Cooking from scratch, crookies and food with stories have never been so popular, according to the annual Waitrose Food & Drink report. Despite the cost of living crisis, 2024 has been the year that customers upgraded their weekly shops, with many shoppers opting for more premium cuts of meat, artisan loaves and free range cream
For this year’s Food & Drink report, Waitrose surveyed over 3,200 people in October 2024, who had shopped in Waitrose in the past three months. They found Waitrose customers are hosting at home more and enjoying the pleasure of sourcing, preparing and sharing great food with friends and family.
This is due to the ongoing hangover from cost of living rises and the covid lockdowns, but it’s also tied in with growing concerns around UPFs, with 61% of respondents saying that they cook from scratch to reduce the amount of ultra-processed food they eat.
While 38% are making bread from scratch, many simply don’t have the time with today’s hectic schedules, so they’re leaning into kitchen shortcuts where possible. The booming demand for Ottolenghi’s range of spices, marinades and sauces, which launched exclusively at Waitrose this year, are testament to this trend, as well as the ongoing popularity of pre-prepared meats, flavoured butters, premium jarred beans and instant noodles. Customers continue to be in love with their kitchens, with 55% saying they would opt for a home-cooked meal over a takeaway.
James Bailey, Waitrose Executive Director commented: “This year has seen an interesting shift in customers splashing out on their weekly essentials – they’re hosting at home more and looking to really treat themselves and their loved ones. It’s no secret that our customers love good food, and through careful sourcing, innovative recipes and inspiring ingredients we’re helping people take an active delight in cooking and eating good food.
“Earlier this year, we unveiled plans to support even more of our farmers in the transition to regenerative agriculture. Farming for Nature is an exciting initiative that commits us to sourcing all our UK meat, milk, eggs, fruit and vegetables from farms that use regenerative practices by 2035. This commitment and support for British farmers is one thing that keeps customers coming back to Waitrose, and we’re looking forward to continuing to work with our suppliers to deliver the very best, high welfare meat and sustainably sourced food to our shelves.”
Sustainability continues to be a priority for customers, with 59% of those surveyed saying that they would be more likely to buy a product with sustainable credentials. And 61% of Waitrose customers said they love food with a story – they want to know the narrative behind it and the cooking processes involved, be that 40-day dry-aged beef or the No.1 Sourdough Baguette made with a 25-year-old levain rye dough. Food lovers have also been attempting to recreate some of these processes themselves, making kimchi and butter and pickling at home.
More is more when it comes to nutrition, with many customers jumping on board the 30 plants a week trend, adding nutrition to their plates rather than taking ingredients away. Waitrose has seen sales of fermented foods on the rise with sales of kefir and kimchi up 7%, as well as wholegrains, nuts, dried fruit and seeds.
Hero food products for the year include:
- The ‘crookie’, a croissant stuffed with cookie dough
- Peanut butter
- Instant noodles
- Hot honey
- Pistachio everything from tiramisu to croissants
- Hash browns
- Tim Tams
- Cucumbers
- Rice pudding
- Chocolate muffins
- Pickle juice
- Chocolate butter
- Artisan pantry staples, from flavoured salt to posh olive oil
Headline flavours for 2025 are set to be tonka beans, pilpelchuma (2025’s answer to harissa, according to Yotam Ottolenghi), toum, yuzu, juniper, sour cherry and crispy chilli oil.
