Food trends for 2009

2009 is set to be the year of staying in, with 24% of Olive Magazine readers saying that they intend to spend more this year on entertaining at home.

The monthly magazine is putting together a 'need to know trends guide' for its February issue and some of the key trends identified include:

• Cooking from scratch: olive's guide considers whether 2009 will be the year Britain embraces cooking from scratch.  

• Champagne loses its sparkle: Although alcohol often bucks economic gloom, budget conscious Brits are turning to sparkling wine and away from champagne, with UK sales jumping £12m.

• Shopping shift: Food shoppers are likely to hunt around for the best value supermarkets; and street markets are predicted to be back in vogue.

• Greener: With sales of vegetable seeds outstripping flowers last year and community projects oversubscribed, the rise in 'grow your own' looks set to continue. Also despite the downturn, olive readers are demanding restaurants become greener.

• Year of the tratt: Restaurants "are old news" with insiders tipping new openings to "no longer call themselves restaurants – rather less formal sounding trattorias, cafes, bistros etc."

• Buy British: 23% of readers state that eating British in a pub is their favourite dining experience, with Italian following with 22%. Scandinavian and Japanese food, with its healthy image and variety of prices, is also predicted to be big in 2009.

Christine Hayes, editor of olive, commented on these trends: "This is the year when we refuse to be ripped off. Forget scallops and sirloin - we'll be inviting friends over to share big, generous slabs of belly pork or shoulder of lamb and eschewing ridiculously expensive destination restaurants for the local pub."

Words: Maria Bracken

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