Everything you need to know about this year’s Christmas food trends
If you haven’t already decided what you’ll be serving this Christmas, prepare to be inspired by 2023’s hottest festive dishes and ingredients.
New festive food trends emerge every winter, with shelves at supermarkets and grocery shops never looking the same two years in a row. But how do brands and shops find trends and pick the products they’re going to sell – and what can we expect this year?
Forecasting trends
As a nation, we like to get organised early for Christmas. Here at BBC Food, our classic Christmas cake by Mary Berry has been one of our most viewed recipes every week since the beginning of October.
Data from Ocado suggests that we’ve been thinking about the festivities even earlier than usual this year. “Early site searches for pigs in blankets were up 12% [from September to mid-October] compared to last year, while Christmas pudding increased [by] a huge 400%.”
There are some people who start planning for Christmas even before forward-thinking home cooks though: the product development teams at supermarkets and food brands.
“We start planning our Christmas food range typically over a year before each festive season,” says Kevin Sargent, senior product developer for Co-op. “The planning process is already well underway for 2024.
“We gather insights by looking at historical data and market research from the festive period and throughout the year. We also spend time looking into the performance of our products, to help identify which lines are loved by our customers. We keep a keen eye on culinary innovation too, both locally and globally, to provide ideas and inspiration for new and trendy Christmas dishes.
“It’s important to keep a finger on the pulse for emerging food trends and listen to what people are sharing and talking about across the media and social media. Paying attention to these conversations can help in anticipating shifts in Christmas food trends.”
Here are the foods and themes that the pros are tipping for big things at the festive table this year.
Retro favourites
“Much of the nation is looking forward to a traditional Christmas with lots of nostalgic influences. Dishes such as prawn cocktails and trifles are due to be on many tables,” says a spokesperson from Tesco.
Jonathan Moore, Asda’s senior director of food trends and innovation, also highlights how retro flavours are going to be big this year, tipping the supermarket’s new festive vol-au-vents and black forest themed desserts for big success. These dishes are “expected to be prominent on this year’s Christmas dinner table, as customers take comfort in looking back fondly at times gone by – even if it’s before they were born,” says Moore.
Gail Paddy, Morrisons’ own-brand director, agrees. “Customers are looking for cues to reminisce of good times,” she says, highlighting that black forest will be a key flavour for them too, as will chocolate orange.
Turkey alternatives
“Alternative centrepieces are becoming more popular each year,” says Moore. “Customers find freedom in eating what they want at Christmas and not feel they must stick to traditions. Whether that’s pork belly, porchetta, beef sirloin, vegan mushroom wellington or even taking certain types of fish that you can treat like meat.”
This is backed up by research conducted by YouGov in 2021 which showed that just 30% of people thought it was important to eat turkey at Christmas.
That said, the turkey does still reign supreme on our festive tables, it seems.
Tesco conducted research to find out what we’ll all be serving up this C-Day and says, “There’s a resurgence of more meat on the menu as almost four out of five (79%) of dinner tables will include meat as the centrepiece, up from 74% last year. Turkey came out as the top centrepiece (48%), with chicken (11%), roast beef (6%), lamb (4%) and steak (2%) also set to grace Christmas dinner plates this year.”
Meat-free festivities
While many households will be going for a meaty centrepiece, vegetarian and vegan options are continuing to grow ever-more popular: “14% are planning to serve vegetarian dishes and 6% [will be] serving vegan meals,” says Tesco.
An Aldi spokesperson explained to us the brand anticipates a 30% year-on-year sales increase for its vegan and vegetarian Christmas selection, as “shoppers are looking for a combination of both vegetable-based products as well as meat alternatives.”
Bursting with festive colours, flavours and aromas, this vegan Christmas dinner centrepiece is a real showstopper.
Ocado’s data backs that up. “Early indications suggest interest in vegan and vegetarian festive options will continue to rise this year, as site searches for ‘vegetarian Christmas’ /between September and mid-October were up over 36% vs last year.”
To meet the anticipated demand, many supermarkets are opting for like-for-like meat replacements – with everything from vegan turkey to vegetarian gammon and pigs in blankets available.
Modern twists
“We’ve seen a growing trend for playful twists on the classics, and this is something that we expect to influence what people will be buying and cooking at Christmas. This has come through in the recipes people have been searching for on site, as well as the products they are getting excited about,” explains Ocado, which has found mint chocolate to be a particularly popular flavour so far this Christmas.
Mint chocolate is going to be a key flavour it seems and these cupcakes are full of festive charm.
“We test flavours with our customers and get feedback that they love twists on traditional classics,” explains Sainsbury’s. It’s this testing that has seen them focus on a key flavour of sticky toffee this year, which you’ll notice crop up in lots of festive products. Waitrose, meanwhile, has spotted an “old fashioned cocktail trend,” meaning it’ll be selling dishes such as Christmas puddings and smoked salmon that have hints of cocktail-themed flavours.
It’s not just Christmas fare which is getting a makeover – regular food items are being given a festive twist too. This year, Christmas pudding flavour is being applied to everything from ice cream to cocktails. Even crisps flavoured like figgy pudding are landing on shelves.
Likewise, turkey and stuffing flavoured products are also popular – especially when it comes to crisps.
Picky bits
Tesco predicts an increase of 44% in party food sales this year, which might well be because the way we socialise over food is changing – as well as the fact that finger food has seen a boom in popularity over the last year.
“Following the viral ‘girl dinner’ trend that was circulating across social media, we recognise customers are entertaining in a much more casual way, with one out of 10 people that took our cooking report survey saying they like to serve buffet-style food to guests,” says Waitrose.
This is echoed by the other supermarkets too, with both Sainsbury’s and Co-op describing their party food as “picky bits.”
Shop-bought flatbreads can easily be transformed into party food.
While classic mozzarella sticks and garlic mushrooms will still be popular, there’s a decidedly international theme coming through in buffet nibbles. “A growing number of customers are starting to look for clean, light, fresh flavours to combat the traditional, heavier flavours of Christmas,” says Moore.
“The M&S party food range is full of international flavours,” explains Ocado, while Aldi adds it has seen a significant increase in the demand for quick and accessible party food, in particular, Asian-inspired bites.”
Insta-ready desserts
“In a social media world, while taste, flavour and quality come first, if you’re wanting to make an impact with guests then it’s never been more important to ensure centrepieces and showstopper desserts are visually appealing and bring theatre to the table,” says Moore.
The experts predict that people will want to serve a dessert (alongside or instead of Christmas pudding) that has the wow factor.
“There’s a fun and playful trend, particularly in the realm of cakes and desserts, involving bright, colourful finishes and decorations that bring a pop of colour to Christmas celebrations,” says Sargent.
Paddy adds that some of Morrisons’ sweet treats take on “traditional characters and shapes, like reindeers, stars, snowflakes and Christmas trees.”
So why is this so important? “Our previous research has shown that almost half (48%) of Gen Z do not like Christmas pudding and instead favour flavours such as chocolate and salted caramel,” says Sargent. When you consider this group are also frequently on social media, the two factors are combining and now many want a bright and exciting finish to a meal.”
Let us know what food trend you’re keen to embrace this Christmas...
