There are seasonal shifts in menu planning every year. Naturally and instinctively people want more filling and comforting food in the colder months, while we often opt for lighter options as the weather warms up. This ties in with seasonal food availability too – from warming and hearty root vegetables in the autumn to fresh spring berries and greens.
This year, we’re seeing a trend for escapist, global inspired dishes, many of which are visually striking and attention grabbing as they are delivered to the table. There’s also been a rise in sensory and textural dishes combining layers, flavours and textures.
A fun trend is linking flavours with colours to combine taste and visual appeal, especially in desserts. Think pistachio and matcha green ice creams and cheesecakes, lavender flavoured and coloured biscuits and creams, blood orange and cherry red accents. Botanical flavours like mint and rose are becoming more popular in desserts this year, while classic fruits like berries, lemon, mango and passion fruit continue to be crowd pleasers.
Expect to see colours pulling through to bright and tangy salads too, with seasonal veg and grains the star of the show. Health conscious consumers are driving demand for functional dishes, with social media led trends like fibremaxxing encouraging more of us to opt for dishes featuring beans, grains and whole foods. The focus on protein and gut health means we are expecting more healthy proteins rich dishes and fermented food to feature heavily on menus.
Sharing dishes come into their own in the summer – whether it’s dining outside or on long tables. Think family style communal platters, ambient small plates made for sharing or topped and loaded dishes which taste best when you buy more than one and pass around the table.
We’re seeing unexpected flavour combinations rising in popularity this summer. Fricy – fruity and spicy – flavours are making dishes both sweet and savoury more exciting, as are zingy ingredients like hot pickles, chilli and citrus.