Speciality-Food-June-2025

32 W e’ve all been there. The end of a long working day, hungry, and without the energy or wherewithal to whip up a tasty feast for the family. Thankfully, there’s a wide array of flavour-packed culinary shortcuts on the market right now – so you can help your customers to satisfy their hunger while ensuring that your shared love of quality and great taste is never sacrificed. While cooking sauces have previously worn a reputation of being bland, watery, and poor quality, there’s a new generation of sauce- makers turning this on its head – and bringing taste explosions to cupboards up and down the country. When shoppers turn to cooking @specialityfood sauces, they’re tight on time not appetite, so it’s important to offer them something which not only aids them in their mission to get something on the table pronto but tempts their tastebuds and keeps them coming back for more. “Consumer interest in cooking sauces continues to rise in 2025, and the reasons are clear. Today’s shoppers are juggling busy schedules with high expectations around what they eat,” says Gianfranco Perri, CEO and founder of Just Gourmet Foods – a curator of outstanding Italian produce. “They want more than just convenience – they want authenticity, traceability, and exceptional flavour. Cooking sauces have evolved into a smart shortcut to real home-cooked meals, with no compromise on quality.” Provenance is a strong selling tool across the fine food sector, and this is very much the case in the cooking sauces category too. ““Fine food shoppers are increasingly looking for sauces that tell a story – products that reflect care, provenance, and craftsmanship,” says Gianfranco. Fine food markers can transform a humdrumweeknight speed-supper into an indulgent treat – without eating into tight timescales – he says. “They’re seeking the kind of detail that turns a meal into an experience: regional origin, traditional methods, clean labels, and standout ingredients.” Hawkshead Relish’s new range of slow cooker sauces offers just the solution for shoppers seeking time-saving meal solutions without sacrificing on quality or flavour. “The idea was to offer consumers the flavour of something they have cooked themselves at home, without all the chopping and prepping,” explains Maria Whitehead, director. “We want to make people’s lives easier, and so these sauces can be used in a wide range of ways – from adding flavour to meat in a slow cooker or air fryer or as a marinade.” There are four products in the range – Honey Mustard, Sticky Chilli, Lemon & Garlic, Bloody Mary – and a time-saver these sauces most certainly are; there’s no need to brown the meat or to season the end result – all that’s required is a little time for the flavours to mellow and mingle. A taste for Asian flavours For Carmen Ferguson, brand manager at Biona (parent company, Windmill Organics), South East Asian food has proven particularly popular. “At Biona we offer a range of organic cooking sauces which really hit the mark for healthy scratch- cookers who are looking for exciting ingredients to include in their repertoire,” she begins. “One area where we are particularly seeing increased consumer interest, and where we have recently introduced two new products, is South-East Asian cuisine. According to Mintel’s 2024 World Cuisines report, over half (54%) of British consumers say they’re cooking from scratch more than they used to, and South-east Asian cooking sauces in particular are in strong growth, surging in both value (by *28.4%) and volume (up *11.9%), to cement themselves as the current fastest-growing cooking sauce type.” A bright future for cooking sauces As shoppers’ spare time continues to tighten, “the future is bright – and delicious” for the cooking sauce category says Gianfranco – and this offers a rich opportunity for indies. “UK shoppers are moving away from generic, mass-produced sauces and gravitating towards depth, character, and provenance. Cooking sauces are no longer simply a “helping hand”; they’re becoming centrepieces of the meal. “We expect continued growth in sauces that reflect specific regions, feature seasonal ingredients, and cater to evolving dietary trends, especially plant-based and flexitarian. There’s also room for more adventurous flavour profiles— something we’re exploring across our portfolio,” he says. Retailers who support this shift with strong in-store storytelling, pairing ideas and thoughtful merchandising will see customer engagement grow. Whether it’s a quick meal or a curated gift box, sauces are becoming essential to how people experience food at home. DISTRIBUTOR INSIGHT Laura Strapp, head of buying at Cotswold Fayre, shares her take on the growing cooking sauce and seasonings sector Shoppers are looking for quality restaurant standard meal solutions so they can replicate at home. It’s all about convenience but not compromising on taste. We have seen growth in meal kit solutions, spice sachets and sauces in jars from all different cuisines growing with new challenger brands. It has really evolved from the flavours from traditional Indian/Italian/ Chinese being the well-known cuisines to more specific regions with growth in Thai/Japanese and Malaysian flavours. With more challenger brands entering the market, and with cooking trends and shows, shoppers are looking to experiment more with flavours. Shoppers are scratch cooking but looking for ease when it comes to the important ingredients and this could be a chilli crisp oil that adds the perfect flavour! Ultimately, this is an exciting category as shoppers are more educated in what goes into cooking sauces and finding that perfect brand that can simplify and add the flavours they need for a quick meal solution. Shoppers are looking to experiment morewith flavours FLAVOUR BOOSTERS Our time is more precious than ever, so flavour-packed shortcuts are the order of the day GIANFRANCO PERRI JUST GOURMET FOODS CARMEN FERGUSON BIONA MARIA WHITEHEAD HAWKSHEAD RELISH LAURA STRAPP COTSWOLD FAYRE BRENDON AND JAYDON MANDERS LUMBERJAXE COMMENTATORS HAWKSHEAD RELISH BLOODY MARY SLOWCOOKER SAUCE A flavourful gluten and nut-free timesaver. Delicious with pork. hawksheadrelish.com BIONA RED THAI CURRY PASTE This vegan medium-hot paste features organic ingredients including chilli, garlic, ginger and lemongrass. biona.co.uk GARLIC FARM SEA SALT WITH GARLIC & CHILLI The perfect way to add savoury and spicy flavour, with none of the fuss. thegarlicfarm.co.uk FIELDBLENDS LEMON, SUMAC & GREEN HERB Tart and zingy, this seasoning combines dehydrated lemon peel, sumac berries, herbs, and hand- harvested Yorkshire sea salt. fieldblends.club STOCK CHECK WHY YOU SHOULD STOCK SEASONINGS “The UK public as a whole are getting more and more into using seasonings within their cooking,” begin Brendon and Jaydon Manders, founders of Lumberjaxe. “Gone are the days of bland chicken, sugary marinades or beige meals. Sweet and spicy meals are becoming increasingly popular within the UK and people are looking for low salt, low sugar alternatives. Shoppers are using seasonings for super quick, super tasty midweek meals. With the rapid rise of airfryers, seasoned chicken cooked in an airfryer paired with rice and veg is a speedy way to get wild flavoured meals quickly.”