12 festive food trends to try this Christmas
Bougie butter, bows and the return of vol-au-vents – discover a dozen food trends you’ll be racing to try (and rave about) this festive season...
2. Food trees
The food tree is a fast, joyful way to feed a crowd. Pile crisps, doughnuts, slices of Melba toast or Champagne coupes into tapering towers in the name of Christmas.
3. Surf and turf
Even roast superfans need a break from the gravy boat sometimes. Enter the Aussie-inspired festive platter: a juicy steak alongside prawns, lobster and/or scallops. Legendary.
4. Pies
The small-plate era is fading and posh pies are everywhere. In Leeds, Finer Pleasures hosts pie-led supper clubs. Meanwhile, the celeriac and mushroom pies at The Halfway at Kineton in the Cotswolds have critics (and us) swooning.
6. Bow-nanza
A fashion and interiors favourite, the bow is a playful, creative and wallet-friendly way to deck your halls, trees and plates. Fans on TikTok are tying ribbons around candlesticks, looping hot candied lemon peel and even curling cucumber.
7. Fancy butter
Butter is big right now. Think radish ‘terrines’ – buttery slabs flecked with jewel-bright slices of the pink veg. Alternatively, spoon softened butter into different-shaped silicone ice trays and pop out edible gems to dress your table (or toast).
9. Vol-au-vents
Retromania is here, and the vol-au-vent is back to amuse our bouches – not just for the nostalgia, but also for the joy of bitesized brilliance. Bring yours into the 21st century with confit duck leg and sweet onion or spicy crab and lime à la Anna Frazer (see chefannafrazer on Instagram).
10. Mini martinis
The martini’s only flaw? One too many and it’s game over. The fix: shrink it! From Manchester’s Blinker Bar, with its lemon-oil mini martinis, to east London’s Tayēr + Elementary, whose ‘one-sip martini’ is served with a giant blue-cheese-stuffed olive, the whole country’s into it.
11. Italian everything
The iconic ‘tiramisu drawer’ at Onda Pasta Bar in Manchester has sent dessert-lovers into a daze, while limoncello’s having a moment, too, which stars in our new Limoncello Fizz Panettone. The festive dessert line-up is going Italiano...
More Christmas inspiration
More Christmas inspiration
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