What we see coming for food trends in 2019
As 2019 begins, here at No.4 Hamilton Place we are starting to look forward to the next chapter in our venue’s culinary journey and food trends in 2019. January 1st has seen our new caterers, Blue Strawberry, take their place at the helm of our kitchen and we can’t wait to see what the future holds. That’s why we’ve been speaking to Blue Strawberry’s Executive Head Chef, Richard Gynn and Development Chef, Euan Peach about their focus for the year ahead and their predictions on food trends.
Euan’s insights
Flavour shift
“Last year saw drinks with a more bitter flavour, like Aperol Spritz and artisan gins becoming increasingly popular. Our collective palate is moving towards more bitter flavours and I think this is going to cross over into our food choices, too. We’ve already seen a lot of kimchi, kombucha and kefir going into dishes this year and I’m going to be looking at exploring fermentation of a range of vegetables including leeks, lettuce, red cabbage, beetroot and garlic.”
Oranges and lemons
“Traditional citrus fruits are fabulous at bringing colour and flavour to dishes, but 2019 will see fresh kaffir limes and pomelos replacing the classic varieties. Yuzu and calamansi have already seen a surge in popularity in 2018 and this will continue to grow.”
Fire cooked
“The restaurant trade has seen an exciting trend in dishes being cooked over a naked flame. This method creates big bold flavours and next year is going to see menus peppered with a number of dishes cooked in this way.”
Desserts
“Ice cream is making a big comeback (although it never went away for me!). I’m going to be exploring lots of unusual flavours for our 2019 menus including Sake, roasted almond and black sesame. The team at Blue Strawberry is also going to be looking at more opportunities to reinvent some of the old classics, giving them a modern, playful twist. Watch this space…”
Richard’s predictions
Going greener
“On every level, organisers and suppliers are going to be taking more responsibility for the impact their events have on the environment. This is going to result in caterers continuing to increase their vegetarian and vegan offerings and committing to using every element of the ingredients they buy, whether it’s a vegetable, animal or fish. Such as making stocks or fruit vinegars. We will be increasing our commitment to recycling more organic waste and using it as fertiliser for growing new plants. Building on our efforts to find more inventive ways to avoid using plastic wherever possible will also be hugely important.’’
Virgin drinks
“As well as an increase in interest in veganism and vegetarianism, non-alcoholic beverages are extremely popular with the current young adult demographic – 18-24s. As this area continues to grow it provides us with a great opportunity to explore fun virgin cocktail recipes and craft tea blending.’’
Cuisines
“West African dishes will feature heavily on menus for autumn/winter 2019, which is exciting for chefs and guests alike – think spicy, full-bodied flavours and hearty ingredients.
All in all, next year promises to be a great one in terms of food and drink and we can’t wait to show the guests at No.4 Hamilton Place what we have to offer.”
If you want to speak any member of the No.4 Hamilton Place Venue Team about an upcoming event you’re organising, give us a call on +44(0)20 7670 4314 or email.
