So what’s hot and what’s not on UK menus in 2024?

It’s fair to say that as a team, we share a love of food and a fascination with new dishes, cuisines and trends.

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food!” – George Bernard Shaw

You could say we’re in our dream job…and this year is no exception, as our annual food and drinks survey, conducted with our friends at CGA by NielsenIQ, has uncovered trends that have really fired the imagination of our chefs. And that’s what it’s all about isn’t it? Discovery, innovation, and inspiration both for consumers and chefs alike, which relieve the monotony of the current cost of living crisis, and tempt that extra spend.

The survey involved more than 1,000 UK consumers who eat out of home, and in this ultimate guide we’ll serve up the hottest food and drink trends that it highlights for 2024 that will help you stay ahead of the curve.

Trends are more important than ever when it comes to differentiating in a fiercely competitive market, delivering consumers through your door and driving that crucial GP in the current challenging market conditions. Right now, UK consumers who eat out of home are really motivated by 5 key drivers: value, authenticity, provenance, sustainability and health.

77% of UK consumers consider themselves very value-led** so there’s a lot of pressure on purse strings when consumers do eat out, which is less frequently than a year ago. When they do, they are often celebrating or treating themselves, and so look for something new, or a really fun and exciting experience that elevates their treat or celebration.

Our research shows that:

• 56% would be willing to pay more for a dish they perceived to be authentic*
• 50% would be willing to pay more for a dish if it used ingredients with British provenance*
• 66% believe that it’s important that the food they eat out of home is healthy*

So how do you leverage that when you’re developing next year’s menus?

Bidfood’s 5 food and drink trends can provide inspiration for your chefs and diners, so take a look at which are relevant for your menu…

1. British Fusion

This is a concept that attracts and is all about fusing global cuisines and cultural flavours with familiar British classics. Whilst people are excited to try new flavours, the dish becomes even more appealing when served in a well-loved British format. This trend also helps bridge the gap between comfort and adventure, as people are still cautious when spending their hard earned cash.

*2 in 5 consumers find British Fusion appealing because they like the idea of mixing – in fact, British-Chinese, British-Indian and British-Italian are the top 3 fusions people are interested in trying. Think about your average Sunday roast, pie or apple crumble with an exciting international twist to inspire a little adventure without too much risk!

Read more about fusion food trends 2024 here.

2. Flavours Less Travelled

The Flavours Less Travelled trend features Caribbean, Mexican and Eastern European cuisines, as they are the key global cuisines gaining momentum for 2024.

Although we didn’t get to travel to these places (we wish), people want to feel transported to the countries they’d love to or have just visited through the food that they eat. Consumers are definitely enjoying the more well known dishes as Caribbean jerk chicken and Mexican nachos, but more than ever they are interested in trying the real deal with authenticity becoming the ultimate driver for a successful international dish.

Think Mexican charred corn elotes or hearty Eastern European borsch!

Whilst *62% of consumers find the authenticity of a dish important when eating out,  more than half, would pay more if it hits those authentic cues. Consumers want a true authentic experience from the global dishes they eat out that includes traditional ingredients, flavours and cooking techniques. The foodies are doing their research, and they know what hits the mark!

Read more about world food trends 2024 here.

3. Rustic and Rural

It’s the authentic, rustic charm we see and the characterising stripped back décor and provenance-led menus that makes this trend so appealing to consumers. It’s all about farm to table stories, hero ingredients, heritage vegetables, British classics, garden salads and herbs and artisanal cooking styles.

Rustic presentation is also key. For example, with hand crafted pasta, baked items that come straight out of the oven or décor that has a cosy farm feel that makes you really feel like you’re in the countryside.

Read more about the British food trend 2024 here.

4. Let’s Play

This trend is all about the dishes and drinks that really stimulate our senses visually, emotionally or through new, exciting flavour contrasts. Let’s Play is more of an experiential trend, but this isn’t just about the venue, it’s about the food and drink itself.

70% of consumers find the idea of flavour contrasts appealing*, especially those that are sweet and sour, sweet and spicy, sweet and salty*. Think salted caramel, hot honey, feta and watermelon, miso and chocolate, stilton and pear.

People are also looking for more engaging drinks, and are prepared to pay more for a better quality cocktail. Operators are taking advantage of this and elevating signature cocktails with smoke, bubbles, sparklers, themes or colour changes to add theatre and excitement. The growth of spritz and virgin cocktails and mocktails are also allied to this trend.

Read more about the playful and popular food contrasts trend 2024 here.

5. Mind, Mood and Body

Many individuals place importance on their health and wellbeing (and rightly so), but we’re now seeing this reflected even more in consumers’ food and drink choices as they take on a more holistic approach to living a healthy lifestyle.

Although calorie content is important, consumers are looking for dishes and operators that not only look after their physical health, but their mental health too, with *32% of people looking for ingredients that boosts energy and that improves their overall mood. Consumers are redefining what it means to have a healthy diet, as they look to inform themselves on particular benefits that goes beyond the aesthetically pleasing attributes they would usually view on Instagram.

For example, the consumer interest in nutritional advantages like gut health, joint health and eye health etc. However, it’s crucial to verify the validity of the claims you make by consulting with a nutritionist or dietician first.

Read more about health food trends 2024 here.

How else can Bidfood help?

Of course, the key is to choose the trends that work for your customers, your offer and your operation. Our chef team have created 16 recipes as inspiration to give you a head start in nailing the trends that work for you.

You can find them in our interactive Bidfood 2024 Food & Drinks Guide here.

We’ve also hit the trends trail in Manchester and London, so look out for the videos of how these trends on menus in 2024 look in venues across those cities. Here’s a trailer to give you a flavour of these…

Take a deep dive into our food and drink trends 2024 here.

You can also check out our 2023 food and drink trends in our previous blog: Your ultimate guide to the trends shaping eating out in 2023.