Trend Watch: Autumn & Winter
Check out our top three key trends to look out for on Autumn Winter 2024 menus. As we anticipate the cooler temperatures and dark evenings, these three trends promise to take care of our mind, body and soul.
Trend One - Pimp My Egg Sarnie
Comfort food is here to stay as a mega trend and over the last few years, we’ve seen the reinvention of the fish finger sandwich and elevated mac & cheese. No longer relegated to the third division of picnics, the humble egg mayo is making a loud comeback. Whether it be using super creamy Kewpie mayo, adding black truffle or Clarence Court free range eggs, we will see a new generation of grown up egg sandwiches commanding a premium space.
Trend Two - The Future is Fungi
Long gone are the days of a white button or a chestnut mushroom being the staple of the category. Now, you see varieties like Lions Mane, Maitake or Oyster gracing the shelves of mainstream supermarkets. We have seen more and more mushroom ingredients make their way into other products such as cordyceps tea or chaga coffee delivering antioxidant benefits. We predict mycoprotein will dominate over soya based proteins as a more natural and sustainable plant protein and with companies such as Abunda bringing their fermented mycoprotein to the mainstream market, this will only cement the role of fungi in our diets.
Trend Three - Feed Your Brain
The benefits of Omega 3 are well known and contribute to heart, eye and brain health particularly in children. Most of the Omega 3 in our diets comes from oily fish but the question is: do we really eat enough mackerel and salmon for it to make a difference? This is where the new second generation algae technology will play a vital role in allowing enriching of eggs, pork and poultry with a source of Omega 3 at commercial levels. One to watch is Humanativ, a spin off between industry giants Devenish Feeds and Mara Renewables. Their recent enrichment of poultry for the Middle Eastern retail market is differentiating a commodity category by bringing healthier chicken to the consumer.