High protein, gut friendly foods, low and no alcohol and canned cocktails are among trends that defined 2023 according to this year’s Waitrose report on food trends
2023 saw us back away from vegetable crisps, ready-made jacket potatoes, and low fat dairy products
Meanwhile smashed peas on toast was declared the new ‘avocado on toast’ with the chain having seen sales of 725g pack of frozen garden peas rise 28% this autumn.
James Bailey, Executive Director of Waitrose, said:
“This year, food inflation has changed not only how people shop, but also how they cook and eat. Price-conscious customers have been searching for the best value; switching more to own-label, buying bigger pack sizes and looking to our promotions to cushion their bills.
“They’ve been simplifying their meal choices and becoming a little less adventurous, choosing familiar foods and recipes they find comforting. Chicken Kyiv and beer battered fish are the most popular dishes in our Dine In Meal Deal.”
A third of the Food and Drink survey respondents said their regularly eating classic dishes such as shepherd’s pie and macaroni cheese.
“We’re particularly finding comfort in the humble spud: sales of potato side dishes are up 19%, with triple cooked chips and potato dauphinoise the most sought after. And we’ve also turned to more everyday frozen potato sides for contentment driving sales of Essential French Fries up 80% and Essential Crinkle Cut Chips up 34%. This year, we also rediscovered our love of the British banger – sales of our Waitrose Essential Pork Sausages (made from outdoor bred pigs) are up 34% on last year.
We even found solace in these foods during the wet summer when sales of ready made roast potatoes and yorkshire puddings were up 47% and 39% respectively.”
