Top Foodie Trends for 2020

January isn’t the greatest month, we all feel sluggish for overindulgence at Christmas, it’s cold and wet, and even worse, summer feels like a lifetime away. But don’t despair! If you’re a lover of all things food, then there’s a lot to get excited about in 2020.

To make your life easier, we’ve done the research so you don’t have to. Take a look at Smithfields butchers top food trends hitting restaurants, delis and food stores near you this year.

Tapas style bar snacks

The popularity of tapas-style bar snacks is ever-increasing with more restaurants offering small plate meals on their menus. We’ve seen dishes such as lamb belly fritters and chicken oyster bocadillos. Certainly different to the usual bar offerings and worthy of a meal in itself. These tasty snacks will pop up on pub and restaurant menus in 2020 which is something we’re really excited about. As premier meat suppliers in London, we will always celebrate the use of top quality meat in recipes and look forward to checking out these tempting dishes.

Heavenly Japanese food

The love of Japanese food doesn’t seem to be diminishing, if anything it will be even more popular in 2020. Japanese food has a reputation for being fresh and simple, using the best quality ingredients. The popularity of this cuisine has led to a wave of Japanese and pan-Asian restaurants appearing in high streets throughout the UK which is fantastic.

Fancy trying sushi at home? With simple dishes, it’s so important to use the best quality ingredients you can. If meat sushi is part of your menu and you’re in the London area, please pop along to our butchers at IMS of Smithfield. We’re happy to advise on the best cuts of meat for your needs. If you’re a restauranteur or chef and are interested in our meat and poultry range, please feel free to call us on 020 7383 3080 for details of the full range.

Flower Infused Drinks

Flower and plant infused drinks such as Butterfly Pea Tea are fast catching the imagination of the health-conscious. Butterfly Pea Tea is full of powerful antioxidants and is even known to combat premature signs of aging. The taste is described as ‘earthy’ and is not dissimilar to unsweetened green tea.

Experience a Korean BBQ

Like most trends, what is popular in the US sooner or later makes its way across the pond to the UK. Korean cuisine, particularly Korean BBQ has become massively popular in America with the cuisine experiencing a 34% increase in demand since 2012. Korean BBQ is a different way of cooking where thinly sliced meat is cooked by the diners on a grill in the middle of the table. The meat is generally marinated in a sweet and sour sauce such as Bulgogi sauce. This sauce is a blend of soy sauce, brown sugar, asian pear, garlic, ginger, ground black pepper and sesame oil. It’s a fun experience too with all the diners getting involved in the cooking process.

Favourite comfort foods with a healthy twist

We all know the foods we resort to on a cold winter’s evening, foods which although super tasty, are also generally carb-heavy. A tasty carb replacement is cauliflower which is set to become one of this year’s favourite vegetables with dishes such as charred cauliflower with garlic tahini sauce. Give it a go and see what you think.

Ice-Cream for Adults (kids step away)

Forget cookie dough or double choc chip, this year’s ice cream flavours include gorse flower gin flavour or goats cheese scoop with liquorice sauce. Keep an eye out for these unique flavours in your local gelateria or dessert parlour.

The Year of the Sandwich

After the trends for protein snacks, falafel wraps and wholefood salads, it looks like the sandwich is making a comeback and not a moment too soon for us. Sandwiches must be the most versatile of meals with an endless choice of fillings to be had. As premier London meat and poultry butchers we’re loving the return of the sandwich and could give suggestions for the perfect meat sandwich filling for ever! Proper artisan bread with well-sourced ingredients is a match made in heaven.

If you’re the owner or chef of a sandwich shop, deli or pop-up grab & go lunch stop then head on down to IMS of Smithfield, quality London catering butchers where you can be assured of the best quality meat and poultry. We publicise the provenance, food miles and animal husbandry of all our farms and suppliers within our supply chain, offering our customers peace of mind.

smithfields butchers strongly believe in the purchase and supply of British Meat and feel a sense of responsibility to support the British meat industry. These top farms are our suppliers, and have been for the last 40 years.

Food Unwrapped, Plastic-free produce

The dangers of plastic and the need to reduce the amount of plastic usage is constantly in the news. Many major supermarkets are looking at ways to resolve the ‘plastic’ problem and in some stores, we’re starting to see a difference in the way we shop for certain foodstuffs such as pasta and vegetables. Help yourself pasta and cereal dispensers, a return to ‘‘greengrocer’ style vegetable displays, re-usable vegetable packaging are some of the solutions we’re already seeing in the supermarkets. Here as a smithfields butchers We’re also seeing a resurgence of the local greengrocer in the High Street which is really encouraging, it’s good for the environment and gives a boost to your local small business community.

smithfields butchers – Are you Tempted?

Hopefully we’ve fired up your taste buds with these food trends. Why not head on down to your nearest Korean BBQ restaurant, try a cup of Butterfly Green Tea or make yourself a top notch beef and horseradish sandwich. Make the most of the fabulous array of food available in this country and try something new today.