MENU
CLOSEGoodbye dirty fries, hello harissa: Our 2024 food trends predictions
Wondering what next year’s fresh flavours will taste like? What about big foodie trends that are going to drop in 2024? Look no further.
Welcome to Gousto’s first-ever annual Food Trends Report. Chock full of big data we’ve discovered throughout the year and even juicier tidbits from industry trends, this report is your sneak peek into the future of food.
Ready for a taste of what’s inside? Let’s take a peek.
Goodbye 2023
From January’s globe-trotting The Hungry Traveller range to 5-a-day-packed Veg Table in the summer, we continued the push forward to become the UK’s most loved way to eat dinner. Our quick wins and speedy dinners became even more popular with a whopping 5 million of you ordering a 10-Minute Meal in 2023.
Our Save & Savour recipes dished up fantastic value for 50p less per portion, saving customers a total of £2 million. And those weren’t the only savings we helped them make. Just ordering with Gousto reduces carbon emissions by 23% compared to buying the same food at the supermarket. Wondering what’s next? Now we’ve launched boxes for 1, 3 and 5 people, we’ll be working hard to have Gousto boxes land on even more doorsteps than ever before.
How we do food
Our chefs obsess about offering more and more choices for our customers. This year, our menu has grown even larger with over 250 recipes every month, while we continue to work on new ways to customise our recipes. But choice isn’t really choice unless it’s catering to your needs. That’s why we categorise our library of recipes into 5 key areas: family, health, adventure, convenience and indulgence.
Industry trends of 2023
Family
In 2023 we discovered that nearly 90% of British parents cater for fussy eaters daily. Not only does this add extra stress to the daily routine, but parents are fed up with child-friendly recipes that sacrifice adventurous tastes and textures. The solution? Family Kitchen – our first-ever range of easily adaptable recipes that both parents and kids love.
Health
The debate over ultra-processed foods (UPFs) has been one of the most pressing health-related issues of 2023. 60% of all foods consumed in the UK are ultra-processed, meaning the majority of the British diet is made up of UPFs. At Gousto, we found that just 11% of our ingredients are classed as UPFs. While that covers ingredients such as meat-free mince and stock powders, we’re committed to lowering that number even further in the future.
Flexitarianism and the rise of plant-based meals have been some of the most important food trends of 2023. At Gousto, orders of vegetarian recipes have doubled in the last 4 years, showing an ever-increasing demand for meat-free meals. Combined with this year’s discussion on UPFs, we found an opportunity to help customers hit their 5-a-day with fresh vegetables and whole foods with the Veg Table summer collection.
Adventure
The aftershocks of the pandemic and the impact of the cost of living crisis meant many people put holidays on the back burner. Cooking and eating became a form of escapism for consumers yearning for new experiences, leading to a 7.7% increase in the world food market. It’s no surprise then that our Hungry Traveller collection was such a hit. For four weeks, we taught our customers how to cook classic dishes from 20 global cuisines. We saw customers fall in love with bao buns, hot dogs and Burmese flavours, with total orders clocking in at an impressive 315,000.
Convenience
As life continued to go back to normal since the easing of the pandemic, our social lives got busier than ever. We developed 499 new recipes in 2023, with many getting dinner on the table faster and with even less effort than ever. Our customers loved our speediest recipes, so much so, that our 10-Minute Meals and Prepped in 5 range were 10% more popular than in 2022. To make convenience recipes even easier to find, we created a ‘Quick & Easy’ tab on the Gousto menu to keep speedy meals all in one place.
Indulgence
We all had to think hard about our spending in 2023. Often this meant forgoing treat night takeaways or dining out. We saw a steady rise in orders of fakeaway-style recipes throughout the year as the cost of living began to bite. Our Fakeaway Nights collection captured the moment, offering takeaway flavours for a fraction of the price. Which fakeaway was the one to rule them all? Chicken Katsu Curry With Pickled Ginger Salad.
Flavours to try in 2024
Salsa macha – hailing from Mexico’s eastern state of Veracruz, this sauce offers the perfect blend of smoky, spicy and nutty flavours. Drizzle it over savoury dishes or add it to sauces for a complex flavour punch.
Gochujang – one of the heavy hitters in Korean cuisine, gochujang is a fermented red pepper and bean paste that balances sweet and spicy while lending recipes a distinct colour and flavour.
Sweet & salty miso – step aside salted caramel. This sweet and savoury combo comes with the complexity and added funk of Japan’s beloved fermented bean paste.
Berbere – the definitive spice mix of Ethiopia and Eritrea, berbere is a headily aromatic spice blend with a hint of chilli known for its versatility in all sorts of marinades.
Green harissa – if you know and love red or rose harissa, this fresh North African green chilli paste packed with coriander and parsley is one to try.
Hungry for more info? Read the full 2024 Food Trends Report.
What is Gousto?
Dinner, but not as you know it. Our big red recipe boxes will help you whip up wholesome, impressive meals no matter your skill level, with all of the flavour and none of the fuss.
From everyday favourites and 10-minute meals, to global cuisines and healthy choices, you’ll have over 75 recipes to choose from each week from our menu. We’ll send you step-by-step recipes and all the fresh ingredients you need too. Just pick what you fancy for dinner, and leave the planning to us.
