Food trend predictions for 2025

Reducetarians

It’s far easier to make small, incremental changes to our lives and we know that we need to eat less meat and dairy for the sake of the planet so being a reducetarian is an attractive way to make changes hence its appeal. Reducetarians either eat smaller portions per meal or eat one or more animal product-free meals per week. Even these small changes can make a difference if enough people do it. The aim of reducetarianism is to make the production of meat and dairy more sustainable and compassionately produced while making diets healthier. Discover our plant-based recipes for weeknight eating to get on board with this easy trend.

The rise of beans and pulses

Climate- and gut-friendly, whether high end jarred beans or a pack of lentils from your corner shop, eat some every day. At present, The Food Foundation reports that in the UK we buy on average 30g of canned beans and pulses per person a week, the equivalent to around 15 chickpeas or two tablespoons of lentils – not much at all. Beans is How aims to try and double global bean consumption by 2028. Beans are nutrient-dense, improve the soil they are grown in, use less water, and in the UK can be grown across much of the country. Do not give the potential effects on your gut (aka bean hesitancy) a moment’s thought, it’s entirely normal.

Short-cut spice blends

Short cuts in scratch cooking are ever popular and spice blends are an easy win that are gaining traction because one jar of a blend is cheaper than three or four separate jars, and it will no doubt be used up faster than individual spices. Make your own or buy some. Ottolenghi spice blends have a pleasing heft to their texture with individual spices discernible, the citrus and spice blend includes roasted cumin, coriander, lemon peel and sumac amongst the ingredients as works as a rub, in marinades or as a finishing touch to a dish. Sustainable spice brand Steenbergs have a new jar of Sabrina Ghayour’s Persiana spice blend (rose petals, sumac, lime powder, cumin, coriander and cinnamon among others).

The impact of weight loss drugs

GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are starting to have an impact on everything from portion size to recipe search, potentially impacting restaurants, recipes, nutrition apps and brands are taking notice in regard to their future bottom line. The hot topic will be the use of these drugs, but let’s hope it doesn’t drown out all the work being done around obesity prevention or the desire to improve the kind of foods we eat, making health and the health of the planet more closely linked.

Classic French cooking techniques are not the only way

There’s more than one way to use a knife, or most kitchen utensils for that matter. One cook’s cleaver is another’s paring knife and kitchen knife rolled into one. The preparation of food has always been informed by the size of a kitchen, the wider culture of the community, and sometimes the nature of the ingredients. Curved Nepali chulesi blades have to be wedged in place by the user and Japanese yanagiba have a long blade with a cutting edge on only side which allows them to do less damage to the protein they are slicing. One of the most interesting recipe books to appear at the end 2024 is the League of Kitchens by Lisa Kyung Gross and the teachers from the eponymous cooking school. The school empowers immigrant women to share culinary expertise and culture, and the published dishes aim to do the same, sharing the detail and nuance of home cooking that is often lost in translation to a western style of cooking. We say this should be a trend.

Variety is the spice of life

Another easy trend to adopt is simply eating more varieties of plant. For a start, the names are more exciting; Lord Lambourne apples, badger flame beetroot, Purple Haze carrots, Acoustic potatoes and brussels sprouts aptly named ‘revenge’. Fruit and veg supplier Natoora have made seasonality and diversity their mission and endeavour to widen our palates via supply of restaurants, or veg boxes to homes. More bread will be made with different wheat varieties, early adopters on the high street are M&S and Waitrose using Wildfarmed flour. At Cop15 in December 2022, 196 countries signed up to the Global Biodiversity Framework. The pledge was to save 30 per cent of nature on land and sea by 2030 and progressively phase out or reform subsidies that harm biodiversity by at least $500bn per year, while scaling up positive incentives for biodiversity conservation. Threatened species also include many of the plants we eat so this is a trend that needs to become mainstream.

Thoughtful cuisine mash ups

Consumers know much more about different cuisines – as restaurants become more regional in offers, knowledge spreads. But at the same time, consumers and cooks are less constrained by authenticity. Third culture cooks are coming into play. Think Japanese and Korean versions of Italian dishes, Indian-fusion desi pizzas, Mexican twists like prawn toast tacos and elote ice cream and Thai dishes like laarb burgers. Provided there is respect at the core of each idea, food can only get more exciting and innovative.

‘Jomo’

The joy of missing out. Staying in and cooking, including at home comfort foods that don’t break the bank like the trend for fakeaways. Happy cooking (or assembling like the the ‘girl dinner’ trend), on a budget where you only have to please yourself.

Swavoury

Miso ice cream, pickle mochi, potato brownies; sweet-savoury dishes that appeal to your whole palate. Divisive and fun.

Swedish candy

TikTok had a moment with Swedish candy in 2024 so expect to see much more of it in 2025, but only if the supply can be kept up. Lördagsgodis, Saturday sweets, is a Swedish tradition (Friday if you’re Danish), and we’re not talking about one or two sweets. The concept is that you do the sweet-eating on one day only, started in the 1950s by the Swedish authorities to try and address tooth decay. You go and buy pick and mix, eat it and enjoy it, and then wait a week to enjoy it again.

Clear labels

The drive against UPFs and towards transparency on labels will step up: what exactly am I eating? Where is it from? Who made it and did they take care while doing so?

Caribbean cuisine

The travel market is excited about the Caribbean and there are loads of food festivals making this destination more than superlative beaches and seas. Food is the gateway to a culture and visiting and enjoying festivals benefits small producers and the local area and as well as adding to local food security. There are over 40 food festivals held each year, from the Festival de Mar in Anguilla which celebrates the local seafaring traditions, Grenada’s chocolate fest and Jamaica’s food and drink festival. Eat local and enjoy the vibes.

Spritz evolution

Spritzes are everywhere, which means new flavours, serves and iterations are incoming for 2025. Brands are on the case, moving beyond the usual suspects, 2024 saw limoncello, Hugo (elderflower) and Fever-Tree x Mirabeau came up with a rosé wine version using raspberry and orange blossom soda. You can spritz most aperitifs with the addition of prosecco and soda. As with any product, sustainable versions are available, from Artigianale prosecco to the glassware you serve them in made from recycled Campari and Aperol bottles, perhaps with a Discarded grape skin vodka base.