News and Trends

Sweet-blends, spices and more, savory flavors continue to innovate across food and drink segments. Below is our round up of 5 Trends to Watch in Savory for 2024. Check out our 5 Trends to Watch in 2024 featuring Savory:      1. Discovering Umami. One of the five basic tastes, umami is described as savory and is characteristic of broths and cooked meats. This year, expect to see dishes that include umami-rich ingredients like miso, seaweed, mushrooms and fermented soy products. These umami booster ingredients will be used to elevate sauces, broths and seasonings.      2. Bold Flavors. In 2024, bold and smoky flavors will be trending. The sweet and spicy flavor profile will be elevated this year with combinations like sweet and bitter, sour and umami, and spicy and sour, but bold flavor will remain the key focus for consumers.       3. Savory Adventures. African spices like tangy berbere, chakalaka and iru, fermented locust beans, to take ...

Source: Higgidy Bakery brands have rolled out their latest savoury creations including pastries, rolls, pies, quiches, tarts and pizza. Retail brands and foodservice operators have developed products tapping trends in savoury tastes, from smoky flavours to Mediterranean-inspired recipes. And don’t forget you can also browse back through our  previous round-up of savoury NPD , as well as the selections of  sweet treats that brightened up the summer season .   Source: Ginsters Trio of Pastries, Ginsters Savoury pastry specialist Ginsters said its research demonstrated a rise of between 17% and 22% in Mexican and Modern British flavour profiles, inspiring three additions to its food-to-go product range. The BBQ Hunters Chicken Slice (rsp £1.95/170g) has chicken, streaky bacon, smoky BBQ sauce, and West Country cheese, wrapped in light puff pastry. The Smoky Beef Chilli Pasty (rsp £1.95/180g) features beef, potato, black turtle beans, kidney beans, onion, tomato, re...

If you've always found traditional hot cross buns to be a little too sweet for your liking, you're in luck - Marks & Spencer has unveiled a savoury take on the traditional Easter treat that packs a fiery punch. M&S's new Chilli & Cheese Hot Cross Buns are made from West Country Farmhouse cheddar, caramelised and dried fried onions, dried red and green jalapeno and chipotle chillies with Worcester and red pepper sauces. With a 2-chilli rating, this is definitely one for those who like a bit of spice to their food. Just like a typical hot cross bun, M&S recommend enjoying this one toasted and buttered. You can also push the boat out and add cheese, or turn it into a savoury extravaganza by adding other brunch classics like bacon, fried egg and avocado. A four-pack of the Chilli & Cheese Hot Cross Buns will set you back £1.50, or you can buy two packs for £2.50. And in case savoury hot cross buns aren't your thi...

Hertfordshire-based Funnybones Foodservice has launched savoury churros. The mini savoury churros are made of choux pastry with a crispy outer shell and will be available in two flavours - melted Manchego Cheese and spicy Chorizo. Inspired by the popular deep-fried Mexican snack, consumers can serve them with a spicy tomato dip, said the company. “Churros are one of those irresistible treats and our sweet versions, which include plain and mini chocolate filled churros, are extremely popular,” said Tom Styman-Heighton, development chef at Funnybones Foodservice. The churros are fully cooked before frozen, so require reheating for a few minutes before serving, said the company. Consumers can cook from frozen, either in the deep fryer or the oven. “Now, we’ve used the same traditional techniques to create savoury varieties and are launching Manchego and chorizo versions of these snacks,” added Styman-Heighton. “We’ve chosen to use smoky, spicy chorizo...

Zero waste restaurants Silo in Hackney claims to be the world’s first zero waste restaurant Last year saw the rise of the closed-loop cocktail, with bartenders like Duck & Waffle’s Rich Woods and Dandelyan’s Ryan Chetiyawardana making use of ingredients most chefs and bartenders would throw away, from avocado stones and burnt toast to lemon husks. Cub champions closed-loop cocktails This year chefs will be following their zero waste lead in a movement pioneered in the UK by Doug McMaster, head chef of Silo in Hackney, which markets itself as the world’s first zero waste restaurant that operates with a “pre industrial food system”. At Silo nothing goes in the bin – food waste is turned into compost – and many of the ingredients, from the bread and butter to the oat milk and beer, are made on site. Even the furniture is made from recycled materials and the crockery from crushed wine bottles. Ryan Chetiyawardana has adopted a similar phi...

Bakery product developers have had a busy year, as they look to create on-trend, tasty products that can outsell the competition.  Here British Baker reveals its top picks of retail bakery NPD from 2019: Greggs – Vegan Sausage Roll Vegan products have dominated new launches this year, but none have been as iconic as the Greggs vegan sausage roll. Launched for Veganuary 2019, it features a light and crisp puff pastry with a bespoke Quorn filling and is priced from just £1 – in line with Greggs’ traditional sausage roll. For proof of its success, look no further than Greggs’ profits this year – which the retailer said were boosted by the vegan sausage roll – as well as the flurry of vegan sausage rolls from other suppliers that followed throughout the year. Mr Kipling – Signature Collection Mr Kipling went posh in 2019 as owner Premier Foods looked to boost category value and its own sales with the Signature Collection. The range ...