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From hipster pizzas to the new cronut, the 2014 food trends you need to know

Find out why burgers are out and chicken is in for 2014 with the upcoming food trends you'll be munching on this year

New year isn’t just all about late nights, celebrating and party-sized mince pies. It’s also when catering experts take their best shot at predicting what we’ll all be eating throughout 2014. What types of restaurants will be opening their doors? What will happen to the cupcake? And what will be the next cronut? Read on to find out more...

Chicken (again)



It was predicted as a hot trend for 2013, but it’s still in high demand. Most experts casting their predictions for 2014 agree that chicken, especially rotisserie-style, will continue to be big this year. The website Lost in Catering reckons we’ll see more chicken restaurants popping up where grilling and rotisserie are all the rage. Consultants Baum and Whiteman also predict that chicken will turn ‘haute’ in the coming months, as top chefs serve it with foie gras, exotic spices and their own interpretations of fried, comfort food classics. But diners will still want to know how their lunch was raised. ‘British free-range is the currency in the market with plenty of noise about provenance,’ says Lost in Catering.

Middle Eastern food



Baum and Whiteman expect us to eat more Middle-Eastern foods in 2014. Look out for restaurants springing up offering dishes from Iran, Iraq, Israel, Turkey and Egypt. And we reckon that while restaurants are bound to jump on this trend, supermarkets won’t be far behind either, offering more tagine-style stews as ready meals and meal kits as well as chilled versions of Middle Eastern street food that you can grab instead of a sandwich at lunchtime. Look out for za’atar, a spice blend of herbs, sumac and sesame seeds that you can spread over flatbreads, and dishes like shakshuka - eggs poached in a spiced tomato sauce. Free-range, naturally (see below).

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Food will go greener


Us Brits will want to know more about where our food comes from and how it was raised. At least that’s what Chicago-based consultants Technomic predict. ‘Watch for package logos denoting animal welfare standards, in-restaurant signs documenting supplier sourcing, and marketing initiatives focusing on the use of British and Irish products,’ they say. It’s also likely that the current movement against food waste will continue. We’re all more aware now of the food we waste, but according to WRAP, we’re still binning 15 million tonnes of food every year in the UK.

Ice cream sandwiches



US-based hospitality consultants Andrew Freeman and Co reckon we’re all done with cupcakes, doughnuts and croissants. But how else can we satisfy a sweet tooth? With an ice cream sandwich of course. The good news is that they’re easy to make at home - use your favourite biscuits (or make your own) and fill with scoops of ice cream. And don’t just settle for vanilla, either. They use the example of Ramen Shop in California, which offers an ice cream sandwich with ginger and black sesame - so have fun with different and unusual flavours while you’re at it. And what about street food? An ice cream sandwich truck with unlimited biscuit, ice cream and sprinkles combinations? That’s something I’d like to see.


Craft pizzas


In previous years, the burger gained popularity as a luxury menu item - spruced up with fancy condiments, artisan cheeses and savoury jams. Then it was the turn of the hot dog - topped with exotic ingredients (truffle, anyone?) and served with champagne. And it looks like 2014 will be the year of the posh pizza. According to Lost in Catering, we’ll be chewing on ‘hipster pizzas’ with ‘lots more story behind the dough, artisan ingredients, smaller menus, sprinkling of craft beers... you get the picture.’ And with another key trend being the ‘one-item restaurant’ we’ll be looking out for rustic beer and pizza bars with a range of doughs, high-welfare, quality toppings and laden with British artisan cheeses.

What do you reckon? Are cupcakes really over and done with? Are you ready for the ‘hipster pizza’? What foods do you think will take off in 2014?
Let us know over on Twitter.