Charred meat ends are set to become a mainstream trend after enjoying growing popularity on dedicated barbecue menus, as well as French dip sandwiches and meat sauces and burgers continue to dominate.
According to the latest Horizons Menu Trends survey the burnt ends of pork and beef are going mainstream as Irish pub chain O’Neill’s has added burnt ends to its menu in the last quarter and Revolution also serving pork burnt ends with pinto beans.
The US innovation of French dip sandwiches – thinly sliced meat on a baguette served with beef juices from the cooking process – are appearing on high street menus in TGI Friday’s and OK Diner as well as at specialty London restaurant Dip & Flip.
The survey also revealed the emergence of meat in sauces – such as baconnaise and bacon jam - with Gourmet Burger Kitchen, All Bar One and Castle Pubs all adding dishes featuring meat jams and mayonnaises to their menus.
Dukkah, the Egyptian herb and spice condiment, Italian spreadable pork sausage n’duja and the reappearance of spicy noodle soup laksa are additional menu trends, the survey noted.
“Tastes are becoming ever-more cosmopolitan, with British dishes declining on menus in favour of food from the Mediterranean, Asia and Latin America,” said Nicola Knight, Horizons’ director of services.
“At the same time operators are keen to improve their margins, prompting a rise in dishes made with cheaper cuts of meat and more use of seasonal vegetables.”
The use of crustaceans on menus is rising with lobster up 28% and crab up 14% year on year prompted by a decline in retail prices. Salmon is also appearing on more menus because of the growth in sushi and as it is used in new ways such as pizzas.
Increasingly hotter chillies and hot sauces as well as vegetables such as beetroot, butternut squash, sweet potato and cauliflower appearing on more menus.
Breakfast trends include hash browns and other hash combinations such as cheese and onion hash or corned beef hash as well as mueseli, which made five times as many menu appearances compared to the survey last year.
Burgers continue to feature heavily on menus as restaurant operators work harder to produce more exotic burgers such as Beefeater’s double steak festive burger, Hungry Horse’s donut burger and Wildwood restaurant’s wild boar & chorizo burger.
“Several of the more innovative dishes have come from smaller, independent outlets including food trucks and one-off operators,” said Knight. “Once these dishes are picked up by high street brands, a trend becomes established.”
“Health seems to be an increasing factor in consumer choice. When consumers eat out more regularly, as they are now starting to do, they want a choice of healthy foods as well as more indulgent dishes.”
The biannual Menu Trends survey tracks high street menus from October to November 2014 and found the use of the words ‘allergy’ or ‘allergen’ had seen a 20% year-on-year increase as general awareness of food intolerances by operators become more prevelant.
This is driven largely by the allergen information legislation of December 2014, as well as by demand from consumers. Gluten-free terminology also shows an increase, up 15% year-on-year. The promotion of dishes low in salt or carbohydrates has declined, while menus showed a renewed focus on buzzwords such as superfoods, omega 3 and low-fat, healthy dishes.
