The latest food trends in 2021 – what you need to know
Last year turned the food industry on its head. With restaurants having to either close their doors or start offering take-away services, disruptions in supplies leading to low stocks and stockpiling, and more consumers choosing to do their food shopping online, 2020 has had a lasting effect on the food industry.
So, it’s not surprising this has had a massive impact on our relationship with food. As London meat and poultry butchers, we’ve spoken to people in the know and the chefs we work with to identify the top food trends we can expect to see in 2021.
The rise of comfort food
With more of us staying at home, unsure when we will be able to meet up with friends and family again, it’s inevitable that we will turn to comfort food to keep us going. After all, what could be more soul-restoring than a sausage casserole using some of the best sausages on the market or a delicious homemade beef stew using Grass Fed Limousin Beef, renowned for its flavour, tenderness and succulence?
And the rise in comfort food won’t just be because we all want a cuddle in a bowl, but also because people will be trying to cut down on food waste to save the pennies. As a result, there will also be a rise in pickling and fermenting with people creating some great condiments to go with a delectablechoice of deli meats and roasts.
More time spent on food research
With many of us having more time on our hands, we think one of the key food trends of 2021 will be more research. This will be both into the health benefits of food, understanding the advantages and disadvantages of a plant-based diet, and gaining a better understanding about provenance, traceability and product integrity.
One of the good things to come out of the pandemic is more communities are finding ways to support local businesses, so being able to use meat that has been raised locally and travelled the smallest distance from gate to plate will become even more important. At IMS, we strongly believe in the purchase of British Meat and publicise the provenance, food miles and animal husbandry of all our farms and suppliers in our supply chain.
At home restaurant experiences
Like a lot of companies over the last year, we have had to quickly pivot and expand our home delivery service so that more people can benefit from our quality products. And restaurants aren’t any different. Gone are the days when the only food you could order for home delivery was a pizza or curry. Now, the world really is your oyster!
But we think it will go one step further. With people spending more time at home, it’s inevitable that for special occasions, they will want to experience restaurant dining at home. So, chefs will start to be more creative and push the boundaries from the expected norm.
And more attention will be paid to how food is presented. For a special night in, a box of food all jumbled together just isn’t going to cut it, so more effort will be spent on presenting dishes in a restaurant style manner.
If you’re struggling to find an at home restaurant experience, take a look at this list. It includes some Michelin-starred restaurants. You never know one of your favourite restaurants might be on it.
Making your own homemade pasta
Remember when during the first lockdown home baking sales soared and everyone was baking banana bread?
Well, with everyone craving comfort food, we think this time we will see a surge in people making their own pasta. And the thing is it’s not that hard to do, although using a pasta machine does take a bit of practice!
And even better, you can make lots of different sauces to go with it. How about a classic Spaghetti Bolognese with this extra lean beef mince or a Ragu alla Pugliese. Made with chicken, beef, pancetta and pork sausage it’s simmered for hours and simply delicious!
Flavour mashups
Who hasn’t seen the Baked Beans Weetabix mashup that’s been trending on Instagram and Twitter over the last week? Well, we think this might be bang on trend for 2021.
Let’s face it, the last year has been pretty awful and with many of us sick of being stuck at home and not able to do much, why not get creative when cooking meals? After all famous chefs like Nigella Lawson wouldn’t have introduced us to the joys of Gammon in Coca Cola if she hadn’t been willing to experiment!
So, why not treat yourself to one of our meat boxes and have some fun. We’d love to hear what you come up with.
Food home delivery becomes the norm
There is no doubt about it that home delivery is here to stay. The pandemic has been responsible for forcing this issue, but we can’t help thinking it’s a step in the right direction. With more food shops now offering online delivery options, it means shoppers don’t have to be completely reliant on supermarkets or worry about social distancing.
It’s one of the reasons we launched our online shop at the end of last year. As London’s esteemed meat and poultry butchers, it enables us to deliver quality British meat and poultry to London households within the M25. From cooked meats to specialist game, healthy meat boxes to the finest quality lamb, our shop delivers only the best quality meat and poultry.
And don’t forget Easter is just round the corner. Our Welsh Hill Lamb shoulder, boneless and hand tied, would make the perfect roast.
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