Waitrose has released its annual food and drinks trends report for 2018, which highlights the rise of mindful eating and drinking in the UK.
The report is based on a consumer research poll conducted on over 2,000 people of all ages in Britain. Our increased interest not only in our own health, but of the health of the planet, is shaping our approach to food and drink, and influencing what we consume.
We’ve woken up to the fact that our natural resources are precious and are more aware than ever of the need to look after our environment by doing simple things like reducing our use of plastic. According to Waitrose, a whopping 88% of us have changed how we use plastics after viewing the final episode of Sir David Attenborough’s powerful Blue Planet II.
As we’ve seen with wine in recent years, consumers are also moving towards eating lighter food during the week, while weekends remain a sacrosanct time of indulgence.
On the food front, we’ve gone wild for jackfruit, kefir, aquafaba, miso and the humble turnip, which is being used in everything from veggie meatballs to mash. We’re also eating less meat as a nation. The Waitrose report found that one in eight Brits is now vegetarian or vegan, while one in five of us is ‘flexitarian’ (semi-veggie).
2018 will be remembered as the year that vegan food went mainstream and UK restaurants have responded with increasingly sophisticated vegan offerings, and vegan-focused sites like popular New York chain By Chloe.
But how have our drinking habits changed? Click through to find out the five biggest wine and spirits trends to have taken hold in the UK this year.
