Waitrose predicts the 5 biggest food and drink trends for 2019

The New Year is fast approaching, and with it brings a number of new food and drink trends .

In 2018 we’ve seen ‘bleeding’ vegan burgers, crossushi and orange wine take over the London food and drink scene – but what can we expect 2019 to bring to the table?

According to Waitrose’s new food and drink report, next year we can expect to be more mindful of our wellness and environment when it comes to how we shop and eat.

This is Waitrose’ sixth annual food and drink report and is based on OnePoll consumer research of people across Britain – not just Waitrose shoppers.

Below are the top five food and drink trends set to become big in 2019.

Bitter food

After a summer filled with bitter cocktails like Aperol Spritz and Negorinis, Waitrose predict bitter tasting food and drink items will have their moment in 2019. Think black coffee, dark chocolate, char-grilled meats and craft beers being on every dinner party menu.

Ice cream

You can thank Instagram for the long-awaited return of ice cream in 2019. A slew of new ice cream vendors and parlours have been popping up across the UK, taking influences from street food in Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Think Bubblewrap Waffle’s and ice cream ‘tacos’ creating both a visual and tasty delight.

West African food

While Brits are already sold on food from our southern continent, food from West Africa is about to become the next big thing. Expect special and spicy flavours from Ghana to Senegal and Nigeria to Mali with tangy chicken yassa and jollof rice offering delicious one-pot meal ideas.

Inventive and alcohol-free cocktails

In the UK, almost a third of 16 to 25-year-olds don’t drink alcohol which means the demand for alcohol-free cocktails is higher than ever. Waitrose predict alcohol-free ‘spirits’ will be big as will Aquafaba (chickpea water to be used for vegan foam), kitchen trimmings like fruit rind to be used in drinks to help reduce waste, kombucha will become the go-to mixer and pickled onion and beetroot will add savoury notes to cocktails.

Personalised dietary advice

Artificial intelligence is about to impact our lives in a big way, Waitrose predicts, as it will soon be able to help us improve our health and diets.

Waitrose said: “Thanks to algorithms, computer programmes, apps and voice-recognition technology we’ll soon be able to receive accurate, up-to-date and tailored advice on how best to look after ourselves.

“We’ll be able to view personalised dietary tips and bespoke shopping lists. Access to phone-based GP services is growing in popularity, too. With NHS England publishing its code of conduct for the use of AI this year, a revolution in personalised dietary advice is on its way.”

Welcome to the future.