Home cooks will be getting creative in the kitchen, experimenting with meals that fuse international influences with British comfort food classics, ingredients that boost our mood and mental wellbeing, and dishes that combine sweet and spicy flavour profiles, according to new data from recipe box company HelloFresh.
The study says we may see some childhood favourites dishes and restaurant outings fall out of favour as people look to balance the scales of cost, convenience and nutrition.
Mimi Morley, Senior Recipe Development Manager at HelloFresh, shared the key trends:
Good mood foods will be cropping up in our kitchens
We’re seeing a growing appetite for foods that boost our mood and mental wellbeing, with 70% of the nation starting to incorporate foods like specialist mushrooms, cacao and buckwheat into their diets in a bid to reap their cognitive benefits.
Childhood favourites like turkey dinosaurs could face extinction
Childhood favourites like turkey dinosaurs, nuggets, and potato smiles are losing popularity as a quarter of Brits omit them for healthier diets.
Comfort foods will continue to define our culture
Fish and chips, spaghetti bolognese and lasagna rank as the nation’s top comfort foods. However, when we’re looking for a quick-fix, over a third of us can’t resist the classic combo of beans on toast.
Cooking at home is becoming more enjoyable than a night out
Cooking at home has become more enjoyable than a night out, according to over 4 in 5 people. With cost and health consciousness playing a pivotal role in our cooking choices, we’re looking to fakeaways as our solution in 2024, with a quarter of Brits admitting to using this as a regular means of making healthier versions of our favourite restaurant dishes.
Digital dining sweeps dinner tables
Digital dining is on the rise, with 3 in 5 households using screens during mealtimes. Despite this trend, over half of us see the act of sharing a meal as a significant mood booster, and a quarter of UK families regularly dine together.
International influences are set to transform our national dishes
British cuisine is seeing a fusion of international flavours, with rising interest in Chinese, Italian, and Indian recipes. Dishes like Indian bhaji burgers, Korean Gochujang cheese on toast, and others are top picks for British fusion dishes we’d be curious to try.
Spicy turns ‘Swicy’ as we experiment with sweet and spicy flavour profiles
Over half of us are cooking spicier than ever before, and as a result sweet and spicy flavour combinations are gaining traction in our cooking, with 68% of us incorporating 'Swicy' tastes like hot honey and sweet chilli sauces into meals.
