Speciality Food - October 2025

thinking about what peoplewill use them for, and can I range items next to X, Y, Z. For example, putting carbs, like noodles and dumplings near stocks, broths and sauces. That gives people an idea of what they can dowith things.” Times really have changed, she reflects. “In the olden days of merchandising, peoplewere used to breaking categories up, so jams went with jams, but you canmake so muchmore of these products. Like fig and orange jamgoes beautifully with cheese, so put it near the cheese counter. I think you need to be telling customers what they can dowith food – that’s what theywant.” Sherilyn says it pays to be armed at the deli counter with suggestions @specialityfood customers can cherry pick from too. Ready priced savoury and sweet platters (perhaps of your charcuterie, pies, pastries, cheeses or cakes) to take the hardwork out. “Retailers can showcase plattermenus at counters, as well as online through their website and social media channels to increase customer awareness,” she adds. Three dining in trends to tap into this Christmas: CHEESE We’re hearingmore andmore from delis and cheese retailers that their customers aremaking cheese the main event at dinner. Grazing and cheeseboards are still popular (after all, what’s easier than bringing cheese 24 D inner parties are firmly back on the agenda. The excitement of being able to go ‘out out’ again, following Covid lockdowns, appears to havewaned, and this, coupledwith rising food inflation impacting the cost of eating out, meansmore andmore of us are popping corks and switching on the stoves at homewhen it comes to entertaining – especially around key events like Christmas and NewYear’s Eve. The last time dinner parties peakedwas in the 70s, when cubes of pineapple and Cheddar on toothpicks, prawn cocktail, steak Diane, and angelica and glace cherry strewn trifles frothedwithwhippy creamruled. Nostalgia is firmly on the agenda for UK consumers (as they grasp onto comfort in uncertain times), so retro food is verymuchmaking a comeback. But it’smore the ritual of staying in that’s striking a chord – an ever-younger crowd putting their own spin on dining in, taking cue from social media trends and global travel. According to Lakeland’s 2024 report, 75% of 25 to 34-year-olds have hosted a dinner party in their home, while AHDB reportsmore than 70% of British dining occasions take place at home. And it’s dinner that’s firmly in their sights –withmore andmore out-of- home dining happening at breakfast, brunch or lunchtime, which are not only perceived to be better value for money but alsomean those sleep- consciousMillennials and Gen-Zers can get home at a decent hour for their eight hours of shuteye. Scott Dixon, managing director at The Flava People, says the cost-of- living is hard to ignorewhen it comes to our dining habits. “Everything is geared towards value. Customers are more concernedwith how far they can stretch theirmoney. If they’re STAYING HOME ISWHERE IT’S AT Brits are continuing to enjoy entertaining at home. Speciality Food revealswhat they’re putting in their baskets and how to engagewith them in-store COMMENTATORS SHERILYN CHU WAI CHOW PARTRIDGES SANGITA TRYNER DELILAH FOOD HALL SCOTT DIXON THE FLAVA PEOPLE salmon has been a customer favourite for over 50 years. And on our counter customers can find duckmousse and chicken liver pâtéwith brandy to pair with The Fine Cheese Co Toasts for Cheese range.” Making things extra easy for consumers is part of the trickwhen it comes to being on their party radar. “We stock a selection of ready-to-fill bases, including Rahms Mini Croustades, and the 3 Toques range of pastry shells and vol-au- vents,” Sherilyn adds, which are ideal for shoppers to embellishwith their favourite toppings. Also catching party planners’ eyes are Torres Black Truffle crisps, What ADate Dates with Pistachio, and the store’s variety of quality olives. Makingmerchandising count Cross-promotion is king in independent food retail, says Sangita. It’s amore thoughtful way to show customers you’ve actually considered howandwhy they are shoppingwith you. As Christmas andNewYear party season approaches, it’s time to ramp up these kinds of activities. “When I look at products to put out on the shelves,” Sangita says, “I’malways eating out, they’re placing higher expectations on the value of the experience, which can fall short. There is an associated riskwith dining out and that’s a key driver for the eating in trend.” Both Sherilyn ChuWai Chow, head ofmarketing at Partridges, and Sangita Tryner, owner andmanaging director of Delilah Fine Foods inNottingham, say they’ve noticed a 10% increase in the sales of pre-prepared and picnic/ party foods in the last year. “We believe consumers prefer the convenience of pre-prepared foods and still want to serve high-quality foods to their guests,” explains Sherilyn. “Purchasing pre-prepared foods from trusted retailers saves valuable time in the kitchen and can seemmore cost-effective than cooking fromscratch.” “We use the phrase ‘carpet picnic’ a lot,” reveals Sangita. “We have a lot of people come in on a Friday saying, ‘I’m having six people over for dinner and I want to give thema grazing platter, can you suggest three or four things I canmake into canapes?’ They’re not only eatingmore at home, theywant to eat interesting things, and things they can share.” The beauty of independent retail is customers know they can reach out for advice, she adds. “So, if they buy finocchiona salami, they don’t just want slices to slap down on the table. We canmake suggestions. How they can roll it upwith fig chutney and a cube of Baron Bigod in the centre. Customers don’t want a plain grazing board anymore, they want tomake thingsmore interesting, which I’m loving!” What’s on themenu? Shoppers are no longer purely being led by their appetites or instincts when they shop for party platters – theywant to demonstrate their foodie prowess by showing off the latest social trends to their guests. “This is especially true for younger customers under 40,” Scott explains. “They over index on the research they put into recipes online, going down rabbit holes for content, and dishes they canmake that alignwith their dietary requirements and those of the friends dining in their group.” It pays, then, to keep on top of the recipes that are trending so you can help themfind the products they need. As well as tapping into ‘what’s hot’ on social media, Scott adds that consumers are very keen to replicate what they’ve eaten at restaurants in a home setting, with Japanese dishes exploding at themoment as home cooks’ exploration and confidence grows. At Partridges, Sherilyn is noticing a definite steer towards the classics such as smoked salmon, cheese and charcuterie. “Our signature smoked