UK Food Trends 2022
UK Food Trends 2022
Look ahead to the New Year with HelloFresh. Using nationwide search data and insights, we're predicting the top food trends for 2022. Discover what's coming next on plates across the UK!
Look ahead to the New Year with HelloFresh. Using nationwide search data and insights, we're predicting the top food trends for 2022. Discover what's coming next on plates across the UK!
Most popular cuisines
Vegetarian or meat?
Choice of carbs
Most popular dish types
Food in 10 years
What are recipe developers saying?
Most popular cuisines
Vegetarian or meat?
Choice of carbs
Most popular dish types
Food in 10 years
What are recipe developers saying?
Brits Can't Make Their Mind Up On Traditional Dishes
Traditional British recipes were revived by households during post-pandemic life, and as such, these classic recipes remain within our top 5 dishes. However, they look set to be overtaken as cuisines such as fusion and mexican foods become some of the top climbers in our roundup below. Take a look to find out what other dishes featured.
Italian Food Is Most Popular For The Second Year Running
Summer 2021 Was Fuelled By Pasta, Pizza, and Plenty of Cheese
Overall, the summer months were the point at which Italian food was most in demand, with HelloFresh shipping a staggering 75.5% Italian dishes alone between June and August.
Our 2022 Prediction
While the classic, hearty goodness of Italian will likely remain in the nations top 5 cuisines, we're expecting to see a resurgence in demand for Fusion and Asian foods the most.
2021's UK Top 5 Favourite Cuisines
- Italian
- British
- Fusion
- Asian
- Mexican
The Food Capitals of The UK Revealed
From the capital of Fusion food in Slough, to French indulgence in Redcar & Cleveland, our data on the nation's top cuisines took an interesting tour across the country. British food scored a clear majority in Middlesborough, with 15% of customers choosing it as their cuisine of choice. The nations Italian obsession is rooted in Luton, where 23% of respondents admitted their passion for parmesan topped goodness, and Brighton residents turned the spice level up, choosing Mexican as their top dish.
The adventure doesn't stop there though - from the Zanzibarian taste sensations taking over Torbay, to the residents of North East Lincoln making Argentinian dishes their top cuisine, we really are a diverse nation when it comes to our food preferences!
How Our Plates Will Take Shape in 2022
Italian Foods Embrace Seafood For New Taste Sensations
The UK's top cuisine may be given a refresh in 2022 as searches for seafood twists have experienced a spike in search interest. Searches for 'cajun prawn pasta' are up by 140%, and 'spicy prawn pasta' searches are up by 110%.
The UK's Top Protein Choices & Total Orders For Each In 2021
2. Pork: 9,167,640
3. Beef: 7,723,156
4. Veggie: 7,243,103
5. Seafood: 2,007,554
How Our Carb Cravings Could Change
Health Conscious Foodies
Packing carbs into meals doesn't mean playing it safe, and we predict that some alternative, healthy swaps may become more common in 2022. Bulgur wheat, lentils and couscous secured a spot in the top ten roundup for 2021, but we expect these hearty, slow-release energy foods to gradually feature in our day-to-day dishes more often in 2022.
UK’s Top 10 Favourite Carbs & Order Quantity
2. Rice: 8,546,627
3. Pasta: 5,131,946
4. Noodles: 2,805,320
5. Tortilla: 1,368,749
6. Sweet Potato: 1,190,163
7. Bulgur Wheat: 926,135
8. Bread: 638,864
9. Lentils: 317,949
10. Couscous: 234,728
The UK Is As Comitted To Healthy Eating As Ever Before
Brits Will Priortise Balanced Meals Packed With Veggies in 2022
Our survey found that balanced meals remained the most popular type of dish, and our roundup of the nation's top vegetables shows how we're seeing more potential to pack goodness into our healthy dishes, by branching out on the contents.
Peppers, Green Beans and Mushrooms Will Be Key Climbers
Again, reflecting the nation's passion for fusion food, 2022 will feature a wider mixture of veggies ideal for stir frying. We're already reaching for carrot and courgette, and as cooking repertoires grow we may even look for more cuisine-specific additions. Searches for 'how to cut pak choi' are up by 110%, and this esssential Asian cooking component may be added to our shopping trolleys more frequently in 2022.
2021 UK’s Top 10 Favourite Vegetables & Total Order Quantity
1. Peppers: 6,958,406
2. Green beans: 3,332,444
3. Courgette: 2,538,587
4. Carrot: 2,212,809
5. Baby Spinach: 1,978,171
6. Aubergine: 1,703,652
7. Baby Gem Lettuce: 1,365,322
8. Tomatoes: 1,340,712
9. Mushrooms: 842,118
10. Rocket: 835,550
Brits Will Priortise Balanced Meals Packed With Veggies in 2022
Our survey found that balanced meals remained the most popular type of dish, and our roundup of the nation's top vegetables shows how we're seeing more potential to pack goodness into our healthy dishes, by branching out on the contents.
Peppers, Green Beans and Mushrooms Will Be Key Climbers
Again, reflecting the nation's passion for fusion food, 2022 will feature a wider mixture of veggies ideal for stir frying. We're already reaching for carrot and courgette, and as cooking repertoires grow we may even look for more cuisine-specific additions. Searches for 'how to cut pak choi' are up by 110%, and this esssential Asian cooking component may be added to our shopping trolleys more frequently in 2022.
2021 UK’s Top 10 Favourite Vegetables & Total Order Quantity
1. Peppers: 6,958,406
2. Green beans: 3,332,444
3. Courgette: 2,538,587
4. Carrot: 2,212,809
5. Baby Spinach: 1,978,171
6. Aubergine: 1,703,652
7. Baby Gem Lettuce: 1,365,322
8. Tomatoes: 1,340,712
9. Mushrooms: 842,118
10. Rocket: 835,550
Food in 10 years
HelloFresh has studied the approach to cooking, eating and selecting food of 1,038 respondents across the UK and reveals how the "food at home" culture is changing.
- Half of Brits have increased their home cooking frequency over the past decade, implementing a wider variety of food now than they used to. The rise of home cooking is associated with a higher interest in food and where it comes from for more than a third (37%) of those polled.
- Looking at the year ahead, Brits are committed to cooking more from scratch and introducing more fresh ingredients (43%) and vegetables (25%) into their cooking.
- Over the next 10 years, Brits are willing to explore more cuisines (44%) and are open to new and exciting offerings from food companies (36%).
What are recipe developers saying?
“It’s been really interesting in the 7 years I’ve worked at HelloFresh to see food preferences change. Veggie food used to be our least popular choice and now most of our customers enjoy a combination of meat, fish and veggie - I’m excited to see where this trend goes in the future. Our customers also seem to be much more adventurous in their food choices - traditional doesn’t cut it anymore so we are constantly challenged to create exciting food with delicious flavours which are easy and quick to cook.”
Don't be afraid to branch out in the kitchen in 2022, and give new tastes a try the easy way with HelloFresh.
Try one of our meal delivery boxes today, and take your pick from our extensive range of mouthwatering options on our menu. We've picked some of our favourites below to get you inspired!
Methodology
The Food Trends 2022 report uses internal data based on the recipe choices made by HelloFresh UK customers. Data relates to January 2020 - September 2021. Supplementary data was included to provide a wider context to UK’s food trends. Search volumes are based on the average number of searches per month for a query using data from Ahrefs. Search increases were found using data from Google Trends, with timeframes specified in the above copy.