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health waves & ingredient craves
It’s estimated one-in-six adults now follow a high protein diet for sustainable energy and to build muscle
Find out how we’ll be cooking and shopping in 2019 Hot countries & cool cuisines
Restaurants such as London’s Hoppers (hopperslondon.com), mini chain The Coconut Tree (thecoconut-tree.com) and the success of the M&S Taste Asia range have put Sri Lankan food – hoppers (bowl-shaped rice flour pancakes), kottu roti dishes and pol sambol coconut relish – on the brink of a breakthrough. ‘Before, Sri Lankan was lumped in with Indian cuisine but now, we’re not having an “Indian” anymore, we’re having a Keralan curry. It’s recognised in its own right,’ says Emma Weinbren, food trends editor at retail magazine The Grocer. Elsewhere, analysts are tipping Burmese food – check out London’s Lahpet (lahpet.co.uk) and the @Rangoonsisters supper club – along with West African food as ones-to-watch. In London, Ikoyi (ikoyilondon.com) is putting a modern, fine-dining spin on West African cooking.
Meat-free Britain
Britain’s attitude to meat is changing dramatically. When Marston’s pubs are serving a ‘bleeding’ burger, and restaurants as varied as Gauthier Soho
( gauthiersoho.co.uk) and the Hackney chippy Sutton & Sons (suttonandsons.co.uk) are in various stages of turning vegan, clearly something seismic is happening. According to data seen by M&S (poised to launch a new range of vegan ready meals and on-the-go options), 3.5 million people now identify as vegan, 20% of under-35s have tried veganism, and 25% of our evening meals are now meat-free. ‘It’s no longer niche,’ agrees Weinbren. ‘And this isn’t just committed vegans but people saying, ‘I want to cut down my meat intake.’
Fab aqua
Given the above, expect aquafaba (the water from canned chickpeas), to appear more and more as a substitute for egg whites in meringues, mayo and whisky sours. ‘Tredwells’ Chantelle Nicholson is fascinated by aquafaba, and many chefs will be soon,’ says Restaurant Magazine editor Stefan Chomka.
Vegan vintages
This growth in plant-based eating, says Good Food wine guru, Victoria Moore, is also causing major retailers to increase the number of vegan wines they stock. ‘It’s all down to the fining agent,’ explains Moore. ‘Some are derived from fish or dairy products. For those who draw a hard vegan line, grapes from vines farmed using a horse to plough the soil would be deemed unsuitable, too.’
Gut instinct
Sales of Lakeland’s kefir kit are ‘flying’ along with M&S’S kombucha. ‘As customers come to understand the positive influence of bacteria on gut health, the global fermented drinks market is in huge growth,’ reports M&S food trends insight manager Helen Arpino. Want to get next-level? Try the coffee bean kombucha at London’s Little Duck Picklery (littleduckpicklery.co.uk).
Clean eating has been dismissed as a fad but health hasn’t. People are definitely thinking about the amount of sugar and processed food they consume
Ingredient exotica
For early adopters, chef-owner Scott Smith at Edinburgh’s Fhior ( fhior.com) recommends bulrush (tastes like spicy cucumber, with a water chestnut texture), whey (used to cook beetroots in), and dehydrated fruit peel (to add concentrated flavour).
Upcycled food
Ocado buyer India Moore says, ‘We’re seeing exciting products made using misshapen fruit and veg that would otherwise go to waste, such as crisps (sparesnacks. com) and hummus (chicp.co.uk). Eco-friendly searches on ocado. com leapt 93% last year, and we can see this “rescued food” trend gaining momentum in 2019.’
Protein shake-out
From added-protein Mars Bars and Halo Top ice cream to new M&S sandwiches – half the bread, all the filling – high-protein foods are increasingly popular. ‘It’s estimated one-in-six adults now follow a high-protein diet for sustainable energy and to build muscle,’ says Helen Arpino. ‘This year will see a big increase in high-protein options.’
Bread of heaven
Conversely, those of us who are still craving carbs are fuelling an explosion in the variety of breads becoming available in the UK, from Notting Hill Peruvian bakery Andina (cevichefamily.com), to the new grains, flours and seeds being used at M&S. ‘Rye is up 50% and our bakery options will grow in 2019,’ says Helen Arpino.
Hidden veg
Gato & Co puddings (that use vegetables to reduce refined sugar content) and Dr Oetker’s new Yes, It’s Pizza vegetable-dough bases are indicative of how many people are keen to cut down on carbs and increase their intake of vegetables – but without forgoing life’s indulgences. ‘Clean eating has been dismissed as a fad but health hasn’t. People are definitely thinking about the amount of sugar and processed food they consume,’ Emma Weinbren says. You can expect to see more hidden vegetable products in 2019.