Bright is Beautiful!
We are seeing an increasing use of a natural colour spectrum in plating and dish presentation from rainbow chard, bright beets, and coloured carrots.
Purple is the new green – potatoes, beets, cauliflower, kale, asparagus, sprouts and peas!
Gels are adding a hit of flavour, a texture and a wow of colour to both dessert and savoury plates.
Flowers are gracing plates in the northern hemisphere too as they take their lead from South America.
Beetroot is perhaps the ‘it’ veg for gels, colour, flavour and if you must…health!
New York’s Latest Bone Broth Trend
A growing contingency of sleek-bodied New Yorkers insist that the secret to good looks is all about the bones, as in broth.
In November, chef Marco Canora opened Brodo — a tiny take-away window at his East Village Italian restaurant Hearth, serving only steaming stock. The fashionable masses have been flocking for cups of the stuff, and paying between $4 to $9 for it. Low in sodium but rich in collagen, and boasting alleged benefits from shinier hair to dewier complexions, broth is the new black for health and beauty conscious types across the city.
Bad Egg
Bad Egg has opened in London. The modern take on an all day Chicago style diner focuses on traditional egg dishes mainly baked, hashed and spiced up with a range of flavours from a variety of cuisines.
There are also traditional breakfast dishes on the menu but the real stars are the fusion egg dishes from around the world, there are no desserts on the menu. The concept is designed to become an everyday eatery that diners can visit daily. Dishes are designed to focus on flavour, spices and avoiding the bigger, meatier dishes, that said, Burgers are available though not surprisingly served with egg!
Den Udon
At Den Udon they are Udon evangelists who strive to share the best of Japanese food and culture. Udon, the healthier choice, is growing in popularity in Japan and has now arrived in London. Ramen is so last year!
The cornerstones of their cuisine are Udon, Umai and Dashi, with recipes that have been handed down through many generations. The dishes are traditional but as you would find in Japan today.
Love Liquorice
The combination of white chocolate and liquorice has become classic within the last few years in liquorice-loving Denmark. For Valentine’s Day market leader in liquorice confectionery Johan Bülow developed a colourful taste explosion.
The sweet liquorice coated in white Belgian chocolate and sprinkled with strawberry and raspberry powder can now be found in stores and online.
Gourmet Cookies – Leckerbaer
After a career as assistant chef of the Copenhagen Michelin restaurants Alberto K and AOC Jakob Mogensen has opened a dedicated cookie shop together with his Swiss wife Gabi Bär Mogensen who also a chef with Michelin experience.
Cream puffs, cookies and chocolates are on display when entering the minimalisticly decorated Leckerbaer cookie shop in Copenhagen’s Østerbro district.
With this shop, the couple have realised their dream. They want to re-invent Danish cookie classics with gourmet versions. “Danish butter cookies” which often can be found in supermarkets outside of Denmark actually have nothing to do with real Danish baking traditions and cannot be found in the country itself.
There are several typical Danish biscuits though and at Leckerbaer you will find them beautifully decorated with freeze dried berries, chocolate, icing or powdered sugar.
Probiotic Chocolate
Over three years ago, Solgar Vitamin and Herb discovered that chocolate was a superior carrier of live probiotics.
Using patented technology, they found a way to encapsulate live bacteria in a high-quality chocolate matrix. This kept the bacteria alive longer and made its delivery into the digestive system three times more effective than in dairy products. And unlike dairy products, it doesn’t have to be refrigerated because it’s shelf stable until it expires.
They went on to develop ohso® Probiotic Chocolate Bars which contain a blend of around one billion Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bacteria within Belgian (yes, Belgian!) chocolate.
The bar is free from gluten, nuts and hydrogenated vegetable oil and delivers only 70 calories.
Tiger Nuts
TigerNuts have as much iron as red meat and spinach. This is essential for the body’s growth, development, and performance, including muscle function and the most important muscle of all — our brain! TigerNuts are rich in Vitamin E and unsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid, which have been shown to decrease cholesterol significantly and hydrate the skin. TigerNuts contain as much potassium as coconut water, hydrating our bodies even more than water, while simultaneously reducing our food cravings due to their high level of nutrients. TigerNuts have a low glycemic index yet taste naturally sweet. Perhaps most importantly, TigerNuts are the number one source of Resistant Starch, a prebiotic fibre that resists human digestion and becomes fuel for our probiotic bacteria.
Reaching Saturation Point
Coconut water, maple water, even birch and cactus waters. … A quick inventory of beverages in the produce section makes it clear — plant waters are rising.
Soda and non-fresh juice sales are flat or slipping slightly, but plant-based products like coconut water — along with other alternative beverages such as kombucha and tea-based drinks — are growing, particularly those sold alongside your fruits and veggies, according to data compiled by market research firm Nielsen.
“The one area of the store where we are just seeing phenomenal growth is the produce department,” says Sherry Frey, health and wellness expert for Nielsen. Introduced several years ago, coconut water has been big for a while. Maple water is a newer entry and is essentially maple sap, the stuff that normally is boiled down to syrup. Brands include Vertical Water and SEVA. And that’s not the only tree water on the market. There’s also birch water and, on the plant side, cactus, barley and artichoke waters.
Our next newsletter will cover the new products available this season. Check out our website for further information about TasteConnections www.tasteconnection.co.uk If you would like to talk to us about how we can help your business, please get in touch T: 01453 844868 or E: info@tasteconnection.com
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Our aim is simple; to keep our customers informed of the latest trends in the food industry and how TasteConnection can help you address those trends. In this edition we look at the latest trends within the industry.
In each edition we will bring you some of the best and also most strange new product concepts to emerge on the global stage
