99 copper-effect Artesa Hand-Finished set doubled last month.
Online searches for fondue recipes were also up. Waitrose said its recipe for the classic dish – which often features gruyère, emmental and a third cheese, a comté, appenzeller or cheddar – had received 31 per cent more hits.
Marks & Spencer will also unveil its first ‘posh cheese mix’ – the £10 Traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue Bag – next month.
Michelin-starred Swiss restaurateur Anton Mosimann said: ‘Fondue is great food, especially in winter. It got a bad reputation in Britain because people used poor-quality cheese but today we have proper cheese everywhere. In Switzerland, fondue is served all year round.’
John Lewis cookshop buyer Lisa Cherry said: ‘This year has seen a lot of retro favourites come back.’