Speciality food spots, school catering creativity, and premium pasta strategies

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of our monthly food & drink trends digest, brought to you by the Insights Lab team at Egg Soldiers!

At the start of September, our trend specialists tackled UK school catering, pouring over some of the best nursery, primary and secondary school menus in the UK, according to the latest Ofsted inspections, to isolate flavour, format and ingredient trends relevant to caterers looking ahead to 2024.

“Nutrition plays a central role in parents' food choices for toddlers in the UK, and nursery schools are universally expected to follow suit with lunch options," says Insights Lab's Head of Trends, Kateline Porritt.

“Starchy, carbohydrate-driven pasta, pizza, potato and rice options are commonplace, delivering much-needed energy and fibre via familiar formats, with nutrient-rich topping choices an area for 'inoffensive' innovation, if you will.

“For example, we noticed a number of gentle curries and lentil dhals among some of the best Ofsted-rated school menus. Cost-effective and nutritious, these options are also almost always vegetarian - a useful trait for a weekly option.”

Head through the link below to read the full article, which also features both primary and secondary school menu analysis!

Interview with an Innovator: Georgina Irwin, Pasta Evangelists ??

There's less than a week to go now before the grand reopening of Harrods Dining Hall, with Pasta Evangelists’ new two-Michelin-starred tie up primed and ready as part of the relaunch line-up.

Having joined in 2020, Georgina Irwin, Pasta Evangelists’ Head of Commercial Development, was there at the start of the brand’s restaurant journey with Harrods. And, much like her employers, she has been in a near-constant state of evolution over the past three years, diversifying her role as the premium pasta brand continues to rapidly expand across channels and categories.

Last month, we sat down with Georgie to discuss evolving omnichannel strategies amid the cost-of-living crisis, with the brand's new ‘Pastificio’ factory and the imminent launch of 'Pasta Evangelists by Perbellini' in Harrods also on the agenda.

Last month, the Olympia convention centre in London hosted the Speciality & Fine Food Fair 2023, with hundreds of artisan brands from all over the world descending for a two-day showcase of food and drink product innovation.

On day one, the winners of the 2023 Speciality & Fine Food Fair Awards were revealed. Among those triumphant was regenerative cheese brand Golden Hooves, which took home the coveted 'New Product of the Year (UK)' award, with single origin chocolate brand Pure Chocolate Jamaica winning best new international product.

Here at the Insights Lab, we're not ones to miss a big food event, with our food insight specialists pitching up to taste (almost all of) what was on offer at this year's fair, coming away with plenty of innovation talking points.

We've painstakingly whittled our spots down to five brands and products for this free insight drop, with Korean street food, slow cooker sauces, and innovatively-flavoured chicken jerky all showcased and discussed.

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With Halloween 2023 now less than a month away, the Insights Lab team has been sharing its take on trends and development opportunities for UK foodservice operators:

?? Gram Greatness - our favourite social media spots this month

Chicken Leg Corndog

Have you ever seen a more aesthetically pleasing leg (chicken or otherwise)? Introducing the chicken leg corndog from FOWL, Fallow’s beak-to-feet chicken shop pop-up in London.

Launching in October, the team worked directly with the legendary Pierre Koffmann to develop this signature move ??

Crab Flatbreads with Red Leicester

London has gone mad for artisan flatbreads of late, with Thomas Straker among those leading the charge.

Versatile and seemingly always packed with creative flavour; flatbreads continue to turn heads, with Soho spot Bar Crispin showcasing their crab and Red Leicester version at the turn of the month.

The team describes them as “deeply satisfying cheesy, crabby, peppery pillows”.

We believe them ??

Corn & Miso Doughnuts

The guys at Wildair in NYC have done it again. This is a corn & miso sweet cream-filled doughnut with a concord grape and corn glaze.

Concord (or uva fragola) grapes are said to taste like strawberries and are both musky and aromatic.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen them pop up on a sweet creation this summer ??

Aubergine, Za'atar & Feta Danish

Creative NYC spot Supermoon Bakehouse regularly drops new flavours across its socials, with this pastry catching our eye not just for the Middle Eastern-inspired ingredient combo.

Doesn’t it all remind you of roasted cauliflowers? Very in keeping.

Going back to flavours, this handmade Danish is baked with halved roasted aubergine, feta, za’atar, sumac, pesto, a drizzle of labneh and toasted walnuts ??

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