Offline, people flocked to Borough Market in London to dish out an eye-watering £8.50 on chocolate covered strawberries, despite the fact they were wildly out of season.
2. Buldak ramen
2024 was the year the world went mad for Buldak ramen, an instant noodle known for its spiciness and unique flavours such as carbonara. The noodles, inspired by Korean spicy chicken dishes, have seen meteoric online growth: over the past two years, online searches for “buldak recipe” are up nearly 500%, and “cheese buldak ramen” up 350%.
Over on TikTok, you’ll find more than 1.1 billion posts dedicated to Buldak.
3. Guinness
The UK’s love for Guinness reached an all-time high in 2024: according to data from GWI, the number of Guinness drinkers is up 27% in the UK since last year, and 93% among 25- to 34-year-olds. This new love for Guinness ties into the renewed appreciation of the old man pub.
Not only are more people drinking the Irish stout, content creators are getting creative with how to serve it: this TikTok user pairs it with anything from baked beans to milkshakes.
4. Cult bakeries
In 2024 we noticed the continuing rise of independent, artisanal bakeries across the country, from Farro in Bristol to Nova Bakehouse in Leeds. The most popular bakeries swiftly gained a cult following: Bunhead Bakery in South London has boasted snaking queues on most weekends since its opening this summer, and Chatsworth Bakehouse , another popular South London bakery, opened a second site to keep up with demand from locals. It seems the UK’s appetite for the finest pastries, breads and buns is insatiable, and we hope to see this collective hunger grow in the New Year. Read olive magazine’s round-up of the UK’s best bakeries for more inspiration.
5. Matcha
Matcha’s popularity reached new heights in the UK in 2024, with matcha-infused lattes overtaking oat milk flat whites as the drink du jour. This green tea has been enjoyed in China and Japan for centuries, however only in recent years has the UK cottoned onto matcha’s versatility. See our recipes for matcha mille crêpe cake, matcha miso pancakes and matcha mochi ice cream to try it yourself.
Elsewhere, matcha skincare products have gained traction this year.
6. Savoury cocktails
The savoury cocktail trend shows no signs of abating, with tipples that pack an umami kick becoming the hottest cocktail order. Social media cocktail connoisseurs have been pushing the boundaries of what can be served in sipping form, from cacio e pepe martinis to hot dog old fashioneds. Sweet and sugary tipples are out, and bold and spicy blends are in.
Desserts with a savoury edge have also made waves on social media, such as ritz cracker ice cream sandwiches and brûléed honeynut squash.
7. French onion soup-flavour everything
2024 was the year French onion soup morphed into a ‘flavour’, the same way carbonara or hamburger is often used to denote a flavour rather than a dish. This trend generated a myriad of comfort food spin-offs, from French onion soup pasta to French onion burgers and even French onion ramen.
8. The bean revolution
2024 was the year beans replaced kale as the hot new health ingredient, with fans vouching for their high-fibre credentials. Dense bean salads went viral on TikTok, then news broke about a $200 per year heirloom bean subscription club.
The Good Food team are big fans of Bold Beans, who cook, season and bottle up top-quality beans. “These beauties are silky-smooth, cooked to perfection, plump and delicious,” says health writer Isabella Keeling. “My favourite way to enjoy them is in a Mediterranean-style veggie traybake with garlic, basil, plenty of fennel seeds and chilli flakes. They soak up all the juices and taste like holidays.”
9. Cucumbers
Much to the surprise of everyone, the humble cucumber became one of the hottest (if not the hottest) ingredients of the year. Logan Moffit, a TikToker with a passion for the green veg, committed to posting cucumber salad recipes almost every day since July, from egg salad sandwich cucumbers to cucumber kimchi.
As a result, cucumber nabbed a spot in Deliveroo’s top 100 dishes, proving that social food trends drive purchase – and TikTok was even blamed for a national shortage of cucumbers in Iceland.
10. Dubai’s viral chocolate bar
Dubai’s knafeh chocolate bar gained international fame this year as chocolate enthusiasts rushed to TikTok to gush over its brick-like thickness and gooey pistachio filling. The bar, filled with kataifi (shredded filo pastry) and pistachio cream, whipped up global hype: long queues were seen in Germany in November as hundreds of customers queued for limited-edition bars. It also bagged the number-one spot on Deliveroo’s top 100 dishes.
11. Oatzempic
One of this year’s biggest nutrition trends, the ‘oatzempic’ drink was a riff on Ozempic, a brand of weight-loss drug semaglutide. The drink, which sees oats blended with water and lime juice, was claimed by TikTokers to produce similar appetite-suppressing effects, due to the high fibre content in oats.
Nutritionists have since warned that, while low-Gi oats can keep you feeling fuller for longer than simple carbs, the drink is not comparable to a medication that has significantly stronger effects.
12. Pistachio everything
Move over, peanut butter. Praline spread arrived on the scene in 2024 and made earthy green waves, landing in Pinterest’s autumn trend report thanks to searches for “pistachio butter” going up 240%.
Food director Cassie Best recommends trying Mada Mada‘s pistachio praline: “Think pistachio butter, taken to the next level. This unctuous spread blends pistachios with dark caramel for a bittersweet edge. I love it drizzled over pancakes or swirled into brownies.”
13. Cottage cheese
Cottage cheese had a real moment in 2024. The dairy product, made from milk curds, was hailed by health-conscious social media users as a high-protein hero, with recipes ranging from cottage cheese cookie dough to hot honey and cottage cheese toasts. UK retailers subsequently reported an increase in sales.
Emma Hartfield, Good Food’s health editor, says of the trend: “Cottage cheese is one of the healthier cheeses, thanks mainly to being high-protein yet low-calorie. Its popularity boost may be due to it fitting into high-protein weight-loss regimes, as it’s also pretty filling. What’s more, it’s a good choice for people looking to increase their calcium intake, particularly if you suffer from osteoporosis.”
Take a tub of cottage cheese in a new direction with our cottage cheese fritters, eggy spelt bread with orange cheese & raspberries and mini spinach & cottage cheese frittatas.
14. Onion boils
The onion boil was one of the stranger trends to emerge this year, spawning thousands of TikTok tutorials. But what is it? Essentially, it involves hollowing out an onion, stuffing it with butter and seasoning, then baking in the oven until soft and caramelised.
While most TikToks see onion boils being eaten on their own – this popular recipe has been viewed over 10 million times – one TikToker stuffs theirs with burger cheese, while another content creator presents her onion boil on a bed of nacho cheese sauce.
15. Sleepy girl mocktail
One of the more contentious trends to arise from social media was the ‘sleepy girl mocktail‘, a cherry-flavoured drink mixing tart cherry juice with magnesium powder and soda or sparkling water. The drink shot to TikTok fame as wellness influencers claimed it improved the amount and quality of your sleep.
While magnesium might prove useful in helping you fall into a sleepy state, experts have disputed its effectiveness, suggesting it doesn’t go far enough to ensure a good night’s sleep.
16. Marry me chicken
‘Marry me chicken’ was arguably the most-hyped dish to go viral this year, as content creators vouched for its powers to win over a loved one to the point they drop down on one knee and propose.
A simple dish of chicken breast cooked in a creamy tomato sauce, recipe videos for ‘marry me chicken’ have accrued tens of millions of views across social feeds. The hype hasn’t really died down ever since, as it was recently linked to a larger ‘trad wife‘ TikTok movement, a new and controversial group of mostly young women who promote the traditional role of the homemaker to millions of followers by filming themselves cooking recipes from scratch.
17. Smash burgers
2024 was the year that smash burgers spread like wildfire online. The method of ‘smashing’ – where patties are pressed down as hard as possible on a frying pan or skillet over a high heat – creates a crispy, caramelised crust, served in classic burger fashion in a bun with lettuce, gherkin, tomatoes and sauce.
Burgers were also smashed offline, as queues of burger aficionados formed at London eateries such as Supernova. Try it for yourself with our very own smash burger recipe.
18. Adobo
Adobo became a viral hit after TikTokers shared the best spots to eat classic Filipino cuisine in the UK. The national dish of the Philippines, adobo is a hearty stew of melt-in-the-mouth pork or chicken with sharp, salty-sweet notes.
If you like the sound of adobo, see our recipe for pork & caramelised pineapple adobo, or try our sweet & sour chicken adobo.
19. Dry yogurt
Dry yogurt was one of the most peculiar culinary crazes to sweep the internet in 2024, with TikTok tutorials showing how to make it viewed tens of millions of times.
In a process similar to creating labneh, yogurt is strained through a muslin cloth to press out the moisture, then left to drain overnight. Its point of difference comes in the form of adding food colouring to the yogurt, smearing the finished product into different shapes, then topping with nuts and fruit. Is it a delicious snack worth your time, or just another ploy to notch up views online? We believe it’s the latter.
20. Sea moss
Sea moss was one of this year’s biggest wellness trends, with fans of the edible seaweed raving about its health benefits, such as its gut health credentials and high levels of omega-3 and fibre.
Product reviews of the nutrient-dense superfood exploded on social media, with users eating it by the spoonful in hopes of achieving clearer skin. Read about its health benefits here.
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