Food 'n' Drink – Food and Drink news |

The top ten trends for 2012 in the food and drink industry have been predicted by food and drink towers. The 6^th annual edition of their Top Ten Trends report is published this week, and is available to everyone free of charge.

1 The first of the top trends for 2012 is the boost of regional food producers. Food and drink towers have identified that locality, authenticity and provenance will be important, 51%, or very important, 19%, to consumers. There is a close link between local produce and sustainability, as well as reducing an environmental footprint.

The respondents to the survey found these benefits important, yet despite this, the ethical consumption of such produce, including organic, is set to decline due to the cost.

2 The second trend on the list was to imbibe uplifting food and drinks that improved our moods. Many people in society suffer from depression, and this is a major area for development is so called mood food. Links between nutrition and depression are being constantly recognised, and 25% of respondents feel there was a strong potential for growth in this area, and 51% said there was potential for average growth.

The chemical serotonin that exists in the brain is believed to ease depression and promote calmness. While foods don’t actually contain serotonin, it is believed that what we eat can encourage the increased production of serotonin in our brain.

3. Packaging innovations to provide the answer
As costs are being cut across the food&drink industry supply chain, packaging will become a focus for brand owners keen to improve margins from production to market. Reducing packaging weight/size, also known as lightweighting, is not only an environmentally-friendly move, but it can result in cost savings over the long term.

4. Learning to…grow your own, bake your own, make your own
How much influence do cookery programmes such as Masterchef and Nigel Slater’s Simple Suppers have on consumer shopping habits in general? According to food&drink towers’ Ten Top Trends for 2012 Survey, 23% say they’re hugely influential, 66% believe them to be influential and just 11% say they are not influential.

5. Foraging for truffles, mushrooms, wild berries and edible mini-beasts
Courses are available nationwide teaching people how to forage, what to look for, and then turning their discoveries into three-course meals. This is the ultimate in foodie heaven for those who enjoy getting stuck in! Innocent Smoothies sent five of its team to a 12-hour foraging course in Kent recently, and foodie magazines regularly feature celebrity chef recipes including wild mushrooms, truffles and wild berries.

6. Going beyond the dinner party – at-home dining occasions become more regular
People will invest a little more time and effort (but not necessarily money) into meal times on a more regular basis to cheer themselves up, entertain and add some fun to ‘just another working week’. Original recipes and unusual ingredients will be the focus for home-cooks who will be influenced by television programmes, foodie magazines, websites, social networks such as Twitter and Facebook and Smartphone apps.

7. Dusting off the recipe books and cooking from scratch
food&drink towers forecasts 2012 will be known as ‘the year of austerity’. As a nation we’ve spent a ridiculous fortune on recipe books over the years, many of which have been left on the shelves to gather dust. In 2012, people are expected to return to their cookery books (and other resources) to get a return on their investment, get more out of their kitchen gadgets and get more creative with their cooking.

8. Food on the go gets a facelift
As impulse sales are forecast to continue to rise in 2012 (albeit not into double figures), brands must work harder for their share of the grab and go market. Convenience will remain a priority, but health is also becoming an influential factor. People are looking for quick fixes for specific lifestyle issues such as fatigue and concentration. People are also looking to top up their vitamin, mineral, antioxidant and omega-3 intake in a convenient format.

9. Megatrends…on a budget
The food&drink towers Ten Top Trends for 2012 Survey showed that health on a budget will be hugely important (47%), followed by indulgence on a budget, convenience on a budget and premium indulgence.

10. Original food and drink pairing: inspiration for the nation
Companies such as French Bubbles operate Champagne pairing events, matching bubbly with sushi, chocolate and cheese. Restaurants are showing greater interest in providing wine, beer, cocktail and spirit matches to certain items on their menus.

food&drink towers will publish its sixth annual edition of the eagerly anticipated ‘Ten Top Trends for 2012’ report on Thursday 15th December 2011, and it will be available free of charge to all members of www.foodanddrinktowers.com.

Helen Lewis, managing editor/founder of www.foodanddrinktowers.com and freelance food journalist/consultant, says: “This ‘Ten Top Trends’ report provides a timely insight into the state of the UK food and drink market and makes predictions for the year ahead. At a time when investment in NPD, marketing, branding and advertising continues to be restricted by global economic turmoil, the food&drink business must now, more than ever, carefully consider its next moves to the advantage of the shareholders, the consumers and the retailers.”

TeaJay Online Tea Shop - define your style with the tea you drink

A firm based in Yorkshireare aiming to really stir up the tea market  with the launch of their new and innovative range of green, black, fruit and herbal blends that will surely appeal to those tea drinkers who are seeking fresh and fun taste sensations.

Mrs Selen Mostyn is the tea lover and award winning entrepreneur from East Yorkshire who is responsible for TeaJay . She has now given her imagination free reign and sourced  the finest ingredients from across the globe so she can create her unique range of loose leaf teas that will satisfy those who get bored with the traditional tea taste.

Selen Mostyn has been involved with the tea industry for years. She created Teajay after becoming disenchanted with the range of teas on offer in the UK. She said: “Tea has become polarised between the highly-commercialised end of the market with cheap bagged teas and some specialised tea companies that seem to sell products that only dedicated tea enthusiasts understand. Tea drinking should be fun. We want it to be like music: the right mix for the right situation. We want to stir it up and open up exciting teas to anybody who wants to enjoy our greatest passion in new and exciting ways.”

Teajay’s unique infusions are inspired by modern music: they’ll move you, delight you and surprise you. Everything about them – from the gorgeous containers to the extraordinary colour, flavours and scents of the teas themselves – will redefine those precious and relaxing moments you spend indulging one of our greatest passions.

TeaJay’s great tea infusions are made for enjoying at any time of day. TeaJay’s unique teas come in 10 different infusions; blends that everybody can appreciate. They have a selection to suit every mood and every taste: herbal teas that restore and revive, zingy fruit teas to lift and lighten, caffeine-free Rooibos for unwinding before bed and, of course, black and green tea blends that will delight and stimulate your taste buds.

All the teas are names after song names. “I’m a survivor”, “Day’n'Night”, “Pennyroyal Tea” etc. All with their own unique flavours and health benefits. Some herbs are not available anywhere else in the UK. The Teas are contemporary yet full of health benefits.

If you happen to be someone who wants to begin your day with a good cup of tea it’s time you switch over to Teajay, a modern tea company with contemporary values and very unique in its approach to tea lovers. Tea lovers the world over hunt for tea shops and lounges when on an outing. You can’t blame them for tea is positively addictive and known for its therapeutic values.

Teajay is very innovative and will be introducing loose tea to customers and retailers. They have named tea after songs adding the zing thing. Teajay has their own online tea shop. Teajay believes drinking tea should be fun and enjoyable activity than a necessity.

You can join the tea revolution on www.teajay.com

It is that time of year when we’re all beginning to wake up in cold sweats at night, dreading arranging that huge Christmas dinner for the whole family! With turkeys, sprouts and festive food shopping on the brain every day, it’s about time we let our mice do the hard work and order our Christmas hampers from Farmison.com.

The exciting food venture, Farmison.com is the idea of restaurant and hospitality entrepreneurs Lee Simmonds and John Pallagi , that share a passion for great, quality food. The idea began when they tried to order rosé veal from a supermarket Christmas brochure only to find that it had sold out by November.  They decided to track down the source and order straight from the farm.  The veal from the farm was brilliant quality, but the overall shopping experience (packaging, delivery, ease of ordering etc.) was nowhere near as good as the product.

And so Farmison.com was born…it is short for ‘farm produce in online’.   It is a new internet food store providing the finest British produce, directly from small producers across the country (with little or no expertise in marketing or internet retailing) to consumers looking for convenient and tasty alternatives to supermarket shopping.  They work with over 75 of the best independent British suppliers including butchery, fruit and vegetable growers which offer many varieties of seasonal produce, and farmhouse cheeses – more than 60% of which are not available anywhere else online.

Farmison.com is offering one of the largest ranges of rare and exquisite seasonal food from traditional farmers, growers and artisan producers across the British Isles – a wealth of delicious produce available in one simple delivery from the online butcher, greengrocer, cheesemonger and traditional pantry. The ingredients are used and mastered in the kitchens of world renowned restaurants such as: Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck, Yorke Arms, Northcote Manor, Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, and now they are available to you too, the adventurous foodie!

Currently you can get everything you need to get you started on that Christmas dinner in their handy Christmas hampers.  You can buy a feast for 12 people including a Free Range Herb Fed Turkey, all your traditional vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, red cabbage. They even provide you with 24 ‘pigs in blankets’, cranberry sauce, turkey gravy, sage & onion stuffing, and that’s all topped off with a jar of goose fat!
They really do have everything covered, but if you don’t have that many people joining you this year they do a range of other smaller boxes or you could stray from the usual turkey and choose a Goosnargh corn-fed duck, festive Christmas cockerel or a delicious veal fore rib.

If you would like to give Farmison.com a go there is a great opportunity to try it for free at the moment with their Christmas competition.

There are two prizes up for grabs with the 1st being a 1 x Ultimate Festive Cheese Box which is hand picked by the Farmison.com Cheesemonger contains: Blue Stilton Colston Basset, Brie de Meux, Isle of Mull Cheddar, Grimbister Farm Cheese, Stag Water Biscuits, and Quince.

There are 2 x runner up prizes of a Classic Festive Cheese Box which is made up of:
Blue Stilton Colston Basset, Brie de Meux, Stag Water Biscuits, and Quince.

To enter all you need to do is go to this page and follow the instructions. ‘Like’ Farmison.com on Facebook and then fill in 12 easy to answer cheesy questions. Your details will be entered into the prize draw. All your details will be entered in the prize draw and the closing date for the Christmas competition is Sunday the 18th December 2011. All winners will selected at random and will be notified by no later than the Monday the 19th December 2011.
These would be great to win in time for Christmas to either give as a gift or serve on your own cheeseboard after your festive meals!

How often do you reach for the biscuits to satisfy a hunger pang at work? With tight deadlines and high pressure in many of our jobs, choosing healthy snacks over readily available junk food can be a struggle.  Studies have shown that a healthy employee is up to 20% more productive than an unhealthy employee[1]; so as well as the obvious benefits of a healthy lifestyle, small changes to your working day are likely to help you achieve more at work. Planning ahead and putting healthy routines in place can make healthy eating in the workplace less of a challenge; follow these top five tips to make your working day a healthy one.

1)      Use your colleagues as a support system

Decide what your healthy eating goals are and stick to them. Letting colleagues know that you are adopting a new healthy eating regime means they are less likely to tempt you with unhealthy treats and are more likely to steer you in the direction of a healthier option. You never know, your colleagues may want to introduce a healthier routine into their working day as well; so setting an office health goal is a great idea. Why not share the responsibility of introducing a new healthy routine for the whole workplace?

2)      Plan ahead

Bring a packed lunch; preparing your lunch in advance means you can ensure the healthy content of your lunchbox instead of being tempted by an unhealthy option on your break. Keep lunchtimes interesting by avoiding routine and choosing a different meal for each day; this way you can evade lunchbox boredom as well as achieving a nutritional balance throughout the week.  

3)      Eat three of your five a day at work

We are encouraged to eat at least five portions of fruit and veg a day. Fitting three of these portions into your working day means you can. tick three helpings off your list, leaving just one or two servings to fit in when you get home. Ask your office to provide a healthy alternative to biscuits and junk food, if healthy snacks such as fruit are readily available throughout the day, eating healthily becomes easier at work. Services such as office fruit delivery can help to make healthy snacking part of your office routine.

4)      Swap sweet treats for a piece of fruit

Use fruit to satisfy sugar cravings; if you find yourself craving a sugary snack mid-morning or after lunch try swapping this for a piece of fruit. Have fruit to hand while you are working to keep the temptation of the office vending machine at bay. You can make healthy snack times more exciting by preparing fruit salads or smoothies in advance, or by having a different type of fruit each day.

5)      Always schedule lunch

Always eat lunch. When your working day is impossibly busy it’s tempting to snack and graze instead of eating a proper meal. Taking the time to eat a good lunch means you are less likely to give in to a mid-afternoon biscuit-binge.

For more information on fruit delivery, contact Fruitdrop. Fruit boxes start at just £20 with enough fruit for 25 people for a week. Fruit selections can be usefully tailored to suit the likes and dislikes of your office; no contract is required and fruit boxes can be delivered as frequently as needed.

The independent UK-based research group, Leatherhead Food Research, produces reports on trends and innovations in the preferences and consumption of food amongst the general population.  The most recent report on upcoming trends for 2012 indicates that a higher percentage of products and ingredients in demand by people of retirement age will be on offer, as well as a demand from younger consumers for foods free of specific ingredients such as gluten, nuts and milk/dairy products.

The researchers designated ten food and drink trends they say are influenced by concerns about fitness and health, and also by the general atmosphere of ‘belt-tightening’ driven by the present economic situation.  The trends are mostly ongoing from the past few years;and it’s predicted that they will continue to gain popularity in the coming year.

In the category of health and wellness, we will see a continuing effort to reduce sugar, salt and fat content as well as active promotion of specific products as beneficial to good health.  That sort of promotion involves slogans like ‘one of the five foods you should eat every day’ and other incentives for the health-conscious among us.

There is a continuing and growing concern about sustainability that involves a lot of issues like ethical sourcing, recyclable packaging, and the emphasis on locally grown products as opposed to those imported or brought to localities from distant areas of the UK.

The issue of convenience is another rather tricky subject, with the benefits of ‘home cooked’ meals often taking a back seat to the freedom of quick, ready-to-eat-in-minutes packaged meals that are becoming more and more prevalent.  Food manufacturers are expected to continue making more of the quick and easy yet premium quality meals that busy consumers depend upon to save them a lot of shopping and cooking time, not to mention the cost of eating out.

The food industry is constantly working to add more flavour to convenience foods without adding more harmful substances in the form of chemical additives and/or fat, cholesterol, sodium and a whole list of other ingredients that health experts have warned against.  On the other hand, there is a growing demand for more variety in the form of spices such as ginger, lemongrass, lavender and other ‘unusual’ ways of satisfying the taste buds.

The market for ‘free from’ products is also getting larger, not so much because of the number of people who have food allergies but  because of all the information available on the subject of which foods may contribute to one health problem or another.  Products with labels such as ‘gluten-free’ or soy,  dairy, or nut-free, for example, are expected to be in such big demand that they will break out of the ‘niche’ market and into the mainstream.

Older consumers show a growing tendency to look for proucts that advertise ingredients ‘proven’ to improve heart function; the researchers say products that promise to unclog arteries are going to be big sellers with older people in search of  cardiovascular health.   Also in demand are products with extras  such as glucosamine for joint health and added omega-3 for brain health.

The massive emphasis in recent years on ‘natural’ foods has faded somewhat, mostly due to the relative costs involved.  However, the idea of  ’pure, natural’ foods is still a strong attraction for both the older and the younger generations, and companies advertising natural foods are going to be balancing cost and profit with the sustainability of their market suppliers.

Consumers are more aware of where their food comes from, and there will continue to be a strong demand for locally sourced foods like meat/poultry, cheese, eggs, vegetables and fruits.  Many chefs are incorporating locally produced ‘specialty’ items into their recipes to add distinction and variety to the menu, and a dish presented as being made of foods grown right in the locality is usually a favourite choice for customers.

Chinese recipes offer people the chance to experience a delicate balance of oriental flavours which complement one another perfectly. As Christmas is a time for getting together and enjoying great food, now is the perfect time to bring some eastern foods to the west by making some great Chinese recipes to accompany your traditional Christmas roast. What better way is there to use up any leftovers and create some fun and festive foodstuffs?

Chinese recipes are heavily dependent on fried rice and Jasmine rice is often used. Jasmine rice is fragrant, light, and short grained and can be bought in bulk or made yourself.

The best way to cook it is with a rice cooker- a very common household item and well worth the money if you intend to cook Chinese recipes regularly. You will need about two cups of refrigerated rice for a recipe which yields about four cups of fried rice – enough for about two people.

You will also need uncooked prawns, cut in thirds and marinated in a tablespoon of fresh grated ginger, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce.

Pick up some lup cheong- a Chinese sausage that is smoked and dried. Prep the rest of your ingredients by finely chopping carrots, celery, peppers, and any other vegetables you want. Make a simple sauce of chicken stock with oyster sauce and of ketchup and finely chop 2 cloves of garlic.

Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a wok, rolling it around to evenly coat the bottom with the oil. Lightly scramble 4 eggs in the oil.

When scrambled, remove it from the wok and add another tablespoon of oil to the wok and add the minced garlic. Stir fry this for about 30 seconds and add the chopped lop cheong.

Stir-fry for about 3 minutes before adding the chopped vegetables.

After about 3 minutes, add the shrimp with marinade and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes.

Add your refrigerated rice, using a spatula to break up the clumps. You want the rice to be completely hot, so stir-fry for about 5 minutes.

Lastly, drizzle the sauce around the outside of the rice, stirring to mix evenly. It may not be necessary to use all of the sauce so make sure you keep an eye on the consistency and texture to prevent it from becoming over saturated or soggy.

Turn the heat off and stir in the scrambled egg.

Then all you need to do is serve this as one of your Christmas recipes, giving friends and family members something different to accompany their traditional meal. This can be served as either a starter or as a side dish and is incredibly popular during winter.

Make sure you garnish and season the meal and consider using herb and spice mixes from companies such as Schwartz. These will be easier to use than fresh ingredients and will ensure you get a good balance of foods and flavours.

The sauce of great food sauces and condiments from Owen Potts

Those who like to potter around in the kitchen and are constantly looking out for a helping hand will be delighted that their search has come to an end, thanks to the launch of a whole new range of top quality condiments and sauces courtesy of Owen Potts who, until now, has been the best kept secret in the food industry.

Owen can only be described as a culinary expert, and for years now has been behind the scenes developing products. If you have ever bought a luxury sauce, a gourmet salad dressing, a condiment or a chutney, chances are that you will have already sampled one of Owen’s outstanding creations,

With the arrival of his new and delicious  ‘quick to cook range’ you too can now add flair to your dishes, be it making those everyday meals a little bit special or introducing a real touch of indulgence to dining on special occasions. By using the products in this new range you can rest assured that you are safely in the hands of a true food guru.

The Owen Potts range uses the very best, natural ingredients sourced from around the world, and includes everything from store cupboard essentials such as chicken gravy and steak sauce, to classic recipes with a unique twist, such as a mouth-watering cranberry sauce infused with honey, a great-tasting mustard sauce with hints of tarragon and a delectable Spanish dressing blended with roasted peppers and pimenton.

The delicious store cupboard range – with a product suitable for every occasion – will be available in most major supermarkets this winter.