What’s trending?

Novelty cheese

Last year we tried sticky toffee cheddar and lemon & gin Cheshire, but this year, unusual cheeses are going a step further with mint chocolate chip stilton and Cosmopolitan wensleydale! (both at ocado.com).

Buck’s Fizz

A classic Christmas Day tipple, Buck’s Fizz (champagne and orange juice) has made its way into several foods this year too, including marmalade (M&S) and smoked salmon (Tesco and Lidl).

Eggnog

Not only is eggnog one of Starbucks’ most popular Christmas latte flavours, Selfridges also reported that its eggnog curd outsold its brandy butter last year!

So, expect to see more of it this Christmas (turn to p180 for an eggnog-flavoured gift idea).

Jackfruit

Jackfruit has rocketed in popularity thanks to its ability to imitate pulled pork in veggie dishes. Several supermarkets have included it in their canapés – think jackfruit tacos (Waitrose & Partners, see p147) and BBQ jackfruit bites (Sainsbury’s). See p15 for our recipe.

Alcohol-free

Low and no-alcohol drinks continue to rise in popularity and going booze-free is easier than ever this year, with plenty of alternatives on the market, from alcohol-free G&TS (M&S) to sparkling tea (Sainsbury’s).