Banana skins in cooking, posh waffles, and rose prosecco are among the biggest food trends of 2021

Less than a week into the New Year, and the nation has been plunged into lockdown  with restaurants closing and people turning to their kitchens again to rustle up meals while staying inside.

And 2021 could see the nation using up old banana skins, whipping up posh waffles and using copaiba – an alternative to CBD, according to a new report by leading chefs and experts.

The experts behind the Young British Food & Drink Awards, which celebrates fresh voices in food writing, also found that nostalgic deserts are on the rise and  virtual dinner parties will continue to grow in number. 

YBFs partnered with Marks & Spencer to launch their first ever food and drink innovation report, which had hospitality experts on board including star-chef, Melissa Hemsley, drinks entrepreneur, Monica Berg, Michelin-starred Chef, James Knappett, and international drrinks expert Ryan Chetiyawardana, and food  journalist, Chloe Scott-Moncrieff.  

Also on board was April Preston, Director of Food M&S, and Rosie Birkett, a journalist, chef and TV presenter.

Meanwhile,  Will Bowlby, Chef Patron of modern Indian restaurant group Kricket, told FEMAIL: ‘veganism will continue to rise as people become more aware of their diets, while Chef Brad Carter of Michelin-starred Carters of Moseley says ‘more and more chefs and restaurants are choosing the older, more sustainable animals for their menus. added that chefs will be using more sustainable and older meat.

Here, Femail reveals the trends to look out for in 2021.

NOSTALGIA    

We’re heading into a year of comfort and nostalgia: When times get tough, escapism is the place Brits find happiness and M&S has seen the mini battered sausages chip shop style boxes soar in sales due to our love affair with comfort food, the YBF report reveals.

In December, Waitrose revealed the sale of trifles were up 35 per cent on last year and other retro desserts such as sticky toffee pudding and cherry pie have seen a 60 per cent increase, as people made a move towards nostalgic eating. 

Meanwhile, the once old-fashioned tipple Sherry is making a comeback. 

‘Sherry is incredibly versatile’, says Richard Corrigan Jnr of Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill in Mayfair. 

‘You could have many different types hiding in your house but generally you will have three styles of sherry lurking around: dry sherry (Fino, Manzanilla); Nutty/Richer/Darker sherries (Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Oloroso); and sweet sherries (Pedro Ximenez, Moscatel). 

‘Try pairing sherry with food, this is proving increasingly popular with our guests at Bentley’s. Dry sherries are great with oysters and clams, darker varieties work well with terrines and smoked salmon, and try pairing a sweet sherry with blue cheese’. 

VEGANISM ON THE RISE 

Banana skins are the new jackfruit, the YBF report reveals.

With veganism on the rise and food waste on the decline, the banana skin is the latest substitute for pulled pork.  

In November, Nigella Lawson’s shocked viewers when she used the usually discarded ingredient in a curry for her BBC2 show.

The 60-year-old taught viewers how to transform humble ingredients – including fish fingers, fruit skins and leftover cauliflower – into more glamorous dishes.   

Even Nigella herself, who recently denied she’s a domestic goddess, appeared hesistant about the Indian dish, tweeting after the show aired at 8pm: ‘I hope I didn’t traumatise you too much with the banana skins (I promise you the curry is divine).’  

MORE LOW AND NO ALCOHOL OPTIONS 

Non-alcoholic options will continue to grow, says Kricket’s Head of Beverage Will Rogers. 

‘Brought over from the US, these low-calorie spiked sodas are hitting the supermarket shelves with full force’. New Kantar data reveals that take-home sales of the fledgling category are up 176 per cent year on year.

LESS MEAT AND MORE SUSTAINABLE MEAT FROM OLDER ANIMALS

Will Bowlby, Chef Patron of modern Indian restaurant group Kricket, told FEMAIL: ‘veganism will continue to rise as people become more aware of their diets.

‘Hopefully the attitude towards eating better quality meat less often, with some butchers such as Ian Warren from Cornwall’s Philip Warren Butchers even using this tagline.’ 

Meanwhile, Chef Brad Carter of Michelin-starred Carters of Moseley says ‘more and more chefs and restaurants are choosing the older, more sustainable animals for their menus. 

‘We have always championed ex-dairy cows at our Birmingham restaurant but right now I am particularly enjoying Cull Yaw, Cornish farmer Matt Chatfield’s sublime mutton. 

‘He takes mothering sheep at retirement age (6 years plus), which are due for the abattoir, and grazes them on both forested and open pasture for around 10 months. Top restaurants like Oklava, Bao and Ikoyi are using his meat’. 

Mutton is clearly having a moment with The Grocer reporting that sales of the meat at Farmison & Co are up 465 per cent.   

Will Rogers added that ‘brands that champion zero or negative carbon footprints are gaining traction (and rightly so!). 

‘It’s a focus for many small drinks brands and restaurants but it’s good to see that the likes of Diageo have a target of net zero carbon emission by 2030. 

‘BrewDog is even making a shift to being carbon negative, a decision that I anticipate being increasingly popular amongst consumers’.

NO MORE MEAL TIMES 

Working from home means dropping formal mealtimes, or even eating one big meal a day – known as dunchfast (breakfast, lunch and dinner). 

With the kitchen next to the desk, food is easy pickings, meaning many will wait until mid morning to have breakfast, while having lunch in the evening. 

POSH WAFFLES 

#waffle has shot past other treats on Instagram, gaining five million likes on Instagram – YBF say it’s said to become 2021’s banana bread·

BOTTARGA 

Nigella Lawson took the world by a storm this year with her new book Eat, Cook, Repeat.

An ingredient that features heavily in the cookbook and packs an umami punch to any dish is Bottarga, aka salted, cured fish roe.

Italian fine foods purveyor, Vallebona, who supply the likes of Michelin-starred Le Gavroche and Trinity, sell this delicacy.

Their Bottarga is made by a Sardinian family who are the only one on the island still using ancient methods to salt, press and air dry the fish.

Stefano Vallebona’s favourite way to use it is simply grated over spaghetti

PINK PROSECCO

Britain’s first ever rose prosecco is arrived in the UK in October, withSainsbury’s and Aldi  stocking their own brand’s of Prosecco rosé and PINK Prosecco, one of the first producers of the new fizz, have had to create a waiting list for customers amid high demand. 

BACKING BRITISH  

‘The appetite among the British public to support homegrown produce is on the rise’ Two Michelin-starred Chef Mark Birchall, told FEMAIL. 

‘Our Moor Hall gin, made in partnership with Lancashire distillery Goosnargh, has been a sell-out success. Loyal customers want to support our restaurant along with another local business whilst enjoying a drink at home.’ 

The Waitrose 2021 Food & Drink Report states that on UK wide social media, searches for ‘buy local’ are up 39 per cent whilst ‘local shops’ are up 179 per cent. .

EGGS – BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT 

With most people working from home, breakfast is getting the attention it deserves, and experimentation is on the agenda. I

In the Whole Foods 2021 Food Trends Report sous vide egg bites were listed as a trend. 

The ‘tornado omelette’ TikTok trend that involves twisting a whisked egg mixture into a camera-ready ‘whipped’ tower has contributed to a spike in egg sales, according to Waitrose. 

The supermarket’s annual Food & Drink report reveals how sales in eggs jumped 22 per cent this year – a dramatic increase from the three per cent annual increase it has witnessed since 2016.