From vegan wines to pandan as a cooler alternative to avocado, 2018 brought its fair share of food trends. Of course, not everything quite took off – remember the controversy surrounding M&S "cauliflower steaks"?
But now, fancy supermarket chain Waitrose has predicted five major food and drink trends to look out for in 2019. Warning: some of them might make you hungry.
1. Personalised health
This one is no shocker: we're going to become even more conscious of what we put in our mouths as nutritional information gets easier to access. "Whether through our smartphones, laptops or Alexa-style devices, we’ll be able to view personalised dietary tips and bespoke shopping lists," Waitrose predicts.
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2. Ice cream
Obviously ice cream never really goes out of fashion, but Waitrose says that "trendy new parlours are popping up in the UK and pushing [it] to the next level of sensory experience". The supermarket cites Pan - N - Ice, the chain famed for its "ice cream tacos" which has outlets in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Bluewater, as one of the brands taking ice cream to the next level. (Of course, we fully expect delicous vegan ice cream to continue growing in popularity, too).
3. West African food
Vibrant and spicy dishes such as jollof rice and chicken yassa are predicted to become supper party staples, partly because they can be cooked in one pot, minimising the need for tedious midweek washing-up. It sounds good to us, tbh.
4. Bitter foods
Earlier this year, the slightly bitter-tasting Aperol Spritz was dubbed the drink of summer 2018. Now Waitrose reckons the trend for bitter flavours will spill over into food. Expect to see even more dark chocolate and kale on menus and in the shops, plus more restaurants like London's Temper where meat and vegetables are cooked over a naked flame, giving a distinctive charred taste.
5. Even more mocktails
As more millennials decide to go alcohol-free, Waitrose predicts that cocktails will become more inventive and tempting. Key ingredients to look out for include beetroot, pickled onion, vegetable peel and fruit rind. Meanwhile, Kombucha cocktails are expected to become a bit of a thing as the fermented tea drink is used more frequently as a mixer.