Name: Posh nosh.
Age: We’re talking new food trends here, so – new.
Avocado? Hummus? Old news, keep up!
Who with? The Joneses? Only if you make that “with whom”, and if the Joneses shop at Waitrose. Every year the famously upmarket supermarket publishes a report that gives some indication of middle-class eating trends.
And? No one’s talking about avocados or hummus any more.
What are they talking about? For one thing, “we’re observing a new trend in how people use their freezers,” says Tim Daly, Waitrose’s frozen food product developer.
I’m guessing they’re not filling them with frozen peas and oven chips? Make that triple-cooked chips, wagyu roast potatoes and four-cheese potato gratins.
And for afters? Dubai chocolate? So first half of 2025! Also, call it “pudding”, please! Back to Daly, who says: “In Viennoiserie …”
In what? Pastries, basically, where all-butter cinnamon swirls are up an impressive 322%. Ottolenghi’s roasted pistachio and sour cherry ice-cream is also popular, reflecting “growing interest in unique, global and savoury flavours”.
Is that just in ice-cream? No, for actual savoury stuff, too, such as condiments and spreads.
What sort of things are we talking about? Oh you know, zhoug, ssamjang, chamoy. Also umami paste, and Spicy Sriracha Sprinkle.
Some of which I’ve heard of. Zhoug is a spicy paste originally from Yemen, made with coriander, parsley, garlic and chilli.
I knew that. So spicy is hot, in other words? Although “fricy is the new swicy”.
Excuse me? We’ve moved on from swicy – sweet and spicy, for example hot honey. Now it’s all about fricy: fruity and spicy, which is “driven by authentic Mexican and wider Latin American trends and incorporates a softer spice profile with tropical fruits, peaches, and melons”.
Anything else? Some of these taste changes are inspired by TikTok and Instagram trends. The rise of Korean-inspired bibimbap sauce (white miso paste, honey, garlic and chilli powder), for example.
Any observations about the way we – or rather they – eat? Yes: snacking! Waitrose’s survey of 4,400 customers revealed that 57% sometimes replaced meals with “nutrient-dense, high-protein” snack food.
Because? Several factors: the rise in the use of weight-loss medication (and corresponding decline in appetites), for one. But also some people just can’t be arsed.
Do say: “Do you want to add a bit of zhoug to that hummus?”
Don’t say: “Nah, you’re all right. And anyway it’s Greek Week at Lidl.”
