Speciality Food Jan/Feb 2026

10 @specialityfood I f you spend enough time in the kitchens of curious chefs, you start to notice a pattern: the quiet return of ingredients we once took for granted. Lately, it’s butter that keeps stealing the spotlight. Not just any butter — butters that are cultured, churned, smoked, aged, or whipped with seaweed, fermented honey or roasted garlic; butter presented in miniature tastings before a meal as a new course. At home, too, the fascination is spreading. TikTok is filled with people proudly churning their own at the weekend, pressing silky pats studded with chilli crisp or wild garlic when in season. For a category that once lived somewhere at the back of the fridge, butter has become a canvas for creativity. And now, brands are accelerating the shift. New names are emerging in this space like Trewithen Dairy, Abernethy and The Estate Dairy. They are quietly stoking a quiet revolution. Trewithen leans into nostalgic creaminess and their Cornish provenance. The Estate Dairy, with its standout glass bottles, are tackling both milk and butter. Abernethy, the hand-churned Northern Irish producer, offers varieties including cep miso, truffle, and black garlic. And then there is All Things Butter, the most modern disruptor in the category. They’ve embraced flavour as a point of difference, launching butters that feel both chef-led and consumer-friendly, including a chocolate butter that sits somewhere between indulgence and innovation. They’ve already started expanding into cottage cheese with the same ambition — to reimagine the basics, to turn functional categories once again joyful. Butter isn’t alone in this awakening. Some categories have slept for decades, dismissed as too ordinary to care about, until a wave of new producers arrives and transforms them from commodities into experiences. Eggs might be the purest example. People often say the best way to judge a chef is to ask them to cook an egg — simplicity reveals everything. But quality reveals even more. Clarence Court helped consumers see that eggs could be savoured, not just cracked open. Duck eggs, with their richer yolks and creamier texture, have added another layer of indulgence. Truly great scrambled eggs — the kind chefs quietly obsess over — depend on two things: good butter and good eggs. When the raw ingredients are extraordinary, the simplest dishes become special Tonic water followed a similar OLIVER LLOYD CONSULTANT “Commodity nomore” trajectory. It was once a dusty necessity — a mixer rather than a drink — until Fever-Tree reframed the entire category. Suddenly, tonic became premium, provenance- driven, crisp, varied. Today we’re in a second wave. Match Tonic Water, for instance, sits at nearly £9 a litre, compared with around £4.55 for Fever-Tree. On paper, that sounds absurd, but taste it and the logic becomes clear: people will pay when they can genuinely taste the difference. It’s the same story as butter, just in a highball glass. Olive oil has undergone its own quiet transformation. What was once a pantry staple is now a dinner-party gift — a shift driven by producers who focus on freshness, single estates, regenerative farming, and expressive flavour. Citizens of Soil has helped push that movement forward, reminding people that olive oil isn’t just a cooking medium but a finishing touch, a point of pride, a story to tell. The act of drizzling has become almost performative — a signal that quality matters. Vinegar, too, is emerging from the shadows. Willy’s ACV has turned apple cider vinegar into a wellness essential, while Japanese producers like Mizkan and heritage French names like Maille are showing how deep, expressive, and culinary vinegar can be. Barrel-aged vinegars, infused vinegars, drinking vinegars — acidity is having its moment. It’s a reminder that once a category develops flavour variation, provenance and ritual, it has the potential to take on new life. But there’s an important truth running through all of this: premiumisation only works when the difference is real. Butter works because it transforms toast. Eggs work because they transform breakfast. Olive oil works because it transforms anything it touches. Vinegar works because it changes the balance of a dish. If the experience doesn’t noticeably improve, consumers won’t trade up — no matter how beautiful the branding might be. The product has to earn the price. What’s exciting is how these revived categories change the way people cook and shop. When butter becomes a treat, when olive oil becomes a gift, when vinegar becomes a flavour exploration, everything feels a little more intentional. Consumers become willing to lean in — to taste, to compare, to experiment. And that’s where the opportunity lies, not in pushing premium for the sake of it, but in shining a light on producers who genuinely elevate the everyday. When the story is strong, the difference is tangible, and the usage is clear, even the most familiar categories can come back to life. The next breakout product isn’t always the newest invention. Sometimes it’s the thing we almost forgot — waiting for someone to remind us how extraordinary it can be. Government urged to back £50 billion food manufacturing growth plan The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) is calling on the government to partner with “the backbone of the UK economy”. The organisation has a plan for growth and competitiveness it believes could double annual investment, grow exports to £35 billion, and position Britain as a global hub for food and drink innovation. From the bakers and cereal makers of the Midlands, to the soft drink producers of the South-West, to Scotland’s oat millers, and soup makers in the South-East, the UK’s 12,000 food and drinkmanufacturers are part and parcel of our economy. However, says the FDF, with rising costs, regulatory pressures and uncertainty, and increasing competition from abroad, business confidence in the sector fell to -60% in Q3 2025. Nonetheless, the sector is determined to seize untapped growth, it adds. Backed by many of the nation’s most well-known and loved food brands, food and drink manufacturers’ have laid out their five Growth Ambitions to support the resilience and long-term success of the sector. They are: 1. Doubling annual business investment from £5.8 billion to £12 billion. 2. Growing exports to £35 billion. 3. Generating over £50 billion in gross value-added (GVA) for the UK economy by unlocking a £14 billion opportunity in technology adoption. 4. Make the UK the global hub for healthier product innovation and food and drink R&D. 5. Contribute to a 50% reduction in emissions across the agrifood supply chain and drive investment in the circular economy. With the sector tasked with finding solutions to some of society’s biggest challenges, fromhealthier diets and sustainability, to harnessing new technology and increasing trade, the common thread to unlocking growth in all of these areas is renewed investment. In setting out a clear, actionable plan, the FDF is highlighted at its recent annual Investment summit how a strong government-industry partnership can unlock growth and investment in the UK’s largest manufacturing sector. Frompromoting British exports and strengthening supply chain resilience, to supporting investment in healthier products and innovative ingredients, there’s a big opportunity for UK food and drink to lead on the global stage. Kate Dearden, minister for consumer goods, said the sector is key to economic growth. “Not only does it support key facilities and supply chains, but also hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country. “Through our Trade Strategy we are removing barriers and creating exciting new export opportunities for the sector, helping to boost productivity, investment and jobs as part of our Plan for Change.”