Foodie predictions for 2017: top chefs, writers, restaurateurs and food producers give us their thoughts on the year ahead
Vivek Singh
Executive chef of The Cinnamon Club, cinnamonclub.com
Butter is back and fats will be in vogue. Masterclasses will also become key to true foodies, with as much focus on drinks as on food. We will continue to want to know more about the ethics behind our food and its provenance.
Shaun Clarkson
Interior Designer & Founder of Shaun Clarkson ID
London is so global, from financial investments to exotic cuisines, so there’s an expectation now to be able to access the entire world from your table. Guests also want freedom of movement within the restaurant, from enjoying arrival cocktails and a few snacks at the bar before moving to the table to eat their main meal. Restaurants in 2017 need to reflect this and offer a beautiful bar experience as well as an engaging dining space.
London is about to be bombarded with taco joints
– Ben Tish, Salt Yard Group
Dominic Rowntree
Founder of Samphire and Salsify, samphireandsalsify.com
As much as we all love a small plate or two, 2017 will see a fall in “it’ll come out when it’s ready” dishes and a resurgence of the more conventional starter, main, and dessert. It might be great for the restaurant’s margins, but with tiny tables and multiple plates, it’s annoying as hell for the punter. We’ll also see a rise in solely takeaway operations, with the likes of JKS Restaurants (Gymkhana, Hoppers, Trishna et al) leading the way with Motu Delivery, and Deliveroo and Uber Eats going from strength to strength.
Lord Newborough
Estate owner, Rhug Estate Organic Farm, Wales
The trend for 2017 will be more focus on food ecology. People are becoming more concerned about animal welfare, use of water, sustainability, genetic modification, food miles, transparency on the labelling, and the welfare of those who produce the food. The consumer wants to feel closer to where the food comes from; they like to know the farm from which it hails, the story about how it is produced, the security and the provenance of what they are eating.
Shaun Clarkson, Interior Designer & Founder of Shaun Clarkson ID
Chris Galvin
Chef patron of Galvin Restaurants, galvinrestaurants.com
We’ll see an even bigger focus on experiential dining. It’s not just the food that matters but the whole experience, where all senses are looked after: smell, sound, sight, touch and taste, from the moment you enter the restaurant.
Liam Smith-Laing
Executive chef at Bluebird, bluebird-restaurant.co.uk
Love them or hate them, small plates are here to stay. Eating out is at the heart of our social lives and people want the place they're dining in to have a buzz, which happens naturally when people are chatting over small plates. They also offer diners a slice of luxury in a really accessible way.
Robert Panek
Head chef at Samarkand, samarkand.london
Over the past couple of years we have seen restaurants turning to home-style cooking with traditional techniques, using products of the highest quality. The general public have more access to ingredients and they are becoming more skilled at cooking at home. The only way restaurants can differentiate is to be even more innovative, offer premium and authentic surroundings. Street food is everywhere and although I don't see this as a long-term trend, it will definitely continue during 2017.
It won't be long before we see pop ups and markets sell food products made out of ingredients that come from supermarket waste; that will be their USP.
– Francesco Mazzei
Gareth Ward
Executive chef at Michelin-starred Ynyshir, Wales
We’ll see a big rise in home grown produce that was once seen as exotic. I use a lot of Japanese flavours and techniques so it’s amazing to be able to get my ingredients from the UK while they’re still at their best. This goes from my Welsh Wagyu beef, that I get from a producer down the road to the wasabi, which comes from a watercress producer in Hampshire (wasabi and watercress grow in a very similar way). For chefs using Peruvian flavours, there’s a fantastic farm in Shropshire.
Francesco Mazzei
Chef Patron of Sartoria, sartoria-restaurant.co.uk
There's no stopping the food waste revolution and this will continue into 2017. I expect a lot more campaigns, food trends, TV shows and books to focus on how to utilise so-called food waste in increasingly creative ways. It won't be long before we see pop ups and markets sell food products made out of ingredients that are perfectly edible but come from supermarket waste; that will be their USP.
Ben Tish
Chef director of Salt Yard Group and the newly opened Veneta, saltyardgroup.co.uk
London is about to be bombarded by taco joints; the signs are already there. Also, as rents rise I think we will see more and more low-fi, cheaper eateries in the Zone 2/3 areas, creating gastro hubs in their own right – you can already see this happening in places such a Clapton.