If January tastes like salad and green juice, don’t worry – the rest of the year is going to taste so much better! The UK’s top chefs and food writers have shared their predictions for 2016 and we’ve rounded up the trends they agreed on. From seaweed to caipirinhas, here’s what the experts think we’ll be eating this year.
Brazilian – “The Olympics are heading to Rio, so Brazilian classics such as feijoada (pork and black bean stew), bolinhos (rice balls) and zesty cocktail the caipirinha will be everywhere,” says The Telegraph.
Less meat, more veg – “Plant- and vegetable-based meals and ingredients are fast becoming the fashionable, healthy and ethical choice,”says The Caterer. Expect to see more enticing veggie options on restaurant menus this year, as well as a rise in ‘root-to-stem’ eating where roots and skin are used to add texture and flavour.
Asian flavours – In the Evening Standard, Fay Maschler predicts that the success of restaurants like Bao, Hoppers and Jidori will encourage ‘more niche Asian food’, while blogger Chris Pople hopes that ‘Nepalese or Indonesian will be given the trendy no-reservations Soho treatment’.
Poke – Similar to ceviche, poke is a marinated raw fish dish from Hawaii that Condé Nast Traveler and The Telegraph reckon will be big this year. Try it in London at POND Dalston and Trader Vic’s.
Mexican – “We’ve been touting real Mexican as a new trend for decades now, but until a couple of years ago, Tex-Mex of dubious quality has dominated. So, while Peyote, Mestizo, Casa Morita and Wahaca, among others, have kicked the offer up a notch or two, there’s still a way to go country-wide,” says Olive.
Fine casual – Josh Katz, chef-owner of Berber & Q, predicts a rise in ‘fine casual’ restaurants like Portland and Pidgin, “both of which serve technically outstanding food whilst stripping away the formality that is often associated with food of such calibre”.
Seaweed – “Move over kale, there’s a new superfood hitting our plates for 2016 – seaweed”, says Clare Gazzard at Great British Chefs. Packed with fibre, iron, vitamin C, and antioxidants, the green stuff works well in soups, salads and even crisps and cocktails. If you’re not sure what to do with it at home, try the seaweed and samphire salad at Yama Momo or seaweed salted chips at Hook.
Pulses and grains – The United Nations has declared 2016 ‘The International Year of the Pulse’, so expect to see chefs experimenting with chickpeas, lentils, and ancient grains like spelt and freekeh.
Best of the rest – Bowl food. Tacos. Middle Eastern. Kombucha. Goat. Flexitarianism.
Which food trends would you like to see shake up the UK dining scene this year?
