The SousVideTools.com Guide to 2019 Foodie Trends | The Tool Shed

The SousVideTools.com Guide to 2019 Foodie Trends

A new year brings with it new trends in the world of food and drink, whether it’s new ingredients, new ways of cooking, or attempts to reduce the amount of waste that we produce in the kitchen and 2019 is no different.

Here are just some of the trends that we expect to see throughout 2019, both in the top restaurants and home kitchens alike.

Fermentation

Fermented food and drink have really taken off as people take more notice of the positive effect it can have on our digestive health, although the process itself has been in use for thousands of years.

The likes of alcohol and some yoghurts are produced through fermentation, but recently we’re seeing supermarket shelves filled with the likes of kefir (a fermented milk drink) and kombucha (a fermented tea), both of which can be made at home.

In particular, we’re seeing a rise in lacto fermentation, as well as pickling, preserves food buy being anaerobically fermented in brine.

No Waste Cooking

In an effort to help the environment, more and more chefs are looking to get as much use out of their ingredients as possible and minimise waste.

This means using every part of each piece of meat or fruit and veg and finding a use for that which would previously have just gone straight to the bin.

It’s also being embraced by retailers, with more misshapen fruit and veg being left on the shelves, and brands, such as Carlsberg glueing their cans together to avoid using plastic rings.

Mexican/Middle Eastern Cuisine

While we’re all pretty familiar with the likes of burritos and tacos, UK foodies are starting to dive deeper into Mexican flavours and ingredients such as jalapeños, with the rise of street food vendors and restaurants such as Wahaca and supermarkets offering their own Mexican ‘street food’ ranges.

Middle Eastern cuisine is also on the up as foodies become more familiar with the region’s colourful and healthy dishes such as shakshuka.

Rum

In the world of alcohol, rum is definitely the on-trend spirit, particularly with millennials. Sales of all types of the dark spirit have been on the up, whether it be classic variations from the Caribbean or English rums and the growing movement of craft rums.

One of the reasons for rum’s moment in the sun is just how many ways it can be enjoyed, whether it’s a dark, white, sweet, over ice, with coke or in a cocktail, with more and more flavours hitting the market.

Nut Butter

Sales in nut butter have boomed in the last year, in large part due to their natural image and high content of protein, fibre and essential fatty acids.

While peanut butter has always been a favourite, brands are starting to offer more varieties of butter, such as almond, cashew, coconut and Brazil nuts.

CBD

While still slightly controversial here in Europe, the trend for cooking with cannabis (or more specifically, cannabidiol).

Cannabidiol (or CBD as it’s more commonly known), is being hailed as the next big wellness trend and while it is extracted from the cannabis plant, it’s different to the psychoactive THC found in marijuana.

It’s mainly being infused with coffee, beer and water at the moment but we could start to see it being used more and more in the UK in future.

Scandinavian Foraging

Encouraged by celebrity chefs such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and following in the footsteps of those in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, more foodies are looking for unusual wild fruits and mushrooms out in the wild.

Such ingredients are also finding their way into high-end restaurants and also cocktail bars, where they’re often used as garnish.

Seaweed

The foraging trend has also seen a resurgence in the popularity of seaweed. The ingredient has been eaten since ancient times but took off in the UK around the 1990s when we were introduced to sushi.

In more recent times, we’ve seen a rise in native seaweed consumption as it’s started to be marketed as a health snack in supermarkets with people also finding their own off the UK’s shores.

These are just some of the foodie trends we expect to see in 2019 across restaurants, shops and of course, our own kitchens but we’re sure to see plenty more come and go as the year progresses.

Post by Chris Holland

Our Chef Director Chris Holland worked as Head Chef at the prestigious Alderley Edge hotel before joining us. He has a passion for using the best produce and never compromises on quality. Author of our best selling book Sous Vide The Art of Precision Cooking, Chris is a expert on the sous vide technique.During the later part of my school days at Wardle High School Rochdale I always wanted to be a chef . I knew from the very start that my path to work was never going to be academic it was always going to be something practical and hands on.

As a young boy growing up I was inspired to cook with my Grandma who was and still is an inspiration to me . I have memories of helping make the cakes that she always had made for visitors and family alike . She made the most amazing cakes and I loved nothing more than eating the sweet raw cake batter straight from the bowl . We used to fight over who got to lick the bowl/spoon after the cakes were made. My grandma’s philosophy for cooking even on a shoe string budget was always to use fresh and seasonal ingredients either home grown or bought from the market.

School was somewhat of a drag for me as I was itching to learn to become a chef.

I started at Hopwood Hall college as a chef and instantly fell in love with it .To me it was the only real time I excelled in something and this inspired me to really get my head down and put in the hard work. College was the first time I really excelled in something and gave me the opportunity to laugh at the teachers who said I would never make something of my life!!!!

During the three years at college I also took on a part time position in a local hotel working the bar and restaurant first and then the kitchen. These were great days and gave me the opportunity to see how the industry ticks. I learnt a lot from those days both good and bad !! But I have to say I was itching to work only in the kitchen but it was a good insight into the catering world .

After completing college I moved away from Rochdale for a full time roll at one of Cheshire’s most talked about Hotel restaurants The Stanneylands Hotel. This was the school of hard knocks for me as I quickly realised that although excelling at college meant nothing in “The Real World”.

I loved every minute of the 18 hour days 6 days a week on minimum wage . Although difficult I feel that without this grounding I wouldn’t have achieved what I have today. After 18 months of hard graft I left Stanneylands and went with the Head chef to open a fine dining restaurant at Mere Golf and Country Club. The opportunity to work alongside Matthew Barrett was too good to turn down. I learnt so much from the ex-Ritz chef and working in a much slower paced role helped me develop a much better understanding of how to organise and run a kitchen. We were a very small team and teamwork was and still is the only way to go for me.

After 2 years at Mere I got the opportunity to go into The Alderley Edge Hotel as Junior Souschef. The Early days at the Edge were all about learning new styles of cuising which is invaluable in any role as a chef. I got the opportunity to grow and learn all aspects of every section which was inspiring . I was offered the opportunity at the age of 29 (2004) to take the role of head chef. For me this was when I really started to develop my own style of food.

After 9 years at the top winning Cheshire restaurant of the year , Chef of the Year and appearing on GBM amongst many highlights including cooking for many celebrities and famous people I decided to move on into development with Sousvidetools.

The main inspiration for this was to train and educate people . I always had a great passion for education but could never really see myself at a college . The job is super rewarding and I am proud to say we have become the leading light in sous-vide education in the UK . This is something I am very proud of . Food is my biggest passion and this is what keeps me interested the most . I love to travel and try out other countries cuisines. I am constantly inspired by ingredients and the pursuit of getting the best out of them without destroying their natural flavour .It is super important to me to continue to try and be at the forefront of the food scene this is what inspire me and the team to keep driving forward .

Technology is now widely used in the industry and I am super proud to say we have been a big part of spreading that message.

I am very lucky to be in the position I am and the drive to constantly improve our training and links to the next generation of young budding hospitality chefs.

TI feel that my experience over the last 25 years really enables me to get close and educate the “next generation” of chefs .

The industry which I love is really struggling to bring through new recruits and if I can help that process I will be immensely proud.

The food seen in the Uk has improved dramatically over the last ten years and I feel this will continue with the correct education. What happens next only fate will tell us...

...