5 Lockdown Kitchen Trends
There has been a lot more cooking and baking going on in Britain's kitchens since March, with some unusual trends springing up, according to online search data. We crunched the numbers and came up with five food favourites of lockdown. And yes, they include cheese scones and banana bread...
Quick, easy, sweet or savoury and satisfying to eat.... it's no wonder scones have experienced a revival. The term 'scones recipe' has been searched for four times as much in the past two months than in the last two years. It doesn't settle whether the cream should be added before the jam or vice versa, so we'll leave that one to you
COOK'S TIP
Scones are best eaten on the day they are made. If you want to bake ahead, freeze them when completely cool, then defrost and warm before serving
MORE SWEET SUGGESTIONS
While a classic scone is hard to beat, there are lots more recipes for a change once in a while
GO SAVOURY
Cheese scones served warm slathered with butter makes a heavenly breakfast or lunch, but why stop there? Our potato scones are great with smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for brunch, or for a Mediterranean twist, include olives and sundried tomatoes and serve with salad
Pancakes are normally saved for an indulgent weekend treat or enjoyed just once a year on Shrove Tuesday, but with more of us at home and no commutes to contend with, it seems every day is pancake day! Pancake recipes have been searched for over half a million times in the past two months – that’s 200,000 more times than in the past two years
Thin and traditional
Thick and fluffy
Vegan pancakes
Make your pancakes vegan by simply replacing milk with a dairy-free alternative and cook in oil instead of butter
Dairy and gluten-free pancakes
These easy pancakes use gluten-free flour and almond milk, and taste delicious topped with fresh berries
A winning way to use up ripe bananas that are past their best, banana bread is a pretty popular bake to make all year round. But in March and April alone, ‘banana bread recipes’ was entered into Google over one million times! It’s all gone bananas…
Banana muesli morning loaf
Our most popular banana bread recipe this year includes walnuts and muesli, has no added refined sugar and is sweetened using just fruit and honey. It freezes well, either whole or in slices
Banana and peanut butter cake
They work together on toast, and they’re even better mixed into a banana loaf. Topped with a creamy peanut butter icing, this banana bread is less acceptable for breakfast but makes the ideal afternoon treat
COOK'S TIPS
- For the best flavour, use bananas that have lots of black spots (and definitely no green patches). This means they will be easy to mash and have the ripest, sweetest flavour
- Mash the bananas to whatever consistency you like, simply in a bowl with a fork. Go super smooth, or leave some pieces chunky so you have a difference in texture in your finished loaf
- Play around with different flavour combinations. Sprinkle in a warming spice like cinnamon or add in a handful of chocolate chips, raisins, or any chopped nuts you like: pecans, peanuts and walnuts would all work well
Creamy carbonara, spaghetti Bolognese, comforting pasta bakes… many of us can’t get enough of pasta in our average weekly meals, and during lockdown, we’re still super keen on this Italian staple. The trend for making pasta from scratch has rocketed too – you can find a link to how to make fresh pasta below
