Food and Drinks Trends to Watch in 2017
With a huge push towards sustainability, embracing exotic cuisines and introducing vegetables to more areas of our plates than ever before, the trends of 2017 are shaping up to revolutionise the food and drinks industry.
Our interest in food, what we’re putting into our bodies and how it can affect us has soared up to 900% over the past four years according to Google. And rather than focusing on what we eat, we’re becoming increasingly conscious of what also goes to waste.
From our own personal health to that of our planet, we’ve rounded up the top four food and drinks trends you’ll want to be a part of in 2017, along with some of the smaller trends to keep your eye on.
Food For Thought
The UK wastes more than 12 million tonnes of food per year, 42% of which is down to household waste alone. Using initiative and imagination the trend to blend aims to turn this around in 2017. Instead of binning, turn fruit and veg on the brink into cold press juices and smoothies: it saves buying them in bottles and you can trust that the only ingredients in your glass are what you’ve put in. You can also freeze your blended creations into iced treats for a healthy snack. And while you’re at it, have a go at recycling ‘useless’ vegetable stems such as cauliflower by cooking and blending them into healthy rice bases.
Give Way to Grain
Avocado, kale and courgetti were just the tip of the trend pile in 2016. As more of us embrace vegetarian and vegan lifestyles and make a conscious effort to get our greens, grain and plant based options will continue rise, replacing traditional meat dishes. Chickpeas, corn, legumes and fungi will appear at the top of our menus, bringing more depth and fuller flavours as alternatives to meaty menus. With trends such as #MeatFreeMonday already on the rise, this popular trend is set to get even bigger as more of us look to embrace healthier alternatives for satisfying foods.
The Great Vegetable Takeover
Aubergine and courgettes are redefining carbohydrates, replacing everything from burger buns and bread to chips and crisps, there’s little these versatile veggies can’t be turned into. Even yogurts are due to get a vegetable revamp, with carrot, beetroot and butternut squash flavours already starting to make the leap onto supermarket shelves.
Mixed cuisines
As new and different cultures continue to fuse together, 2017 will see the exploration continue which will inspire the way we dine. Dosha dining is becoming an increasingly popular Indian style that encourages people to be embrace foods that are proactive in obtaining a healthy body, improving energy and stamina.
We’ll also enjoy a rise in the use of exotic herbs and fresh flowers such as cardamom, orange blossom, pistachio and pomegranate. Flavours inspired by heritage and culture, designed to delight our taste buds.
Other trends we’re looking forward to:
Infused water
Bottled water is about to get a taste-over. In 2017 the nations favourite flavour – coconut water, is set to be joined by potassium packed watermelon and vitamin heavyweight cactus flavours.
Going Goat
For those who aren’t quite ready to make the full meat to veggie switch, goat is predicted to be the next big thing. Low in fat, high in protein and containing more iron than beef, pork and lamb it’s hard to find fault with this versatile meat. Look out for it making its way onto supermarket shelves throughout 2017.
The New Sashimi
It may sound like sushi but Hawaiian Poke is the new go-to that will be sidelining any competition in 2017. Combining raw cubes of fish with a soy dressing that can be intertwined with a huge range of different rice and garnish bases, it’s already more than just a phase. This fish dish is firmly established in the USA and will be crossing the waters to take the UK by storm in the coming year.
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