Food and drink trends 2024

In 2024, we’re predicting five key food and drink trends that will shape out of home menus in the UK. These include:
• Flavours less travelled with an emphasis on authentic representation of Mexican, Caribbean, and Eastern European cuisines
• British Fusion which looks at how British dishes are being pepped up with flavours from around the world
• Mind, Mood and Body which focuses on the sorts of healthier choices that consumers are now looking for
• Let’s Play which is all about playful flavour contrasts and playful cocktails
• Rustic and Rural which captures the way that menus and venues represent provenance in dishes and decor

Some of the key ingredients that sit behind the food and drink trends we expect to emerge in 2024 include:
• Caribbean: dishes like jerk, patties, curries or stews that contain fish and seafood, chicken, goat, and tropical ingredients like sweet potato, mango, pineapple, lime, coconut, and chilli
• Mexican: dishes like tacos al pastor, elotes or esquites (corn-based dishes), torta, mole or gorditas (flatbread sandwiches) contain ingredients like: corn, tomatoes, avocado, pinto beans, limes, chilli, coriander and cheese
• Eastern European: dishes like stews (e.g. goulash, paprikash, bigos) , soups (like borsch), meatballs, dumplings, pretzels and cakes or pastries. These include ingredients like smoked sausages and meats, sauerkraut, gherkins, sour cream, mushrooms, herbs, paprika, potatoes, cabbage, pickles, apples and berries
• British fusion tends to adapt traditional British cuisine formats like roast dinners, pies, pasties, sausage rolls, full English breakfasts and pep them up with spices and flavours from other cuisines
• Flavour contrasts involve blending sweet with sour, spicy, salty or savoury ingredients, for example the trending burger gelato; examples of contrasts might include hot honey, chilli and chocolate, salted caramel, feta and watermelon.
• Over three in four UK consumers find appeal in dishes that use British produce, so ingredients with regional or local provenance are key.

Rum and tequila are spirits which are still seeing growth momentum, partly because they make great cocktails, and offer a point of difference to gin and vodka which have been the main focus for some years now. Rum and tequila also go hand in hand with the key food trends we’re seeing grow in momentum i.e authentic Mexican cusine and Caribbean cuisine. Its also worth mentioning that consumers are looking for higher quality as well as signature or instagrammable cocktails. So creatively themed and presented cocktails are on the rise as operators take cocktails to another level to increase spend. Cocktails are also increasingly being served in a wider range of venues including restaurants. Consumers are also looking for better quality and more interesting low or no alcohol options too, such as virgin cocktails or mocktails.

Cocktails, (especially creative, themed or playful cocktails) rum and tequila-based drinks are certainly trending at the moment. Gin, sparkling wine, and liqueurs are also holding their own.

But what people choose to drink is heavily influenced by season. Think berries, fizz, spritz and lighter drinks in spring, fruity, citrus and refreshing, thirst quenchers in summer, creamy or spiced flavours, like ginger, as well as cider-based drinks in autumn, and stronger flavours like coffee (e.g. in an espresso martini), or where alcohol is a more prominent flavour (e.g in a Martini) in winter.

Overall, the top five mainstream cocktails with most appeal are: the Pornstar Martini, Sex on the Beach, Flavoured Martinis, Iced Tea, and the Mojito (closely followed by Spritz and Daiquiri).

You will always need to tailor your menu, and the trends that you incorporate into your menu, on the needs of your customers and what works well with your brand or offer. Not every out of home venue will suit Eastern European food, Playful Cocktails or even Rustic and Rural.

Some of the underlying factors driving consumer choices are almost universal, for example, their desire for value for money, healthier and sustainable choices, authenticity, quality and provenance. So some of these will need to be reflected on pretty much every menu.

We’ve highlighted the trends that we feel will be important in 2024, it’s up to you to choose the ones that you feel will be most meaningful for your customers, will drive traffic and repeat visits, and enable you to encourage them spend.

In 2024, there are five key food and drink trends that are emerging in the UK which are shaping consumer choices in the out of home sector. These include:
• Flavours less travelled including Mexican, Caribbean, and Eastern European cuisines, with an emphasis on the more authentic sides of these cuisines
• British Fusion where traditional British formats like roasts, pies, and breakfasts are getting a makeover with spices, flavours and ingredients from other popular cuisines like Indian, Chinese, Mexican, for example
• Mind, Mood and Body is all about consumers desire for foods and ingredients that help their physical and mental wellbeing
• Let’s Play points to the enhanced experiences that consumers are looking for, which we can see reflected on menus in the form of flavour contrasts and playful drinks
• Rustic and Rural is all about how ingredients and dishes that emphasise British, local, regional provenance marries with rustic and rural decor.