2015 Food Trend Predictions From Top UK Chefs
This year has been packed as full as a Joey Tribbiani sandwich. We’ve seen a host of world cuisine explode onto the scene via street food markets, pop ups and new restaurants. Street food no longer means dirty kebabs and street-side soggy chips, but Korean bibimbap, barbecue pulled pork and craft ales and ciders. The food scene has seen many changes this year. It begs the question: what’s in store for 2015?
We’ve asked some insightful chefs from across the UK dining scene to make their predictions.
“For 2015 it is definitely time to go back to the classic, eclectic, old school methods – food with gourmand flavour. As the great Richard Corrigan said this year: “they’re going to have to dig a very big hole to get rid of all the weird plates and the tweezers”. I feel people would like to eat more naturally without the scientific flurry, which works to our benefit here at Sixtyone, as the majority of the team were trained in the kitchens of the old school greats.”
Arnaud Stevens: chef patron at Sixtyone, London
“I think Korean fusion will continue to grow in popularity and I’d like to see ramen and more broths as part of the street food offering. With evermore traders in 2014 selling twists on Central American and Mexican cuisine, I think the time is right for South American dishes to shine – not only for their intense flavours but the inviting colours and freshness of their dishes. Cachapas (sweetcorn dough pancakes) and arepas (ground maize fried flatbread) from South America, mainly Venezuela and Colombia, are both tasty hand-held snacks that can be filled with almost anything, and of course, the increasingly popular dish of ceviche (citrus cooked fish and/or seafood) are perfect examples of South American dishes that are ideal for street food.
Can North American food ever be knocked off its perch? The UK’s obsession with burgers never seems to waiver but I think maybe ‘pulled pork’ may just be a little over done and let’s hope people can come up with a more original idea than ‘pulled chicken’. Roll on 2015… Let’s eat!”
Andy Bates: TV chef from Food Network Show Street Feasts and contributor to Kenwood’s Around the World in 80 Dishes.
“I think we’re really starting to address food waste. I’m involved in the ‘Clear A Plate’ campaign at the moment which aims to raise awareness about the amount of food we waste. I also think people are being more demanding than ever about the provenance of their food.”
Jimmy Doherty: Jimmy’s Farm
"Fish and chips will be a big trend in 2015 with British very much on the menu. Healthy street food is also growing in popularity as the focus on health and nutrition grows in people's minds. Craft beers have been huge in 2014 and the continuing focus on micro-breweries looks set to continue too, with more emphasis on drinking local as well as international beers. I'd like to see a rise of amazing service with product knowledge in front of house becoming more vital as people are seeking more information than ever about provenance and ingredients when they eat out."
Josh Eggleton: head chef at Michelin-starred Pony & Trap, Somerset
“What I’ve noticed springing up in the capital is a real emphasis on smoked meats. Smoking your own meat and outdoor dining are going to be hot trends in 2015 I think. We’ve already bought ourselves a barbecue to make the most of next year.”
John Calton: Masterchef finalist and head chef at The Staith House
“Having just returned from New York and seen what’s going on out there, I believe that in 2015 we will continue to see a more relaxed form of fine dining; there will be less focus on starched napkins and more focus on the product that is going on the plate. The trend for farm to fork with a direct link to the producers and growers seems to be going from strength to strength. Lots of the top chefs are setting up their own gardens and farms to supply their restaurants with the 'X factor' that many traditional suppliers are just not up to delivering. I also think that although dinning trends are tending to be more relaxed and less formal, there will be a resurgence of restaurant 'theatre'. Chefs will be looking for innovative ways to finish dishes in the dining room, and we will see the chefs themselves delivering and introducing the dishes to the clients at the table.”
Andrew Jones: head chef Chamberlain’s, London
“People are starting to grow more of their own vegetables, and there will definitely be more of it going on over the next three to five years or so if you ask me.”
Tom Kerridge: head chef at The Hand and Flowers
