Summer 2026 brings a wave of fresh culinary trends, from savoury millefeuilles and pickled ketchups to chilled red wines and British charcuterie, while old favourites like caviar overload and oat milk are falling out of favour.
Savoury Millefeuilles Take Centre Stage
Elegant savoury millefeuilles are all the rage on menus, such as at Planque, which offers a chanterelle and radicchio millefeuille with comte sauce. These deconstructed vol-au-vents bring modern gastronomic flair to the table.
Misugaru: The New Baking Star
Misugaru, a roasted Korean multi-grain powder made from toasted rice, barley, millet, and sesame seeds, adds a moreish, nutty, malty creaminess to baking. It is also delicious as a drink.
Pickled Ketchups Revolutionise Condiments
Smacked cucumber ketchup at The Mulwray in Soho, London; pickled onion ketchup from Epicuriosity; kimchi ketchup from Chimac; and gherkin relish from Halen Mon are the essential condiments for discerning barbecues this summer.
Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza Arrives in London
A super-thin, square-cut base with toppings like Italian sausage, Chicago-style sweet tomato sauce, pepperoni, and pickles is now available at Short Road Pizza in east London on Tuesdays only.
Brasserie Boozers Blend Pub and Bistro
The line between raucous boozers and Gallic brasseries blurs at newly opened The Wellington in Margate, where the french onion soup with beef short rib is a must-try.
British Charcuterie Reaches New Heights
Pink peppercorn and cider salami from The Real Cure in Dorset, wild venison chorizo from Wass Farm in Yorkshire, and port-steeped beef bresaola from Somerset Charcuterie showcase the culinary craft across Britain.
Tamagoyaki Pans: Kitchen Must-Have
Square Japanese rolled-omelette pans are the new kitchen must-have. Check out the non-stick tamagoyaki egg roll pan from Sous Chef.
Afghan Texan Barbecue in London
Cue Point from Mursal Saiq and Joshua Moroney is opening its first bricks-and-mortar restaurant in White City, London, offering live-fire chicken korma, oak-smoked lamb shank, and Kabuli pilau.
Alentejo, Portugal: Summer Wine Region
Alentejo is the summer's must-visit European wine region, famous for its historic vineyards, ancient fortresses, bold spicy reds (using grapes like Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez, and Trincadeira), and rustic aromatic cuisine.
Cortisol Cocktails: Stress-Relief Drinks
Concoctions of coconut water, citrus juice, sea salt, and magnesium are said to help lower stress. While unproven by science, they are delicious nonetheless.
Rabbit and Hare Gain Popularity
Deliciously gamey, high in protein, low in fat, and more climate-friendly than many other meats, rabbit and hare are trending. Try the rabbit rillettes and carrot confiture at Lapin, or the rabbit, girolles, lardo, parsley, and garlic at Quo Vadis, both in London.
Penny Licks Reinvented
The nostalgic 19th-century ice-cream icon is being reinvented by Sally Abé at her new restaurant Teal, priced at only £1 with proceeds donated to Hackney Food Bank.
Food Fiction on the Rise
Food writers like Felicity Cloake and Olly Smith are moving into fiction, culinary themes dominate novels, and Butter by Asako Yuzuki remains a hit.
What's Stale: Caviar Overload
Caviar is starting to look gauche as it appears on everything from pizza crusts to crisps. Trout roe is tastier and more sustainable.
Pale Blush Rosé Out, Chilled Reds In
It's all about chilled reds like low-tannin French Beaujolais or Austrian Zweigelt, or dry, robust, dark ruby rosé like Gentle Folk Wine's Rainbow Juice.
Insta Cringe: Flash Food Photography
Flash-on food photography in dim-lit dining rooms is out. Lobby mirror selfies are way cooler to post on your grid.
Oat Milk Declines
Many oat milks are unsustainably made and spike glucose. Try homemade buckwheat milk, which is delicious, packed with protein and fibre, and acts as a regenerative soil restorer.
Cherry Everything Fades
Cherry is very last summer. 2026 is all about blackberry hybrids like marionberries, tayberries, and loganberries in trifles, sorbets, salad dressings, and cocktails.
New York Cookies Overdone
Imitation Levain-style New York cookies are getting larger, more underbaked, and sickly. Crunchy biscuits, crispy thin cookies, and classic Walker's shortbread are back.
Scrambled Eggs Reinvented
The new TikTok style is "frambled": sizzle butter, crack in whole eggs, slowly cook the white, then mix through the yolk. Believe the hype.
Snacking Dinners Out, Hearty Mains In
A plate of small snacks is not a dinner. Hearty mains with wholesome veg, satisfying carbs, and flavour-amplified sauce or gravy are finally back.
QR Code Menus Replaced
Artfully illustrated menus and beautiful calligraphy on chalkboards replace screens. Tactile analogue is the new soulless digital.
Posh Canned Olives Out
Caperberries replace olives on gildas, and Sweet Dill Pickle Chips from Pickle Project are the new IT drinks snack.
Chocolate Erasure Addressed
Many retro chocolate bars now lack enough chocolate to be called "chocolate." Check out craft chocolatiers like Khourys, Makers London, or Chocolatia by Chloe Oswald, or book an artisanal chocolate tour with Jennifer Earle.
