10 of the prettiest Provence villages worth travelling for this summer
Wander cobbled streets, explore local markets and dine on fresh Provençal cuisine in these pretty villages
For more French travel inspiration, check out our guide to the best French food trips and the best hotels in Paris. 10 of the prettiest Provence villages to visit St Paul de Vence Situated 25 minutes by car from Nice, the cobbled medieval streets of Saint-Paul-de-Vence have been attracting legions of artists, writers and gastronomy lovers for centuries. This picture-perfect village is surrounded by 16th century ramparts, with incredible views overlooking the French Riviera from all angles. La Colombe d’Or is its most iconic culinary establishment – a historic hotel filled with paintings by Picasso and Matisse, who’s chic terrace serves up a menu of Provençal classics executed with panache. Think fresh Niçois hors d’oeuvres, perfectly grilled fish with aioli, and local roasted chicken with gratin dauphinois. Le Tilleul is a more relaxed, well-loved bistro just inside the village gates, serving up an all-day menu of artisanal pastas, seasonal salads and a tea-room menu of delicious crepes and patisserie. Finally, Le Fromager de St Paul is a charming, picturesque spot with an aperitif terrace where you can pick up local artisan cheeses, mountain honeys, saucisson and organic wines to take away. Èze The stunning village of Èze (20 minutes along the coast on the train from Nice) is one of the most unique in Provence as it’s split across two levels – with medieval Èze-Village high up in the hills and Èze-sur-Mer situated along the sea. Its steep stone pathways are excellent for walking, with lots of bijou bistros to discover along the way. Its most famous culinary institution is the two-Michelin starred La Chèvre d’Or – established in 1953 and today headed up by Chef Tom Meyer. The tasting menu features high French gastronomy at its most intricately refined, showcasing ingredients like fermented cherries, veal sweetbreads, fresh pike eggs and Andaliman pepper. Deli' – near the Jardin Exotique – is a brilliant spot for a casual lunch, serving up generously filled baguettes and fresh pizza served alongside tastings of local olive oils. Away from the bustle of tourists is La Campagne, which has a welcoming rustic terrace and specialises in Corsican and Mediterranean dishes that are wood-fire grilled and made with fresh seasonal produce. Sainte Agnes The accolade of being the ‘highest coastal village in Europe’ gives Sainte Agnes a unique edge when it comes to culinary offerings – blending rustic mountainous flavours with influences from the Mediterranean. Located 800m high, its labyrinth of stone streets and balcony views across the lime-stone cliffs of the Med are dramatically beautiful to behold. A 20-minute drive up the winding roads from Menton, traditional dishes from the area include rich mountain-game stews made with rabbit or wild boar and herbs, Swiss chard pies, and sweet tarts filled with local blueberries or figs. Le Righi, near the Maginot Fort, has the best panoramic views in the area, with a menu of dishes like roasted suckling pig, pasta with beef stew, baked trout and zingy lemon tarts. Another great option is the family run Le Saint Yves, whose generously plated menu includes local country pates, homemade courgette pies and a lavender scented crème brûlée. Les Baux de Provence Nestled in the heart of the Alpilles, 1 hour from Marseille, the stunning rural village of Les Baux de Provence is rooted to the world of gastronomy. This is primarily thanks to its prestigious AOP protected olive oil which is cold pressed for 24 hours and has an intense, grassy peppery flavour, along with other specialities like artichokes à la barigoule and local honeys. Le Petit Rocher is a relaxed bistro in the old village that’s carved into the rocks, whose kitchen follows the rhythm of the seasons. Their menu includes Charolais beef, lamb from the Alpilles, organic ice creams and local wines from Vallée des Baux. The romantically cosy Une Table Au Soleil serves up a menu of ingredients sourced within 50km of the village – cooked up into dishes like rack of lamb, stuffed squid and fresh apple tart. Or for something more fancy, the bucolic L'Oustau de Baumanière is a three-Michelin star restaurant serving up an avant garde 10 course menu using hyper local ingredients in a historic Provençal farmhouse setting. Lourmarin One of the prettiest of the Luberon region’s villages, Lourmarin is often cited as being one of the most beautiful in France and is famous for its mix of rustic Provençal traditions with sophisticated contemporary flair. Just under 1 hour from Marseille, locals from across the region travel for its renowned Friday morning market in Boulevard du Rayol and Place Henri Barthélemy, which has seasonal produce in abundance. Browse sun-ripened melons, Cavaillon strawberries, goat cheeses and salty tapenades. Le Champ des Lunes is Lourmarin's must-visit restaurant known for its creative cuisine that uses produce from their restaurant garden. Think pigeon with rosemary, coffee-encrusted fish with Jerusalem artichokes, and candied carrot millefeuille’s for dessert. The more relaxed Le Comptoir serves up a daily changing menu that’s based on the freshest produce of the days harvest, including platters of Corsican charcuterie, Provençal classics like duck confit, and salads filled with wild aromatic herbs and cheeses. Don’t miss La Maison du Gibassier bakery, famous for its firm shortbread made with French olive oil. Gordes The hilltop village of Gordes – situated 1hr 20mins from Marseille – is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful villages in the world. With its high altitude and limestone soil, the village is renowned for its winter truffles, Banon goat cheese wrapped in chestnut leaves and local honeys, all proudly for sale at Gordes Tuesday market, set amidst the village’s renaissance castle. For an authentic taste of the region, try La Trinquette which serves up a modern take on traditional dishes – like their crab and red snapper ravioli, tender lamb chops, stuffed aubergines and well-soaked rum baba. Alternatively, the daily fixed menus at the family-run Restaurant L'Outsider includes inventive dishes like smoked salmon and leek "crème brûlée", slow cooked lamb with rosemary and a triple chocolate fondant. Don’t leave without picking up olive breads, speciality cuculine loaves, orange-blossom scented brioche or strawberry tarts from Le Fournil de Mamie Jeanne – the best artisanal bakery in the village. Ramatuelle Just 15 mins from St Tropez, the village of Ramatuelle mixes rustic Provençal tranquillity with full-on sandy coastal luxury. One of the culinary highlights of the village is Chez Camille, famous for its signature wood-fired bouillabaisse cooked to a family recipe that dates back to 1953. Other menu highlights include their lobster linguine, Provençal calamari and pavlova aux fruits rouges. For a more refined taste of the regions terroir, La Voile serves up the option of a ‘Tout Légumes’ tasting menu featuring dishes like beef heart tomatoes with burrata, saltwater cooked beetroot with cherry chutney and even garden inspired desserts that feature celery. For something more relaxed, but equally refined, head to Saveurs Sincères – a family run establishment that offers the choice of either cozy interior rooms or a stone terrace patio. Their rotating chalk board menu includes dishes like traditional pork meatballs with sage, stuffed squid with prawns and mussels and peanut-praline ganache pie. Gassin One of the most noticeable landmarks in the medieval village of Gassin, 10 minutes from St Tropez, is Place deï Barri – a beautiful scenic square filled with shaded restaurant terraces and stone architecture. The popular Le Pescadou has a surf-and-turf menu with dishes like filleted Mediterranean seabass with sauce vierge, and hand cut steak tartar with summer truffles. After taking a stroll around its narrow-cobbled streets, (including L'Androuno, one of the narrowest streets in the world), check out Gassin market which specialises in sun-ripened tomatoes, artisanal jams and house-made anchovy purées. Alternatively, head to the family-run La Verdoyante who’s shaded terrace with panoramic views is one of the loveliest spots in the village. They serve of a menu of southern gastronomy, with dishes like lamb quasi with herb panisse, vol au vents with mushroom and asparagus, and a molten moelleux au chocolat served with banana ice-cream. Le Casstellet The fortified medieval village of Le Casstellet – 45 minutes from Marseille – balances pastoral Provençal traditions with ultra-luxurious gastronomy, perched above the Bandol AOC vineyards that surround it with timeless views on all sides. Its Saturday morning market is famous for it’s Cadière d'Azur goat cheese and Beausset saffron which come directly from producers, along with anchoïade dips and fougasse breads. The village has many terraced cafés and restaurants which celebrate the finest produce and wines of the region, such as La Farigoule which is known for its wood-fired cooking. The menu includes dishes like rabbit terrines, whole grilled fresh mullet, and a trio of crème brûlée. For something ultra-refined, head to the 3-starred La Table du Castellet headed up by chef Fabien Ferré, where the multi-course tasting menu includes dishes like: squid and marjoram, velvet crab soup, lamb with anchovy, and a cheese-trolley which has an extra-special selection of matured regional cheese from across France. Tourettes sur Loup Also known as ‘The City of Violets’, Tourettes sur Loup – situated 40 minutes from Nice – is an artistic village perched on a rocky spur, filled with quaint vaulted passages, some excellent food and lots of galleries that sell the local speciality violet ice-cream. The refined menu at Le Bistrot Gourmand Clovis offers something a little different – focussing in on one seasonal ingredient, with menu options built around that speciality – be it St Jaque scallops, Bresse poultry or Provençal green asparagus. The charming Le Petit Tourrettan has a ‘home-cooked’ feel and menu of soulful dishes like stuffed petit farcis, octopus with chorizo and classic tarte tatin. And don’t leave without making a visit to Confiserie Florian, where you can sample and buy speciality violet scented chocolates and even violet jams. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/2/2026/04/GettyImages-2177834494-29dfd94.jpg" width="724" height="483" alt="Stone steps leading from a narrow cobblestone alley of picturesque medieval homes in the old town of Tourrettes sur Loup, in the Cote d'Azur region." title="Stone steps leading from a narrow cobblestone alley of picturesque medieval homes in the old town of Tourrettes sur Loup, in the Cote d'Azur region." /> More like this Best European mountain escapes 10 unique walking holidays for food lovers Best health and wellness retreats for foodies 8 US cities to visit that offer spectacular value for money Best European city breaks Best foodie city breaks to visit by train Best English vineyard breaks
Try this Greek taverna classic from our trends expert, Gurdeep Loyal. Expect a rich tomato-based sauce with lots of olive oil, onions and garlic
Try Gurdeep's prawn saganaki, then discover our Greek salad, chicken gyros, chicken souvlaki and moussaka. or pick your favourite from our easy Greek recipes to create a Mediterranean-style spread. Prawn saganaki is a beloved Greek taverna dish with a name that stems from the two-handled pan it’s traditionally cooked in. It’s bold and balanced, blending the very best Mediterranean ingredients together simply. It’s a dish that’s close to the heart of Petros Dimas, chef-patron of Michelin-starred Makris in Athens. “Prawn saganaki always reminds me of Greek summer,” he fondly recalls. “It brings back so many memories of long evenings by the sea in small fishing harbours, where simple food always tastes incredible. I’ll never forget eating prawns in a tiny taverna on the Ionian coast, with bread soaking up the tomato sauce and a hint of ouzo – it showed me how the simplest ingredients, when treated well, can be truly unforgettable.” The dish begins with a rich tomato-based sauce with lots of olive oil, onions and garlic – there’s a tangy element from either fresh lemon or vinegar, and regional aromatics such as oregano, chilli and cinnamon. Petros explains that ingredients are key: “This dish is all about balance. Use good tomatoes, good olive oil and just a bit of heat so it doesn’t overpower the sweetness of the prawns. Always use the freshest prawns you can find, cook them gently and finish with fresh herbs to bring everything together.” Traditionally a splash of ouzo or tsipouro is added for an aniseed note – alternatively you can add fresh fennel, as I have in this recipe. What’s essential is sharp, barrel-aged Greek feta, crumbled or lightly melted into the dish towards the end. When serving a Michelin-starred take on prawn saganaki, Petros explains: “At Makris we honour tradition but reinterpret it through precision and layering of flavours. A saganaki at the restaurant will start with impeccably sourced shellfish, a tomato emulsion, aromatic herb essences and a broth clarified and perfumed with seasonal nuances. For me the best combinations are those rooted in our terroir: sweet shellfish with slow-roasted tomato and hand-picked oregano, fresh citrus zest with wild herbs from our farm, Greek olive oil that bridges sea and earth. We always seek harmony, allowing each ingredient to sing while contributing to a unified whole.” The dish must be served bubbling hot, accompanied by crusty bread to soak up everything, plus a final flourish of fresh parsley or mint for vibrant earthiness that balances the tang of the sauce. Prawn saganaki recipe
10 European gourmet escapes to catch spring produce at its peak
From wild garlic in the UK to sour cherries in Hungary, seasonal produce is bountiful across Europe in spring
From the first vivid green shoots of wild garlic in the British countryside, to fleeting lagoon delicacies in Venice and the tart cherries starting to ripen across central Europe, spring brings a wave of ingredients for which chefs wait all year. These 10 gourmet escapes are centred around the continent’s most exciting spring produce and the places where it tastes best. For more spring travel inspiration, check out our guides of where to go in April and the best spring holiday destinations around the world. Bristol, UK: wild garlic From March to May, damp and shady woodlands, country lanes and city streets all over the UK are flushed with verdant wild garlic, also known as ramsons. Its long, glossy leaves and fragrant flowers have a fresh garlicky flavour that sings of British springtime. Check out our 10 foraging do's and don'ts to safely secure your haul. Thanks to its many riverbanks and streams, Bristol and the West Country are especially abundant in the woodland herb – particularly spots like Leigh Woods, Ashton Court and the Avon Gorge, where foragers gather annually. The menu at Root – a contemporary, plant-led sharing plates restaurant on Bristol’s historic Wapping Wharf – showcases wild garlic season each year. It's foraged in the local area daily and served on the menu later the same day, cooked in dishes like cannellini beans, wild garlic, smoked butter and pangrattato. Marmo restaurant and wine shop in central Bristol is similarly founded on a seasonal and locally sourced ethos – there, the aim is to try to get wild garlic into as many dishes as possible over the foraging season. Try the hand-rolled butter and wild garlic strozzapreti, or fried wild garlic frittelle. See our expert local's guide to the best restaurants in Bristol for more. Valls, Spain: calçots The annual calçotada festivities in Spain originate in the town of Valls, in the province of Tarragona – just over an hour by train from Barcelona – and celebrate the harvest of calçots, the green onions native to Catalonia that are prized for their tenderness, length and pungent, sweet flavour. During the festival, calçots are charred over open fire, peeled and dipped into smoky romesco or salvitxada. In Valls, local restaurants are experts in flame-grilling the calçots over vine branches to serve with rustic bread and cava or red wine from traditional ‘porró’ pitchers. The family-run Casa Felix Valls is a calçotada that has been serving the blackened onions with sausages, lamb, seasonal artichokes and its signature sautéed beans for more than 50 years. Cal Ganxo, with its rustic stone walls and old wooden beams, is another local institution with some of the best homemade romesco in the region. Munich, Germany: Bavarian white asparagus The arrival of white asparagus (spargel) in Munich from mid-April is an annual culinary event. Bavarian restaurants in the city mark the occasion by swapping their standard menus to dedicated spargelkarte – or 'white asparagus menu' – sourcing their spears from the nearby Schrobenhausen region, the heart of white asparagus production. The asparagus is prized for being extra-tender and nutty – it's grown underground, so it never develops the usual green colouring, but stays glossy and white. Munich treats the spargelzeit season with almost religious devotion, and it's centered around Viktualienmarkt – Munich’s central open-air market – where booths and stalls are piled high with the spears and serve them with melted butter or hollandaise sauce. Görreshof Wirtshaus in the Maxvorstadt district is a traditional inn famous for its spargelkarte and beer garden – it serves dishes like spargelcremesuppe – a creamy white asparagus soup made with fresh chives, as well as wiener schnitzel. Family-run regional restaurant Der Pschorr is equally renowned for its asparagus menu, which includes dishes like white asparagus with smoked ham. Venice, Italy: Venetian lagoon soft-shell crabs One of the most prized culinary delicacies in Italy are soft-shell crabs – known as moeche or moleche – from the Venetian lagoon, available during a short season in spring and autumn. They're eaten in the very short window after their old shells are shed, when the new shells remain soft for just a couple of hours before hardening. The ancient art of finding them has been perfected by Venetian fishermen, called moanti, who catch them in wooden crates in Venice’s lagoons, checking in every hour to see if the old shell has been shed before quickly selling them at Rialto Market. The crabs must be eaten within 48 hours, which ensures an intense, briny yet sweet flavour and extra-tender texture – they have an almost buttery mouth-feel. Tucked away in an alleyway near Rialto, Trattoria Antiche Carampane is famous for its light and crisp fried lagoon crabs and lagoon shrimp served on creamy polenta. The tiny Osteria alle Testiere is another well-loved Venice spot that's famed for its ingredient-led approach – it sources its seasonal lagoon crabs fresh from Rialto Market each morning. Budapest, Hungary: sour cherries Red sour cherries – or meggy – are deeply rooted in Hungarian culinary culture, with the heart of production focussed in the northeastern village of Nagykörű, known as 'Hungary’s cherry orchard'. The firm, plump cherries have an intense sharp-sweet flavour and are rich in antioxidants. Budapest is a great place to experience the season – the tart fruits pop up in everything from flaky pastries to cold soups. Head to the Central Market Hall (Nagyvásárcsarnok) during the peak of the short season to see mountains of Balaton or Érdi varieties piled high at stalls and sold by the kilo. Gettó Gulyás, in Budapest’s Jewish quarter, is renowned for its warming seasonal dishes, like mákos guba (poppy seed bread pudding) with a sour cherry twist, and meggy pálinka (sour cherry pit brandy). Another beloved family-run spot is Rosenstein Vendéglő, which sources cherries from its farm in Újfehértó, then uses them to make its famous hideg meggyleves (chilled sour cherry soup) flavoured with cloves, cinnamon, citrus and cream. Lesvos, Greece: papalines Late spring marks the beginning of papalines season – Greece’s famous, meaty, sweet white sardines from the Gulf of Kalloni, which are best enjoyed on the island of Lesvos. The Gulf of Kalloni is a 'natural fish farm', where the shallow waters create the perfect ecosystem for these smaller, fattier sardines to flourish. Traditionally, they're cured in salt for 24 hours to create sardeles pastes, which are eaten with good Greek olive oil and Lesvian ouzo – a highlight of annual sardine festivals in the harbour town of Skala Kallonis. MEZEN is a traditional spot in Skala Kallonis’s central square that serves the freshest catches of the day from the island, cooked in dishes like coal-charred sardines with horta wild greens, fresh herbs and lemon. Mistral in Molyvos Harbor uses the island's fresh produce to make its traditional saganaki, moussaka and souvlaki, plus ‘married sardines’ – two sardine fillets 'married' together with a garlic, parsley and feta filling. Helsinki, Finland: false morels One of Helsinki’s most prized (and feared!) delicacies is the false morel mushroom, or korvasieni (literally 'ear mushroom'), as it’s known locally. They emerge when the snow melts in May, marking the start of foraging season in Finland. However, the raw mushrooms are lethally toxic, and must be specially prepared by experts who use plenty of discarded boiled water to neutralise the toxin and make them edible. When cooked correctly, they have a deeply umami, nutty, buttery, earthy flavour and firm texture. Try them at Kuu – a neighbourhood restaurant known for its refined Finnish comfort food that serves false morels with fried perch, and cooked in creamy forest mushroom soups. There's also Kosmos, in the heart of Helsinki, which has a distinctly Finnish menu, particularly its sylvester sandwich au gratin – toasted rye bread with roe and creamy false morel sauce. Nice, France: violet de Provence artichokes All across Provence, purple-tinted violet de Provence artichokes abundantly fill market stalls during spring, particularly in Nice. These small, tender, conical artichokes are loved for their tender texture, but they also have only a small fuzzy ‘choke’ in the centre, making them easier to eat. In fact, they're one of few artichoke varieties that can be eaten raw – often sliced into a thin carpaccio with olive oil, lemon and parmesan shavings. At Nice’s central Cours Saleya market, you can buy them in bunches, called poivrade – stallholders will often offer tasters of the crisp, peppery leaves, and sell battered and fried beignets d’artichauts (artichoke fritters). La Table Alziari in Old Nice cooks petit violets into dishes like traditional artichauts à la barigoule – a classic Provençal stew in which the artichokes are braised with carrots, garlic, white wine and bacon. Porto, Portugal: Galician kale Galician kale – or couve galega – is a cultural touchstone in northern Portugal and the area around Porto. Unlike tougher kales, couve galega is tender, meaning it cooks quickly and retains its vibrant green colour and delicate, earthy flavour. It forms the basis of caldo verde, a popular soup made with puréed potatoes, onions and garlic. During the Festa de São João (a street festival celebrating the nativity of St John the Baptist), caldo verde is served in clay bowls alongside grilled sardines and broa (cornbread) to fuel the festivities. O Astro Cervejaria Petisqueira, across from Porto’s Campanhã station, is one of the best places to try the traditional soup, where it's served with spicy bifanas (pork sandwiches). Or, head to historic riverside restaurant Adega São Nicolau – its caldo verde is made with hand-shredded kale and served as a side to grilled octopus or salt cod. Check out our city guide to the best restaurants in Porto for more recommendations. Galway, Ireland: native flat oysters The harvest of native Irish flat oysters (ostrea edulis) in Galway is a highlight of spring, as it's when the oysters are at their plumpest before they start spawning in the summer. Galway Bay – where the salty Atlantic meets freshwater River Corrib – is one of the few places in the world with self-sustaining beds of these native flat oysters, which have creamy texture, complex flavour and sweet, nutty undertones that are much more pronounced in spring. Moran's Oyster Cottage dates back more than 250 years, and is a seventh-generation family-run spot situated in a 300-year-old thatched cottage – this is where to go for the quintessential Galway oyster experience. Its signature 'Galway flats' are served with no adornment to showcase their briny, sweet taste. Wash them down with a Guinness while overlooking the Dunkellin River. Galway’s first oyster bar, McSwiggan's, is still loved by locals and visitors alike, and is a bustling establishment where oysters are freshly shucked and served raw, or flame-grilled and enjoyed Rockefeller-style with parmesan and herbs or Kilpatrick-style with bacon and Worcestershire sauce. For more Irish inspo, check out our guide to the best Irish holiday destinations, from Cork and Dublin to Portrush or Dingle. More like this Best European mountain escapes 10 unique walking holidays for food lovers Best health and wellness retreats for foodies 8 US cities to visit that offer spectacular value for money Best European city breaks Best foodie city breaks to visit by train Best English vineyard breaks
Seasonal mussels get an aromatic Cambodian twist in Gurdeep Loyal's latest on-trend recipe
Cambodian or Khmer cuisine is among the oldest influences from ancient Khmer cooking, Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese cuisines. Freshness and aromatic complexity are defining features – along with the balancing of salty, sweet, sour and bitter elements, with umami depth added through fermentation. Primarily a rice-based cuisine, Cambodian food is heavy with flavours of garlic, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, makrut lime and ginger, along with prahok (fermented fish paste) and kapi (shrimp paste). Herbs like thai basil, coriander and mint are used in abundance, as is the signature spice of the cuisine – black kampot pepper (a mixture of green and black peppercorns is a good alternative). Star anise, cinnamon and cardamom also feature often, with sweet and acidic elements added through palm sugar, tamarind, lime and vinegar. This recipe for Cambodian-style mussels plays with the flavours of the region, layering them into the dish in many ways – firstly with an aromatic paste that adds fragrant depth; secondly by combining whole and ground spices for complexity with lots of obligatory peppercorns; thirdly by adding in coconut milk for richness; fourthly with fish sauce for umami savouriness; and lastly with limes for sour tang and fresh aromatic herbs for vibrant freshness. To try a taste of Cambodian food yourself, head to chef Kaneda Pen’s Mamapen at Sun & 13 Cantons in Soho, an exciting beacon of Cambodian cuisine in London. The menu includes dishes like panko pork toast with drunken master XO, sour pineapple curry and Khmer BBQ chicken with shaoxing teriyaki glaze and tuk trey koh kong. In Philadelphia, USA, Mawn is a Cambodian noodle bar that is one of the hottest restaurants in America right now, while, in San Francisco, Lunette is another exciting bastion of Cambodian cuisine. To cook Cambodian at home, check out the new cookbook My Cambodia: A Khmer Cookbook by Nite Yun. View Green Video on the source website Cambodian-style aromatic mussels recipe
Tiger milk ceviche black rice bowl with coconut
Try Gurdeep Loyal's zesty Peruvian marinade for seafood, served with black rice for drama. Don't forget the coconut chips and jalapeños on the side.
Try our tiger milk ceviche black rice bowl with coconut, then discover mooli and pomegranate ceviche, sea bass ceviche with blood orange, aleppo pepper and pistachio or popcorn ceviche. Food and drink trends specialist Gurdeep Loyal says: "Leche de tigre (‘tiger’s milk’) is a citrus-based seafood and pickle vegetables for ceviche dishes. Lime juice and ginger are its key components, bringing zesty juice and zingy fire to the milky white elixir. "Other additions often include soy or ponzu, garlic, spices and chilli, coconut and sometimes other sharp fruits like passion fruit, pineapple or tamarillo (tree tomato). Thanks to its high acidity the marinade effectively cooks the proteins in the fish leaving it tender and very flavourful. "It’s also great as a salad dressing – some places even serve up shots of invigorating tiger’s milk as a hangover cure. At the stylish Tigermilk restaurant in London – specialising in seasonal South American cooking – pollock ceviche is served in creamy coconut leche de tigre with mango, pomegranate, red onions and coriander. At Crudo Cevicheria in Covent Garden the menu features leche de tigre seabass with sweet potato, choclo and cancha corn. "Over in New York, Peruvian fine dining restaurant Nuyores (from chef Oscar Lorenzzi) offers tuna ají amarillo leche de tigre with crispy seaweed sweet onion. And, in Paris, Selva (from chef Felipe Camargo) has a veggie take with candied celeriac, spinach tiger leche, cashews, parsley oil, crunchy quinoa, plantain chips and achiote. "Black rice – as loved by restaurants like Dimes Deli in New York – is a delicious and unexpected base for tiger’s milk ceviche. It has a rich, nutty, slightly sweet flavour and almost chewy texture, with the antioxidant anthocyanin creating its black colour. Black rice is also higher in protein than other rice, and rich in fibre." Tiger milk ceviche black rice bowl with coconut recipe
I’m a trends specialist and here are the ultimate food trends for 2026: ingredients, cuisines and habits set to rise next year
From soil-to-gut eating to the global cuisines to know, these are the hottest food trends for 2026
Want to know what you're going to be eating, drinking and talking about in the world of food in 2026? Trends expert Gurdeep Loyal has the lowdown on the food trends to know for the new year. Read on to know the trending cuisines, dishes, habits and appliances set to rise next year... Soil-to-gut eating The evolution of gut health conversations in 2026 will link up soil health with the microbiome as one looping system. Nutritionist Dr Lucy Williamson will be championing the drive with her new book ‘Soil to Gut’ (released in July) which will explore the connections between the health of our soil, the food we grow, and the microbes that shape our gut. Lucy explains: “Foods grown in chemical-free soils – organic or regeneratively farmed foods for example – are richer in certain nutrients and antioxidants, key fuels for our gut microbes. By supporting soil biodiversity in nature, we support the microbiome within us and, ultimately, our overall wellbeing.” She continues: “It’s an ecosystem-based approach... it recognises that the wellbeing of our soils, our food, and ourselves are all interconnected.” In this vein, ROVI restaurant by Ottolenghi has had a grand transformation and asserted a new ethos with deep connections to the land, seasons and vegetables from ‘root to tip’. At the heart of ROVI’s approach is Wolves Lane, its kitchen garden in North London – a home for regenerative producers that work in ongoing dialogue with the restaurant, allowing ROVI’s menus to evolve in harmony with the land and the growers. For the launch of the new look restaurant, they also partnered with Wildfarmed – growers of regenerative flour. Elsewhere, GAIL’s have launched The Wheat Project – a series of loaves packed with nutrition that support good gut health and British farming. Brands like Northern Pasta Co and Bold Bean Co are also championing gut-friendly eating connected to the land. Fibre is the new protein Holland & Barrett report that their online searches for fibre have increased by more than 52% since 2024. Despite strong evidence that fibre can support gut health, 96% of Brits aren’t meeting their daily needs. The viral trend for #Fibremaxxing (amassing over 160m views on TikTok) is where health-conscious creators have been sharing innovative ways to help get to the recommended 30g a day. Holland & Barrett have launched their new High Fibre range (launching 12 Jan), including products like Super Seed Spinach Crispbreads (which are 83% seeds, combining five varieties) and a Fibre Soda made with acacia, baobab, and Jerusalem artichoke fibre. The trend for #GutScrubs and #InternalShowers is also leading to a rise in drinks like chia water, whilst Holland & Barrett are watching out for ingredients like boswellia serrata, also known as Indian frankincense, whose resin is rich in natural plant compounds that studies show support digestive comfort. Trending global cuisines Cambodian food Cambodian or Khmer cuisine is amongst the oldest of Southeast Asia’s culinary traditions, pulling influences from ancient Khmer empire cooking, Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese cuisines. Freshness and aromatic complexity are defining features – along with the balancing of salty, sweet, sour, and bitter elements, with umami depth added through fermentation. A rice based cuisine, Cambodian food is heavy with flavours of garlic, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, kaffir lime and ginger; along with prahok (fermented fish paste) and kapi (shrimp paste). Herbs like Thai basil, mint and coriander are used in abundance, as are spices like black kampot pepper, star anise, cinnamon and cardamom. Sweet and acidic elements are added through palm sugar, tamarind, lime, and vinegar. Mamapen at the The Sun and Thirteen Cantons in Soho – from chef Kaneda Pen – is an exciting beacon of Cambodian cuisine in London. The menu includes dishes like panko pork toast with Drunken Master XO, sour pineapple curry or Khmer BBQ chicken. One of the hottest restaurants in America right now is Mawn in Philadelphia, a Cambodian noodle bar, whilst in San Francisco Lunette – which featured on Netflix's Chef’s Table – is an exciting bastion of Cambodian cuisine. To cook Cambodian at home, check out the cookbook ‘My Cambodia – a Khmer Cookbook’ by Nite Yun. Egyptian food Married YouTubers Obi and Salma Elsahhar – also known as Middle Eats – are two brilliant champions of Egyptian cuisine online. Signature dishes include stuffed pigeons, samak singari (spiced baked fish), kabab halla (Egyptian beef braised with onions) and roz me'ammar (Egyptian baked rice). Salma explains that “Egyptian food is vastly different than the Middle Eastern cuisine most people are used to. We use a lot of garlic and vinegar for an extra punch. Bread is the primary carb; it's even called eish (meaning ‘living’). We use a lot of open-top clay tagines for baked braises, and onion marinades are used for tenderising meats”. One of the most distinctive aspects of Egyptian food is the falafel. “Our falafel, known as ta'ameya, is made with fava beans and not chickpeas, which makes it super light and fluffy,” explains Salma. Another excellent advocate of Egyptian food is British-Egyptian food writer Soha Darwish who shares recipes on Instagram for dishes like rolled vine leaves ‘warak enab’ and koshari (Egypt’s national dish), which combines long and short pastas, rice and lentils topped with a garlicky sauce called daa’ah, tomato sauce and crispy onions. Taiwanese-Tex Mex Felicity Cloake’s latest book ‘Peach Street to Lobster Lane’ explored US cuisines from coast to coast. One of the most interesting discoveries along the way was Taiwanese-Tex Mex fusion – exemplified by the restaurant Best Quality Daughter in San Antonio which has been a huge influence on chefs around the world. Their menu features dishes like orange chicken fried steak, Taiwanese popcorn chicken with Thai basil ranch and mochi cheddar hush puppies. Restaurants in London like Mexican Seoul, Los Mochis and Ta Ko all celebrate wider Asian-Mexican fusion foods in their own delicious ways. Food and psychology intersection Two brilliant books have sparked interest in this fascinating intersecting field: Baking and the Meaning of Life by Helen Goh, and The Kitchen Shrink by Dr Andrea Oskis. Helen Goh – psychologist, Ottolenghi pastry chef and food writer – opens her book with the question “Why is baking so important in the way we signify and strengthen the things that are meaningful in our lives?”. Weaving psychology and baking (with plenty of recipes), Helen explores how the act of choosing to bake can create purpose and significance in our lives – as well as being a joyful outlet for creativity, connection and celebration. In The Kitchen Shrink, Dr Andrea Oskis explores how food can be a window into our relationships, identity and emotional lives. The way we eat is deeply meaningful because of how it links to the ways in which we communicate, connect and remember our relationships with other. There’s a direct correlation between our eating behaviours (what and how we eat) and our emotional behaviours (who we feel safe with, how we negotiate closeness). Kids party desserts grow up Elevated chocolate mousse Ever since Dua Lipa was photographed at Chez Janou in Paris (famous for its gigantic “all you can eat” chocolate mousse bowl) the world has been going crazy for this nostalgic treat, elevated with high quality ingredients and additions like cacao nibs or unusual liqueurs – I recently shared a recipe on Instagram for a chocolate orange mousse with cacao dukkah. Chefs are experimenting with selecting extra virgin olive oils with particular tasting notes and aromas to drizzle over their finished mousse for a balance of sweet and savoury. At Fjora in Copenhagen, try baked milk chocolate mousse with koji Copenhagen miso custard. Closer to home in Kentish Town, The Parakeet's chocolate mousse is made with 70% Valrhona dark chocolate, served table side from a large bowl and generously spooned onto a base of white chocolate crumb and delicate biscuit tuile. Try our coffee-infused affogato chocolate mousse recipe, or make this white chocolate mousse topped with honeycomb and blackberries for extra texture. Rice crispy & cornflake treats The back-of-the-cereal-box classic recipe of puffed rice or cereal and chocolate is having a gastronomic glow up – set to explode even further in 2026. Ardington Bakery in Oxfordshire sells a classic marbled Belgian chocolate crunch traybake that will appeal to a sweet tooth, whilst Fine & Warm offer a browned butter crispy treat taster box that perfectly balance of sweet and salty. Flavours include cinnamon toast, toasted black sesame and chocolate hazelnut. Dig into your storecupboard to get making your own unique creations! We love our layered honey nut cornflake and caramel bars. Gourmet instant foods and freeze-dried everything Freeze-dried instant food is moving beyond pot noodle and camping fodder into genuinely delicious gourmet products. Itsu recently launched their big Noodles and Broth Instant Pots in collaboration with chef Monica Galetti, with flavours including katsu curry and chilli miso. Your storecupboard is getting the freeze-dried treatment too: Jux Foods specialises in “100% cupboard-friendly” freeze-dried plants including beetroot, red onion, ginger and a whole host of herbs. The social media craze for freeze-dried candy will continue to rise in 2026 too, with brands like Noomz launching lots of unique new freeze-dried treats like lemon bites, fruit bears and sour worms. GLP-1 effect As appetite suppressing medicines like Ozempic and Mounjaro (known collectively as GLP-1s) gain popularity, one impact is that users are seeking out smaller meals. Lean proteins and plant-based foods tend to be favoured over high fat and high sugar foods, whilst many users also cut down on their alcohol and caffeine intake whilst using the injections. At one of the hottest openings in London recently – Town in Covent Garden by chef Stevie Parle – the menu introduced half-sized mains and also “skinny slice” puddings such as a half-slice of chocolate tart and mini kashi canelé for people that only want a small bite of something sweet. At Otto’s – a classic French restaurant – they have a ‘small appetite menu where exquisite ingredients feature’ which includes smaller-portioned versions of opulent dishes. The hip new European sharing plates restaurant Canal has a ‘table burger’ on the menu, designed to be split between a table for those wanting a small bite of something very delicious. And The Fat Duck from Heston Blumenthal has launched a ‘mindful experience’ tasting menu, specifically for people with smaller appetites – yet with the same theatre and flavour as the original menu. Textural ‘dynamic contrast’ boom Following on from the ‘Dubai chocolate’ effect – where the world went wild for the textural crunch of kataifi pastry mixed with pistachio paste – we’ll see even more ‘dynamic contrast’ in dishes in 2026. ‘Dynamic contrast’ refers to the combination of contrasting sensations (e.g. hot and cold, crunchy and smooth, sweet and salty). Chocolate shop Khoury’s from pastry chef Phil Khoury have created a range of chocolate bars that play with extreme crunch and caramel. There is a Beirut bar with fragrant orange blossom caramel and crisp twice-baked cashew baklava; a London bar which fuses Earl Grey–infused caramel with crunchy shortbread; and a Sydney bar which has layers of lime and coriander gelée, avocado caramel, and toasted crunchy sourdough. Try our chocolate, peanut and date bars for a homemade take on the trend. Another textural sensation set to explode in 2026 is qui qui or QQ, which is a chewy and bouncy texture in food associated with Asian cuisines – particularly in mochi, tteokbokki, lye noodles, tapioca boba pearls, layered rice cakes, and fish balls. It’s often described as being like the Asian ‘al dente’ – referring to foods that are soft, with a little bite, and no mushiness. At Chinatown Bakery in London, they are selling a QQ Bun which showcases the texture, whilst Q Beef Noodles specialises in Lanzhou-style hand-pulled noodles, which have the characteristic QQ texture. At home, try making Korean tteokbokki in a simple sweet and spicy sauce. AI healthy shuffling The term ‘AI healthy shuffling’ refers to the growing trend for health-conscious eaters using AI and algorithmic tools to get inventive suggestions on how to mix up their diets and reach their health goals. Just as with “shuffling” a musical playlist, using AI in this way effectively helps you to shuffle your food choices, introduce variety, break habit loops and widen your ingredient palette. This could be through finding unique ways of getting 30 plants a week, finding new chefs and recipes in line with your dietary needs (e.g. higher protein, low in fat), or linking technology to biometric data for a more personalised ‘shuffle’ (e.g. gut microbiome, or glucose data). Apps like MyFitnessPal are doing this and Zoe is now using AI in-store photo-logging technology to help consumers make decisions. This is also extending into retail spaces. Instacart – the makers of intelligent shopping trolleys Caper Cart – use AI-powered “Health Tags” and “Inspiration Pages” to help shoppers pick healthier options and generate personalised recipe/basket recommendations as they shop, supporting the idea of healthy shuffling. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/2/2025/11/GettyImages-2215918787-7120e22.jpg" width="724" height="483" alt="Over the shoulder view of young Asian woman using fitness plan mobile app on smartphone to tailor make her daily diet meal plan, checking the nutrition facts and calories intake of her lunch. Maintaining a healthy diet. Healthy eating with technology" title="Over the shoulder view of young Asian woman using fitness plan mobile app on smartphone to tailor make her daily diet meal plan, checking the nutrition facts and calories intake of her lunch. Maintaining a healthy diet. Healthy eating with technology" /> Countertop combi ovens are the new air fryers As the novelty of air frying begins to plateau – and home cooks become even more demanding of their appliances – countertop combi ovens are set to grow in popularity significantly in 2026. In short, a combi oven is one that offers multiple functionalities in one appliance – including oven, air frying, defrosting, grilling, keeping warm, and steaming – therefore reducing the need for several separate appliances on your counter. Some also give much more precise control of factors like humidity and air circulation. Whereas air fryers are all about ‘crisping’, combi ovens offer even more within the same appliance – with steaming being one of the key differences, which can accelerate cooking time whilst retaining moisture. Steaming also preserves nutrients whilst maintaining colour and texture. Smeg’s 10-in-1 countertop combi oven is a slick, retro multipurpose alliance that’s made with an easy-t0-clean enamel – with special programmes tailored to meat, fish, vegetables, desserts, breads, and pizza. The Avona Precision 2.0 oven – which has options like sous vide cooking, steam bake and air fry – also has an onboard camera that identifies your meal and suggests the perfect cook method from Anova's deep knowledge base. Our sister brand Good Food has reviewed the best multi-cookers, tried and tested by experts.
I’m a trends specialist – here are 8 ingredients you’ll be eating in 2026
Get a bit more experimental with your cooking and dining out in 2026 – these are the trending flavours you need to know
Restaurants and bakeries across the UK are leading the way with introducing new flavours and dishes to try. Expect to see these eight ingredients popping up more and more all next year in cookbooks, on menus and perhaps in your own cooking. Get to them know to impress your friends at your next dinner party and be ahead of the curve... Grape At Ravneet Gill’s restaurant Gina, they have been championing grapes with dishes like Fragola grape jelly & vanilla panna cotta, along with an airy cotton cake with Fragola grape. In savoury cooking, recipes such as chargrilled grapes (great served as a side dish for roasts) or grape focaccia are increasingly popular. Try our gorgonzola and grape flatbreads for our take on the trend. Roasted grapes are particularly loved by Ed Smith who uses them often in his recipes – and he also has new book called Peckish out in 2026. We've created this baked feta with roasted grapes and rosemary for an effortless starter recipe. If you want to go sweet, try this black grape and wine sorbet. Dark maple syrup Dark maple syrup is harvested at the very end of the season and has a rich, dark amber colour and intense treacle flavour. It was one of the champion ingredients in my cookbook Flavour Heroes – 15 Modern Pantry Ingredients to Amplify Your Cooking, used in dishes like pecan-cognac carrot cake with maple glaze, and a roasted butterbean salad with dark maple-preserved lemon dressing. It's also popping up on menus all over the country like at bakery Popham’s who use it for their bacon and maple pastry, which they also sell in their shop. Check out our maple syrup recipes for inspiration of where to use it – from pancakes and cookies to maple baked beans, soup and sticky glazed sausages. Pomelo Pomelo is a large, thick-rinded citrus fruit, with flesh that’s similar to grapefruit. It is widely used in Southeast Asian cuisines, particularly Vietnamese and Thai food, such as for yam som o, a classic Thai pomelo salad. Michelin-recommended pan-Asian restaurant Nanyang Blossom have a pomelo salad with fresh mint, coriander, peanuts and kerabu dressing on their menu, whilst at Speedboat Bar one of their top desserts is mango pudding with red pomelo. XO Sauce Championed by food writers like Jenny Lau, author of An A to Z of Chinese Food and chefs like Andrew Wong, XO sauce is an umami and spicy sauce from Hong Kong made with dried seafood, ham, chilli, garlic and oil. At Bao in Soho they are serving up a dish of hispi cabbage with XO sauce, and at Bun House Disco in Shoreditch they have a prawn XO skillet rice with prawn head oil, prawn crisp XO jam, garlic king prawn, Chinese lap cheong and chives. Make cucumber salad more interesting with these smacked cucumbers with cheat's XO sauce or give clams with quick XO sauce a go. Kokum Kokum is a sour fruit that tastes like a fruity tropical tamarind, but is in fact closer to a dried mangosteen. It’s used as a souring agent in South Indian and Sri Lankan cuisines. Kokum in East Dulwich from Sanjay Gour and Simeron Lily Patel celebrates the ingredient with dishes like kokum fish fry and Malabar prawn nadan curry with kokum, whilst Dishoom’s goan monkfish curry is simmered in creamy coconut and kokum. Hojicha Hojicha is roasted Japanese green tea. It has a toasted, nutty flavour that’s perfect for baking. Food writer Emiko Davies's latest cookbook The Japanese Pantry features a recipe for a hojicha cream sponge roll which infuses the flavour into sweet whipped cream along with kuromame sweet black soy beans. Kova Patisserie has a hojicha chestnut shortcake on their menu, whilst at Sky High Japanese Bakery they have hojicha lattes, hojicha pastries and cookies. It’s an ingredient also loved by Tim Anderson whose new book JapanEasy Kitchen is out in 2026 – featuring recipes that use Japanese tea. Mugwort Mugwort is an aromatic herbal plant native to the UK but also widely used in Korean cooking and medicine. It is sage-like with notes of rosemary and is slightly bitter with hints of menthol. It’s also full of antioxidants, vitamins A and C and, unlike matcha, is caffeine-free. Kyu at Dongnae Korean Restaurant in Bristol loves experimenting in her cooking and baking – one of her most talked about creations is a black sesame and mugwort cake with white chocolate ganache. Nettles Nettles are increasing in popularity – they grow in abundance seasonally, are a free source of nutrition and have many sweet and savoury uses. Farm Shop’s own in-house forager, Kenny, makes a nettle cordial which is sweet yet earthy and herbaceous, and great mixed into a G&T. Nettles also feature on the menu of restaurants like Through The Woods in Crouch End, whilst one of Padella’s most enduringly popular seasonal dishes is their spinach tagliarini with nettles, nutmeg, parmesan and egg yolk, which featured in their new cookbook Padella: Iconic Pasta at Home by Tim Siadatan. We've got Petersham Nurseries' recipe for ravioli with ricotta and young nettles – the peppery taste pairs perfectly with the creamy ricotta.
The travel trends of 2026: must-visit destinations you need to know
Get planning your holidays for 2026 - these are the up and coming destinations you need to know
Looking for some holiday inspiration for the new year? Swap your familiar destinations and try something new – these are the hotspots all around the world that we predict are going to be big in 2026. From the city being hailed 'the new Marrakech' in Morrocco to unspoilt Greek islands and where to go in Asia, this is all the holiday inspiration you need. Time to get booking... Aix-en-Provence, France The sun-soaked city of Aix, just 30 minutes from Marseille, has long attracted food adventurers looking for an authentic taste of Provence. In recent years it’s seen a new wave of culinary creatives bringing their unique flair to the town. The bustling open-air Marché d’Aix is a great place to start exploring, where stalls overflow with local goat’s cheeses, lavender honey, fragrant herbes de Provence and calissons: marzipan-like iced confectionery made from almonds. Pick up a buttery croissant at Farinoman Fou – one of the best bakeries in town – then wander through Cours Mirabeau taking in the calm vibes of the café-lined streets. For lunch, head to modern bistro Le Ramus for contemporary takes on traditional dishes such as panisse with curry aïoli, seared octopus tartare and homemade tarte tatin. Don’t miss Château La Coste, a beautiful vineyard that hosts contemporary art exhibitions with five restaurants dotted around the estate. End your day at Les Galinas, a rustic Provençal restaurant with a focus on seasonality and simplicity. Try dishes like confit lamb with nutmeg, mackerel in white wine, devilled ‘mimosa’ eggs and flambéed crêpes suzette to finish. For more French holiday inspiration, check out our round-up of the best French food trips. Rabat, Morocco Morocco’s cosmopolitan coastal Rabat, a relaxed city with its own unique culinary culture, is being hailed as the new Marrakesh. After taking in the city’s 12th century mosque and historic hilltop kasbah, the vibrant Souk el Kebir (‘big market’) is the best place to begin your foodie immersion. Its atmospheric alleyways are filled with traders selling preserved lemons, honey, spices and traditional Moroccan tagines cooked in wood-fired ovens – and the market really comes to life with entertainment in the evening. Rabat has a vibrant street food scene with stalls all over the city selling Moroccan specialities like rziza (coiled stringy bread), pastillas (sweet-savoury flaky pie with almonds and cinnamon) and habricha (a local sandwich filled with ground meat or fish, olives, spices and sauces). For lunch head to Le Dhow, a converted wooden boat moored on the Bou Regreg river, serving Moroccan cuisine with live music. Alternatively, Villa Mandarine is a refined spot set in an orange grove. For dinner, head to Le Ziryab, a classic Rabati restaurant combining traditional cuisine and Andalusian music, where it’s worth trying rfissa – slow-cooked chicken and lentils over shredded msemen flatbreads with saffron and fenugreek. Check out all our best Morrocco food trips for more ideas. Sardinia, Italy From the mountains of Barbagia to the coastlines of Alghero and Cagliari, the Italian island of Sardinia is a haven for food lovers, where flavours of the land and sea meet with rugged Mediterranean sensibility. Fresh tuna, sardines, lamb and pork are the mainstays of the island, cooked up into an aromatic, fruity and richly robust cuisine that reflects the island's unique environment. Porceddu is a signature dish not to miss – a suckling pig slow-roasted over myrtle branches and stuffed with aromatics like rosemary and fennel until the skin is crackling and the meat tender. Try it at S’Apposentu in the beautiful village of Siddi, where chef Roberto Petza is reimagining Sardinian pastoral cooking with Michelin-starred finesse. For lunch, head to Trattoria Sa Bell’e Crabasa which specialises in local seafood like bottarga pâté with seasonal artichokes, grilled local mullet and clams, and comunedda – stewed eels with pecorino. The stylish Da Renzo in Siamaggiore is known for its pasta dishes like lemon ricotta ravioli with tomato and basil, spaghetti with lobster, and malloreddus with wild boar. While on the island make sure to enjoy a glass of bold cannonau – the signature red wine with a rich, full-bodied flavour. Head to Sarduzzo Enoteca, a wine shop specialising in vintages from Sardinian and Abruzzo territories that serves up many of its wines by the glass alongside a menu of arrosticini skewers. We've also explored the eight lesser-known Italian islands to try somewhere even more off the beaten track. Samarkand, Uzbekistan The cultural capital of Uzbekistan, Samarkand is a city rich in history – a crossroads along the silk roads where Persian, Turkic, Russian and Chinese culinary influences all converge. It’s celebrated for its striking Islamic architecture, beautiful mosaics and unique cuisine. Siyob Bozori (or Siab Bazaar) is a great place to start, where you’ll find countless stalls selling local delights like dried apricots, pistachio halvas, spices and fragrant Uzbek pastries like samsa – triangle pastries stuffed with meat or pumpkin, onions and spices. Plov, Uzbekistan’s national dish is a must-try, a one-pot pilaf rice dish with additions like lamb, carrots, cumin, coriander and whole heads of garlic. Samarqand Osh Markazi is a popular communal restaurant famous for its cauldrons of plov rice garnished with lamb, raisins, barberries, red chilli, quail’s egg and chickpeas. For the city’s best kebabs head to Ikrom Shashlik, which serves coal-charred skewers with fresh tomato and onion salads, and tangy strained yogurt dip. Other local dishes to try are manti (Uzbek steamed dumplings) filled with lamb and herbs served on smetana soured cream, and laghman, a hand-pulled Uyghur noodle dish in fragrant broth, beef and vegetables, both of which you can try at the atmospheric Old City Restaurant. Chicago, USA Chicago is a city filled with unique gourmet neighbourhoods that light up the city like a big culinary mosaic from north to south. The West Loop Fulton Market District is the sleekest and trendiest place to start – home to Time Out Market Chicago which packs in over 15 eateries including Bar Goa (a coastal Indian offering), Bill Kim Ramen Bar and Lil Amaru for Latin street food. Next head south to Pilsen, Chicago’s hub of Mexican cuisine and heritage, where family-run taquerias like Don Pedro Carnitas are a must-try. There is an area for everything: dim sum parlours galore in Chinatown, classic Italian-American red sauce restaurants in Little Italy on Taylor Street, and a taste of Swedish roots in Andersonville in the north. Kasama, a modern Filipino restaurant and bakery in the East Ukrainian Village neighbourhood, was made famous thanks to The Bear and has diners queuing around the block for the pork adobo and longaniza sausage sandwiches, and ube huckleberry basque cheesecake. Loba Pastry in North Center is situated on an unassuming corner that produces some of the best baked goods in the city. It specialises in unfamiliar pastries made with seasonal fruits, like in the pineapple sourdough muffins, curry white chocolate scones and laminated black sesame buns. Finally, Sifr in River North is a stylish Middle Eastern restaurant serving up wood-fired baharat angus beef kebabs and seasonal meze. Mauritius The tropical island of Mauritius is a melting pot of Indian, African, Chinese and French influences that all come together in a fresh, spicy and exhilaratingly flavourful cuisine. Classic street food dishes like dal puri served at up institutions like Chez Bye Dhollpurri Roti in Rose Hill and Chef Vor at Bagatelle Mall are a must-try – thin pancake rotis filled with a spicy yellow pea filling, griddled until fluffy and served with chutneys and curry. La Rougaille Créole on Sunset Boulevard is a family-run restaurant where you can savour traditional Mauritian seafood rougaille – a tomato-based stew rich in onions, garlic, ginger, thyme and chilli, and Creole dishes like octopus aubergine curry. The stylish fine dining restaurant Domaine Anna on the west coast offers up a Chinese-leaning take on Mauritian food with dishes like sautéed calamari with shallots and ginger, and sizzling beef with onions. Quatre Bornes Market and Rose Hill Market are the best places to head for deep-fried Mauritian fritters called gâteaux piments, made with split peas, spices and herbs. Finally, set among the historic Balaclava ruins, Le Capitaine is an iconic seafood restaurant that serves up the freshest local produce into dishes like grilled fish with Creole rice, scampi curry and octopus salad with lime vinaigrette. Alentejo, Portugal The unspoilt Alentejo region of Portugal sits in between Lisbon to its north and the Algarve to its south. It’s known for being the wine heartland of Portugal, producing rich, jammy, powerfully spiced reds. It has a rustic, hearty cuisine, with serene markets in cities like Evora and even an ancient fortress the city of Elvas. Overlooking the bay of Porto Covo, Lamelas is a family-run restaurant whose mission is to celebrate new Alentejo cuisine using seasonal ingredients and sustainable principles. Their menu includes highlights like hake with clams in molho verde, Alentejo-style pork ribs and white beans with seaweed and kale. The atmospheric Tasca do Celso in Vila Nova de Milfontes is famous for its cataplana de peixe (fish stew) and exceptional wine list that shows off the best vineyards of the region. Nestled on the sun-drenched slopes of Vidigueira in the heart of the region is Quinta do Quetzal, a stunning sustainable winery and restaurant where the legacy of ancient vines meets the innovation of contemporary cuisine. Its ‘rich red’ wine is made with alicante bouschet grapes picked at their ripest and is best served chilled, while the restaurant from chef João Mourato reimagines the region’s traditional dishes with a modern twist. Think confit cod with roast garlic and pickled mushrooms, game ravioli with pork neck sausage and grape ice cream with olive oil. Discover more areas of Portugal with our best Portuguese food trips. Taipei, Taiwan Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, is one of the most exciting food cities in Asia, a paradise for adventurous eaters that spans everything from street food night markets through to Michelin fine dining. Ningxia Night Market is the perfect place to immerse yourself in the city’s culinary scene, where you can try signature dishes like barbecue Taiwanese sausages, sizzling oyster omelettes, rou jia mo pork belly buns and fried stinky tofu. For breakfast head to Chia Te Bakery which serves up award-winning classic Taiwanese pastries, like its original buttery pineapple egg yolk pastry, candied watermelon ‘wife’ cakes and savoury onion-nougat cracker cookies. Fine dining vegetarian restaurant Clavius has a creative mixture of Taiwanese plant-based plates with delicate Asian flavours, including dishes like marshmallow aubergine tomato soup, stir-fried brussels with fermented tofu, and chickpea corn crisps with red miso dip. A classic no-frills institution in the Da’an district not to miss is Yongkang Beef Noodles. Its signature braised beef noodle in spicy broth is rich, complex and flecked with chunks of beef flank. Finally, for all-day snacks head to local favourite Fu Hang Dou Jiang, famous for its salty-milk soup, flaky sesame shaobing stuffed with egg and crispy youtiao fried dough sticker. Folegandros, Greece The small rugged island of Folegandros in the Cyclades offers up a unique taste of Greece away from the busy crowds. Chora, the island’s vehicle-free clifftop capital, is the best place to begin. Built around three interconnected squares, it’s dotted with whitewashed tavernas that serve matsáta, a local pasta with a rabbit-tomato sauce and sourotó, the island’s goat’s cheese, drizzled with thyme honey. To Goupi is one of the most charming tavernas, offering authentic island meze like fava bean fritters, and seafood dishes like octopus with black eyed beans. In Ano Meria on the western edge of the island, head to Folegandros Bakery, which is famous for its homemade pies including karpouzenia – a unique watermelon pie with honey, sesame and cinnamon. Karavostasi is the main port area where Faros tou Panteli is known for its stunning views and lobster spaghetti. End your day at Agali beach with papoutsaki (stuffed aubergine), baked pastitsio and chilled Greek wines at O Psaromiligkas, a family-run restaurant known for its refined farm-to-table cooking that celebrates the freshest seasonal produce of the island. Fancy going island-hopping? Browse our picks of the best Greek island getaways to add to your itinerary. Mexico City, Mexico Mexico City blends ancient folkloric tradition and modern creativity with a fresh vibrancy that’s tipping it as one of the hottest culinary destinations in the world right now. Every neighbourhood offers something different. The Centro Histórico is a good place to begin, particularly the stalls close to Mercado de San Juan where you’ll find must-try street foods like sizzling tacos al pastor and tamales oaxaqueños. The neighbourhoods of Roma and Condesa – the city’s culinary heartbeat – are the best place to explore the contemporary side of the city, where hip chefs are reinventing Mexican cuisine with a new global outlook. The stylish Madre Café serves up dishes like enmoladas – stuffed tortillas dipped in homemade mole poblano – or cochinita pork, refried bean and avocado sandwiches. Another popular spot in the area is Contramar, famous for its crispy tostadas with toppings like shrimp, chipotle mayonnaise, salsa macha and sweet potato. In the luxurious neighbourhood of Polanco, Quintonil is a two Michelin-starred restaurant renowned for its modern seasonal Mexican cuisine with dishes like duck pibil tamal, nopal prickly pear sorbet and smoky avocado tartare paired with escamoles (edible ant larvae). Mercado de la Merced is a wonderful place to try out regional specialities like barbacoa and colourful aguas frescas. Finally, the charming neighbourhood of Coyoacán is a great place for freshly fried churros and mariachi music. Try the famous crispy churros with chocolate a la mexicana at Churrería El Moro Coyoacán, whose origins date back to 1935. More like this Best European mountain escapes 10 unique walking holidays for food lovers Best health and wellness retreats for foodies Best country house hotels in the UK Best health and wellness retreats Best hotels in London Best UK boutique hotels Best hotels in the Cotswolds Best Cornwall hotels Best hotels in the Lake District Best romantic hotels in the UK European hidden gems: hotels off the beaten track Best Paris hotels Best Spanish hotels Best Italian hotels Best restaurants with rooms in the UK Best Amsterdam hotels
The hottest restaurant trends everyone will be talking about in 2026 – insider Gurdeep Loyal shares the tables, dishes and collabs to get on your radar
From the rise of the 'sister bar' to the ingredients and cuisines to know, this is what to expect from the world of restaurants in 2026
Wondering what the hottest restaurant of 2026 is going to be? Or what will be on the menus? Trends expert Gurdeep Loyal has rounded up the restaurant trends to look out for in the New Year. From new ingredients popping up on menus to memorable woodland experiences and restaurants supporting local communities, there's plenty to get excited about. The only question is, where to book first... The sister bar and pub mixology City restaurants around the country are converting their basements into proper cocktail bars for pre-dinner and after-hours drinks, or even opening 'sister' drinking establishments next door, aligned to the restaurant’s ethos. Brunswick House, Jackson Boxer’s restaurant in Vauxhall, has just launched The Black Duke in its vaulted cellars, serving cocktails including the Bergamot Margarita, Brunswick Milk Punch and One Sip Negroni. At the newly opened Japanese omakase Moi in Soho, cocktail lounge The Listening Room has a bespoke sound system and vinyl residencies, with small plates, sushi and drinks like the Uchi Martini with koji sake. El Pastor Soho will soon open El Siete, a low-lit cocktail lounge serving agave-led cocktails with a discerning selection of sipping mezcals and tequilas. For snacking, a short menu of mini tostadas featuring El Pastor’s house-made heirloom corn tortillas will be available to order late into the night, along with addictive chile popcorn. One of the most exciting sister bars is from Joseph Otway and the team behind pioneering farm-to-fork restaurant Higher Ground, and wine bar and kitchen Flawd Wine, in Manchester, who have opened Bar Shrimp. This cocktail and seafood bar, right next door to the main restaurant, is all about considered cocktails, beers on tap, British seafood and snacks, with a first-rate soundtrack. Drinks include the Shrimp Spritz with vergano americano and sipello; the Marigold Gimlet; and the Disco Bal Shot with mezcal and green chartreuse. The food menu features oysters on ice, hand-dived scallop tartar and a cuttlefish sandwich with parsley mayonnaise. Simultaneously, with more people making the exodus to the countryside, rural pubs are elevating their drinks menus, leading to a rise in pub mixology. In the West Country in particular, pubs stretching from Wiltshire to Dorset, Somerset and Cornwall are now offering really great cocktail lists – making their own syrups and cordials, sourcing local spirits and putting seasonal twists on classics. At The Manor House Inn in Somerset, locals can have a post-walk sharpener in the form of the Somerset Spider – Somerset cider brandy, absinthe and ginger – or even order shots of negroni. The Beckford Arms in Wiltshire makes its own Beckford rum for a Beck-spresso Martini, finished with Kahlúa and coffee. And at Harbour House in Cornwall, you can taste the sea with a Meadow Martini – made with local Cornish vodka, vermouth and saline. Suet, Snails, Salsify & Sardines There’s something in the air with ingredients of yesteryear that begin with the letter S: they will be popping up in restaurants everywhere in 2026. Suet no longer scares diners off and is on the rise on menus. At The Kensington Arms in Bristol, the lunchtime deal of an ox cheek suet pudding and pint of Guinness for £10 is proving very popular, while The Devonshire in Soho has become renowned for its beef cheek and Guinness suet pudding. On the sweet side, The Pony Chew Valley – Josh Eggleton’s produce-led, modern British restaurant – has a suet apple spiced pudding with cider caramel sauce. Snails are also having something of a revival, led by high-quality British producer Dorset Snails who supply restaurants around the country. Bistro Bavette in Leeds is serving up a snail feuillette (buttery puff pastry filled with garlic, snails and lots of butter); snail bolognese on toast has become a firm favourite at Tom Sellers' Parisian-inspired restaurant Story Cellar; and Greek restaurant Myrtos features Dorset snail pita with tomato, chilli, pickled red onion and aged graviera on the menu. Salsify is a seasonal root vegetable known for its oyster-like flavour; long a firm favourite at Jeremy Lee’s Quo Vadis where it is baked with parmesan, it's now popping up on menus around the country. The Silver Birch in Chiswick, from chef Nathan Cornwell, features a dish of Sika venison with confit salsify, ceps and a rich bone marrow reduction, while at Ekstedt at the Yard, chefs have reimagined a dish of cast iron crab with juniper butter, smoked hispi cabbage, lingonberries and fermented salsify. Try cooking salsify at home in this recipe for slow roasted lamb with roasted salsify and sprout tops. Sardines meanwhile have been liberated from their tins and are popping up everywhere. At Alta, the new restaurant that celebrates the bold flavours of Northern Spain led by chef Rob Roy Cameron, the sardine empanada is one of the dishes that’s got people talking. This striking and already iconic dish features the head and tail of a whole sardine ‘gazing’ out of a pastry case, with a slightly spiced filling and a generous dollop of aioli on the side. Smoked sardines with citrus have featured recently on the menu at Mountain Soho, while Southern European fire-cooking restaurant Lita Bistro Marylebone has been serving up Basque sardines with ajo blanco and cherries. ‘Third Space Hospitality’ – the rise of the early dinner Changing hybrid work patterns, wellness priorities and social habits are reshaping when and how people dine – with 5.30pm tables now sometimes the first to be booked. As early dining becomes part of a new rhythm of work and rest, breakfast and brunch are the UK’s fastest-growing dining occasions. In 2026 we’ll see a rise in venues that shift fluidly between café, bar and restaurant – and with more early time slot options. Both Kiln and Noisy Oyster in London now operate all-day formats, reflecting a shift toward flexible, balanced hospitality built around how people live today. With early-bird and pre-theatre slots in high demand, some venues are now offering late-night discounts to fill later slots. For example, Thai favourite Speedboat Bar in London’s Chinatown offers a "7-Eleven Happy Hour" from 11pm until closing – something we will see more of in 2026. A New Era of Farm & Woodland Dining In 2026, we will see farm-based dining entering a new era of innovation and excitement for visitors. Fowlescombe Farm in Devon is all about luxury with a bit of mud on its boots. Its farm-to-table restaurant The Refectory is headed up by chef Elly Wentworth and champions produce-led cooking with a deep respect for provenance. Every dish is shaped by what the fields and garden produce, changing daily in response to the harvest and guided by a close partnership with head gardener Shelley Hutcheon. The kitchen works with whatever is fresh, ripe and abundant, from organic heritage vegetables and vibrant salads to edible flowers, Szechuan peppers and homegrown turmeric. The menu includes dishes like courgette and elderflower velouté; Manx Loaghtan neck caramelle with lamb consommé and broad beans; and poached apricot with farm honey crémeux and toasted granola. At Knepp, a pioneering 3,500-acre rewilding project in West Sussex, estate co-owner Ned Burrell and his partner Lia Brazier are turning their focuses towards a Michelin-recognised restaurant, farm shop and sustainable butchery, bringing the estate’s ethos to the plate. The restaurant, Wilding Kitchen, under head chef Alex Dome, is focused on regenerative cooking with dishes that celebrate whole-animal butchery and the ever-changing produce of Knepp’s organic market garden, as well as a low- to no-wastage kitchen. Menus are guided entirely by what’s growing now, the rhythm of the butchery and the culling seasons, with dishes like market garden leeks, stracciatella and pangrattato; Knepp beef, venison and pork ragù; market garden Amoro squash with spiced almond sauce; and choux bun with Knepp fig leaf baked cream. Up in Scotland, Guardswell Farm, a 150-acre grassland farm on a hillside between Abernyte and Kinnaird, epitomises the 2026 farm-based supper club era. Seasonal long-table dinners in its glasshouse draw from the farm’s own market garden, orchard and neighbouring producers — featuring home-grown vegetables, local meats, small-batch cider and wild herbs. Their ethos is about reconnection with land and food, spotlighting local growers, cheesemakers and foragers, to demonstrate how supper clubs can strengthen regional food networks. Also in Scotland, tucked within ancient Caledonian pine forest in the Cairngorms, The Dell of Abernethy is hosting woodland feasts and supper clubs that merge fire cooking, local produce and conviviality. Dinners are cooked over open fire, using the wild abundance of the highlands, including venison from nearby estates, wild mushrooms and seasonal vegetables. Collaborating with local chefs (like Will Hamer of Wild Kabn Kitchen), the focus is on atmosphere, with long tables under canvas, firelight, shared platters and live music. Restaurants as spaces for community-centric joy Leading the charge here is Imad Alarnab, founder of Imad’s Syrian Kitchen. His latest opening, Aram, is a cafe-deli and restaurant in Somerset House that serves baked goods, breakfasts and lunches from across the eastern Mediterranean, with dishes inspired by the regions spanning Syria, Turkey, Cyprus, Jordan and beyond. The menu celebrates the very best of Syrian produce; for the first time since war broke out over a decade ago, they source produce, spices, herbs, wines and olive oils directly from friends in Syria to bring you a true taste of home. In the evenings, there is a dedicated space called Salamlik which hosts charity events and supper clubs to support the restaurant’s wider community, alongside giving emerging new talent and refugee chefs a space to call their own. For the launch of the space, Aram partnered with Choose Love and Sami Tamimi for a dinner to raise awareness for the Palestinian Heirloom Seed Library. At Jikoni from Ravinder Bhogal, the ‘no-borders’ restaurant has been host to a recent wine celebration that showcased underrepresented regions, female and minority winemakers, and back-to-the-land approaches to viticulture. The Jikoni team are set to open a new restaurant in spring 2026 at the V&A East Museum that goes beyond just great food and is about culture, community and creativity. They have worked with V&A East’s Youth Collective, a group of 16- to 24-year-olds from Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest to develop a space that’s welcoming and affordable, with entertainment and opportunities to learn about where food comes from. More with less – the tiny restaurant and one-dish movement Many chefs are downsizing and thinking creatively about doing more with less – whether that’s less space, less staff or less waste – rediscovering their passion for hosting and feeding in more intimate settings. Diners benefit from confidently concise menus, with chefs presenting only the best produce on offer that week: all killer, no filler. One example is OTHER in Bristol. Chef Zak has pivoted from running a big Michelin-star kitchen to an 18-cover neighbourhood restaurant, serving a small but globally influenced menu of snacks and plates, along with a new bar where diners can pull up for a cocktail (only two on the menu at a time) and homemade crisps and dips. Another example is The Beach House in Devon on the South Milton Sands, a simple seafood and takeaway pop-up just yards from the sand, with a menu of dishes like local fish goujons, fries and tartare, and a mackerel club sandwich with bacon, watercress and horseradish. The tiny deli-cum-restaurant Lupo in Manchester is another, serving up fresh pizza, pasta, pasticceria, coffee and wine from independent makers; while in Norfolk, small converted fisherman’s hut Fino offers up a short menu of modern British and European dishes and a carefully selected list of cocktails, wine and sherry. Their exquisite menu features dishes like yellow fin tuna loin with almond, chilli, ginger salsa, sesame oil and endive; soft polenta with marinated artichokes and roasted heritage tomatoes; and burnt Basque cheesecake with blueberry compote. In London, the ‘small but perfectly formed’ ethos is encapsulated by Wonton Charlie’s in Hackney, with its sole purpose of celebrating just one dish: Cantonese wonton soup. The succinct menu lets you build your own combination of wonton (pork, prawn or fish skin), broth, noodles and add-ons like fish balls. Finally, The Marlborough Pub in Mayfair has become the new home of iconic West London institution Crisp Pizza – serving up nothing but pizza pies, calzones and dips, in a pub! Food with proud lineage: Sierra Leonean, Cambodian, Alsatian and Chinese home cooking In 2026, interest in global cuisines will support restaurants that proudly convey lineage, cultural depth and unique geographies. Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford brings the bold, vibrant flavours of Sierra Leone into an elegant fine-dining setting in the heart of Sevenoaks. This Michelin-recognised restaurant celebrates culinary heritage and representation with flair. The menu is filled with dishes that reflect the traditions of Maria’s homeland, fused with contemporary influences that tell her own journey. The menu includes dishes like lamb belly, palm oil and shito; sharing plates like jollof, hispi cabbage, carrot, krio stew; and exquisite desserts like pineapple, cassava, grains of selim caramel and coconut ice cream. Cambodian food is set to be one of the most exciting cuisines in the spotlight in 2026. Mamapen in Soho from chef Kaneda Pen is leading the drive with dishes like caramelised braised pork belly with mushroom soy cured egg, pickled chilli; and sour pineapple curry with pickled mango. Meanwhile, former Kiln chef Tom Geoffrey is cooking up Cambodian-inspired cuisine at the Barang pop-up at the Globe Tavern in Borough Market – with dishes like scallop with tamarind brown butter and pig’s ear crackling; and fried quail with Khmer hot honey. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/2/2024/08/London-Food-and-Drink-Photography-Mamapen-at-Sun-and-13-Cantons-London-2024-Nic-Crilly-Hargrave-102-copy-fa88d56.jpg" width="8256" height="5504" alt="London Food and Drink Photography - Mamapen at Sun and 13 Cantons London 2024 - Nic Crilly-Hargrave-102 copy" title="London Food and Drink Photography - Mamapen at Sun and 13 Cantons London 2024 - Nic Crilly-Hargrave-102 copy" /> Elsa Bistro meanwhile will be championing the Franco-German cuisine of the Alsace region with dishes like rabbit and pistachio sausage with mashed potato, and haddock schnitzel, leeks and brown shrimp tartare sauce. Finally, Chinese home cooking will be celebrated in all its delicious glory in 2026 thanks to Poon's at Somerset House from Amy Poon. The menu is centred around sharing dishes where flavours and textures are balanced harmoniously with fresh ingredients and family-style plating. Start with freshly made wontons served with Poon’s chilli vinegar dressing; try the traditional clay pot jasmine rice with signature wind-dried meats; and then dig into large sharing dishes like the white-cut poussin – gently poached poussin, served bone-in and skin-on, with Poon’s Extraordinary Chilli Oil, house-made fresh ginger and spring onion relish and Poon’s Premium First Extract Soy Sauce. Smaller tasting menus and generous mains with weight There has been a rise in restaurants serving up smaller tasting menus for a more accessible and casual experience, something we will see more of in 2026. The difference between these and a standard three-course menu is that the dishes on the small tasting menu are crafted to work together as a journey, highlighting seasonal ingredients and storytelling through food. Latymer at Pennyhill Park in Surrey from award-winning chef Steve Smith offers four, five or seven delectable courses plus snacks on the dinner menu. It’s a tasting journey that balances technical brilliance with emotional connection, celebrating sustainably sourced, local ingredients, the creativity of the kitchen and the intimacy of dining in the oldest part of Pennyhill Park house. Traditionally, tasting menus are anywhere from eight to 20 courses; this smaller menu allows you to get a full sense of the chef’s style and creativity, plus the fine-dining experience, without the price tag and formality. Linked to this edited finesse, Scott Patison of Albers in De Beauvoir is excited by “the quiet return of proper, structured cooking – mains with weight and rhythm, plates that don’t need a paragraph to justify themselves; not retro, not clever-clever, just food that stands up on its own legs”. At Albers, this shift is expressed through signature dishes such as steak and peppercorn sauce, or poussin and tarragon creme and pomme purée. These are proper “dinner that behaves like dinner” main courses that are generous, nostalgic without being stuck, and comforting without excess! Big, hedonistic New York City energy The energy of classic New York hedonism has had a huge influence on London’s dining scene recently, something set to continue into 2026. The opening of Carbone, the iconic Greenwich Village restaurant by Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick, in London’s Mayfair has driven the charge. The menu leans into classic Italian-American culinary traditions, with dishes like Caesar alla ZZ, octopus pizzaiolo, spicy rigatoni vodka, and veal parmesan – delivered by burgundy-tuxedo-clad servers with an ethos of “over the top generosity”. On the drinks side, their signature martinis have got people talking, including their Vesper, Gibson with rosemary and onion, or Pepe Martini with Italian sweet pepper. The restaurant group are also set to open a restaurant inspired by their New York restaurant The Grill in 2026, inside the former In and Out Club building. Though focused on championing “the best of British waters with a Mediterranean state of mind”, Noisy Oyster in Shoreditch also exudes ‘big New York energy’ with its achingly cool, minimalist aesthetic, and menu of signature mini martinis. Dishes include red caviar toast with whipped butter; monkfish skewers with lardo and tropea onions; and spaghetti arrabbiata with stracciatella. Their mini martinis include an Oyster martini with Sapling gin, Otto's Athens vermouth and fino sherry; and an Agave martini with Tapatio blanco tequila, Verde mezcal and Cocchi Americano. Finally, Ronnie's NYC at Kith on Regent Street is a Mediterranean-inspired New York bistro “rooted in the spirit of classic New York City-style dining… where each dish is designed to feel as familiar as it does new”. Start with a speciality cocktail like the Rose Espresso Martini at the bar, before heading into the main dining room of burgundy family-style booths where you can feast on dishes like crispy mozzarella with caviar, the Don Ron Burger and New York-style pastrami served on challah bread. Fine-dining chef collaborations 2026 will be a year filled with chef collaborations at the fine-dining end of the restaurant spectrum. Northcote in the Ribble Valley will bring back its fine-dining festival in ‘Obsession’ 2026, curated by chef patron-director Lisa Goodwin-Allen. Over 20 chefs, holding a combined 25 Michelin stars, will take part, culminating in a grand finale where John Williams MBE, Phil Howard and Adam Byatt will unite for a collaborative night of fine dining. At his Mayfair restaurant Kanishka, chef Atul Kochhar has launched his Four-Hands series of events, where he joins forces with Michelin-starred chefs and friends for one night only, showcasing their culinary talents through a seven-course dining experience. 2026 guest chefs will include Aji Akokomi of Akoko, Asimakis Chaniotis of Myrtos and chef Hrishikesh Desai. At Opheem in Birmingham, 2026 will see chef Aktar Islam collaborate with guest chef Jean Delport for a night in support of the Prept Foundation’s work in food education for young people. Finally, one of the most anticipated openings of 2026 is The Admiralty Arch Waldorf Astoria in one of London's iconic buildings on the Mall looking down to Buckingham Palace. The venture will see Clare Smyth and Daniel Boulud partnering together. Smyth’s offering will include Coreus – a fine-dining celebration of the United Kingdom’s bountiful seas, coastal regions and farms – and a bar called Potato and Roe; Boulud will open an all-day dining restaurant called Café Boulud.
In a new series our trends expert Gurd Loyal shares a recipe that is having a moment online and in the restaurant world – this month a Turkish dumpling with global reach
Try our lamb and hot pepper manti, then discover more Turkish recipes, such as Turkish eggs, Turkish gozleme, Turkish lahmacun, Turkish stuffed peppers and pide. Food and drink trends specialist Gurdeep Loyal says: "Manti are Turkish dumplings stuffed with whose tasty rewards more than warrant the effort – championed by top chefs like Selin Kiazim of Leydi and Hasan ‘Big Has’ Semay. For Özlem Warren, author of Sebze, they are particularly special. 'Manti always brings back fond memories,' she tells me. 'My grandparents, my parents, whoever was around, would gather round the table to join the manti-making ritual at home. Some would prepare the filling, some would stretch the dough, of course with a constant flow of tea, coffee and daily banter.' "The dough is hand-kneaded, rested, then rolled thin before being stuffed and shaped. The most traditional filling in Turkey is a combination of grated onions, minced lamb or beef (or both) and seasonings, shaped into square pyramids. They can be small ravioli-sized or larger dumplings, which are either boiled or steamed. "However, Özlem explains, regionally in Turkey 'we also make vegetarian manti, especially in the north-western part of the country, with a spiced, mashed chickpea and caramelised onion filling, shaped as small boats'. What makes manti especially suitable for a feast are the layers of flavour that come with them, as they’re always served with garlicky yogurt and a spiced oil or butter sauce. Özlem likes 'a mix of olive oil, pepper paste, dried mint, sumac and pul biber in my sauce – it’s a combination that makes manti an irresistible, melt in the mouth flavour sensation'. Her top tips for shaping are to lightly dust your fingers with flour, to seal the ends well and to par-bake the manti before boiling. "Variations on manti are found in Central and West Asia – particularly in Afghani, Uzbek and Armenian cuisines, where they can include ingredients like cabbage and pumpkin, and are often baked until crispy or fried. Head to restaurants like Yeni in Soho to try its manti with dried aubergine and double fermented yogurt; Noshe Afghan restaurant in Cambridge for its beef mantu dumplings on a bed of lentils; and Gözleme House on Green Lanes in London for its Turkish manti with lamb or potato." Lamb and hot pepper manti recipe
10 best London restaurants for Christmas get-togethers
Discover the best London spots for festive gatherings, from Turkish to Thai cuisine
Planning a big Christmas get together? These are some of London's best restaurants for groups, and it's not all classic Christmas dinner – gather a group and head for a Thai, Spanish, Filipino or Turkish feast... For more London restaurant inspiration, check out the 15 best Michelin star restaurants in London or the best pubs in London with great food. 1. Ambassadors Clubhouse Punjabi Luxurious Punjabi cuisine is the heart of the offering at Ambassadors Clubhouse, the latest venture from the team behind Michelin-starred Gymkhana. Taking inspiration from the party mansions and palaces of northern India, its feast menus are ideal for get togethers, set in a sultry, darkly opulent setting. Menu highlights for meat-eaters include its famous BBQ butter chicken chops, achari duck chaat with masala mathai and decadent tawa masala crab cheela. For vegetarians there’s a smoky dunghar paneer tikka with kaju masala and creamy malai morel mattar. Finish with the indulgent gur malai toast with saunfiyan apples and burnt ghee ice cream. The attentive staff are on hand to guide you through every dish with expert precision, and there’s an after-hours party bar called Ambassy downstairs too. ambassadorsclubhouse.com 2. Leydi Turkish This modern Turkish restaurant from chef Selin Kiazim – formerly of Oklava – has quickly built a reputation as one of the best restaurants in the city. Its feast menus are a journey into the soul of contemporary Turkish cooking, kicking off with a meze of Turkish breads (tirnak pide and lavash), cacik minted yogurt, smoked aubergine pounded with garlic and sundried red pepper salca muhumara. The mangal grill is central to the Leydi menu, used for its flavour-packed shish köfte, chicken shish and karides tiger prawns with pul biber. Other menu highlights include freshly baked lahmacun and an islak burger – a spiced beef köfte bun drenched in garlic tomato sauce. For dessert there are delights like Turkish ice cream with pick and mix toppings, pistachio katmer and künefe. Expect free-flowing raki, wines from Turkey, Lebanon and Greece, and exquisite cocktails with a touch of smoky spice. leydilondon.com 3. Farang Thai This award-winning modern Thai restaurant in Highbury from chef Sebby Holmes serves up a fantastic six-course feasting menu that’s perfect for a festive gathering. You can opt for dishes like as salted turmeric flossed tiger prawns, peanuts, coconut and sour apple miang bites; ‘gai prik’ beer-battered free-range chicken in a sweet and salty fish sauce glaze with lemon zest, fresh herbs, crispy garlic and chilli; and whole marinated plaice served with three-flavoured sauce, lemongrass, samphire, ginger, roasted rice powder and fresh lime. Finish with homemade pineapple sorbet or coconut panna cotta with palm sugar. A wine pairing and vegetarian sharing menu are also available. faranglondon.co.uk 4. Belly Bistro Filipino fusion This new opening from Omar Shah (of Ramo Ramen and Mamasons fame) fuses French bistro classics with soulful Filipino twists, served alongside a carefully curated wine list. Set in a cosy, sun-drenched location in Kentish Town, the wood fire focused menu is designed for sharing feasts. Start with smoked aubergine and heirloom tomatoes with bagong and lime, and the delicious crispy king prawns with patis fish sauce and calamansi hot honey. The wagyu picanha with bistek sauce and braised shallots is the star of the menu, and there’s an equally exciting woodland mushroom ‘arroz caldo’ with adobo vinegar for vegetarians. Pandan jasmine rice and beef fat fries for the table are a must, but save room for the ube tiramisu with Maker’s Mark bourbon, tres leches and blueberry compote. There’s also an excellent coconut espresso martini. bellylondon.com 5. Kinkally Georgian This contemporary Georgian-inspired restaurant in the heart of Fitzrovia from chef David Chelidze is a minimalist, understatedly cool setting for a festive feast, featuring some of the most innovative cooking in London right now. The menu of smaller and larger plates alongside khinkali dumplings (from which the restaurant’s name comes) is designed for sharing, and inspired by Georgia’s ancient food culture. Kick off with a selection of smaller plates, like the golden beetroot pkhali, kumquat and barbary bun, or the baked aubergine with spiced satsebeli and vanilla matsoni. From the larger plates, the chkmeruli guinea fowl with lemongrass is a must-try – a twist on a traditional Georgian dish that’s rich in garlic and cream. The artfully crafted, stripy khinkali dumplings are also a must, with fillings including wagyu, peppercorn plum sauce and Svanetian salt, or cauliflower kveri, hazelnut and bell pepper sauce. There’s also a chic cocktail bar downstairs called Bar Kinky, which serves exquisite cocktails infused with herbs, spices and unique global spirits. kinkally.co.uk 6. Lolo Spanish The latest venture by renowned Spanish chef José Pizarro opened its doors on Bermondsey Street earlier this year, capturing the warmth, joy and togetherness that José feels when preparing his favourite dishes at home. The festive set menu includes the best of what it has to offer, starting with pan con tomate verde with extra-virgin olive oil and manchego, and classic devilled eggs with Cantabrian salt-cured anchovy. The seafood course features tuna crudo with pink peppercorns and coriander, and cuttlefish with black squid ink sauce, followed by the mains, which include stuffed lamb saddle with jus, spinach and preserved peach. It’s finished with a delicious olive oil and almond cake with peaches and yogurt. It’s a beautiful, light, chicly designed space, with a vibrant atmosphere and entire menu of different gin and tonics to choose from. josepizarro.com 7. Jikoni Global fusion Chef and food writer Ravinder Bhogal’s culturecrossing creativity at Jikoni is consistently some of the most thrilling food you can eat in London. Its feasting party menus take inspiration from South Asia and the Far East, Middle East, East Africa and the UK, cooked into dishes like prawn toast scotch egg with banana ketchup, crispy kale chaat with date and tamarind chutney, and pressed shoulder of Cornish lamb with ras el hanout, burnt aubergines and pistachios. The crispy aubergine with Sichaun caramel is a true highlight, as is the wow-worthy pandan pavlova with strawberry sorbet and yuzu curd. A beautifully welcoming spot for a fantastic feast. jikonilondon.com 8. Noreen Middle Eastern This new Middle Eastern restaurant offers a fresh approach to ingredient-led cooking in the heart of Marylebone, drawing inspiration from across the Arabian Peninsula. It’s a beautiful, buzzy space with evocative fabric banquettes and ornate crockery befitting of its Levantine menu, which is designed for sharing. Start with flavour-packed dips such as badenjan aubergine purée with miso-roasted aubergine and walnuts, or whipped feta with chilli, chives and spiced crisps with homemade flatbreads. Bigger sharing dishes include lamb flatbread with slow-cooked lamb shoulder and authentic mahyawa anchovy sauce, sea bass with citrus tahini and samphire, and king prawns in olive oil and roasted garlic with baharat samak. The cocktail menu was created in collaboration with Mr Lyan and features ingredients like black lime, tahini and hibiscus. Try the Arabian coffee and salep martini with vodka, date molasses, salep and spice, or the light, zesty black lime and mango sharbat with white rum, black lime, mango cordial and Campari. noreen-london.com 9. Hotori Japanese Nestled on an unassuming street close to Chancery Lane is Hotori, a new Japanese yakitori restaurant that celebrates beak-to-tail eating, with exquisite precision and delicious attention to detail in a bright, contemporary space. Its uses Fosse Meadows chickens – which are totally free-range and grown naturally in small flocks to at least 81 days – and aim to celebrate every part of the bird. The Hotori set menu is perfect for a festive feast and features six cuts: teba (wing with kombu sea salt), negima (thigh with spring onion and yuzu salt), soriresu (chicken oyster with sansho pepper), bonjiri (parson’s nose with kombu sea salt and truffle dust), obi (inner thigh, tare and truffle salt) and tsukune (chicken meatball with tare-cured egg yolk). For yakitori aficionados there’s also a 17-course, complete beak-to-tail menu, which uses the entire chicken. It also offers excellent tempura, sushi rolls and small plates, like yellowtail carpaccio with yuzu and truffle sauce. The wine list focuses on small-scale, biodynamic producers and there’s an excellent sake menu for pairing. hotori.co.uk 10. Tatar Bunar Ukrainian Shoreditch’s new Ukrainian restaurant from chef Alex Cooper has quickly become known for serving big, hearty portions in a beautifully rustic setting – it has a long shared table in the middle, making it an atmospheric spot for a gathering with friends. Kick off with onion village bread with lardo and pickled tomatoes before diving into the middle plates, which include minced lamb chebureki, potato latkes with wild mushrooms and cabbage varenyky. There’s also ceremonial tatur borscht, which is designed for sharing, followed by dishes from the grill, like Bessarabia wagyu, lamb chops with yogurt and tomato or chicken with spring onions. Inventive cocktails include a martini with elderberry capers. And save room for the crème brûlée varenyky. Follow on Instagram @tatarbunar.london. Check out more London restaurant guides Best restaurants in Marylebone Best restaurants in Mayfair Best restaurants in Fitzrovia Best restaurants near Oxford Street Best restaurants in Brixton Best restaurants in Notting Hill Best restaurants in Battersea Best restaurants in Shoreditch Best restaurants in Camden Best restaurants in Covent Garden Best restaurants in Soho Best restaurants in Kings Cross Best restaurants in Hackney Best restaurants in Paddington
Whipped feta with apricots, olives and oranges
This savoury dip is great to kick off a party – loaded with festive dried fruits and nuts. The pomegranate drizzle adds an extra puckering twist
Try whipped feta with apricots, olives and oranges, then discover more Christmas starter recipes. Whipped feta with apricots, olives and oranges recipe
Sweet potato and cranberry fritters with nuoc cham
These Vietnamese-inspired sweet potato fritters have a festive twist with dried cranberries. The tangy-sweet-salty dipping sauce is a great one to have to hand for the festive season
Try our sweet potato and cranberry fritters with nuoc cham, then check out our classic pea fritters, courgette fritters and chickpea fritters. Plus, discover more ways with sweet potato. Sweet potato and cranberry fritters with nuoc cham recipe
This party sausage roll makes for an impressive addition to a festive starter grazing table. The tamarind glaze gives a tropical tanginess and the pistachios add nutty crunch
Try our giant sausage roll, then discover our easy sausage rolls, lamb sausage rolls and Christmas starter recipes. Giant sausage roll recipe
This Indian twist on tacos has a garam masala spiced lamb patty, tangy tamarind sauce and crunchy chaat toppings
Try our keema chaat smash tacos, then discover our pork tacos, birria tacos, tacos al pastor, steak tacos and more taco recipes. Serve them alongside our homemade tomato salsa, guacamole and classic nachos as part of a Mexican-style spread. Smash burgers, smashed potatoes, smashed courgettes. Smashed food is one of the most inescapable – and playfully delicious – trends of the moment. Smash tacos are its tastiest manifestation and one that can be taken in countless culture-crossing directions. The method is simple: first you take either a fresh corn or wheat tortilla, then you smash a flavour-loaded mince patty onto its surface – this can be beef, pork, lamb or even prawn. This is cooked directly on a hot griddle or skillet until crispy and charred on both sides. Then you load it up with your choice of lettuce, pickles and sauces, grasp with both hands, curl upwards to hold everything in and devour from one side to the other. You can keep things traditionally Mexican with chipotle-spiced beef, jalapeños and tomato salsa, or go in a Turkish direction with lahmacun-inspired cumin-spiced lamb topped with hot pepper paste and yogurt, or try Korean flavours with gochujang-spiced pork, pickled daikon radishes and spring onions. Keema chaat smash tacos recipe
'I'm a Londoner, here are my favourite autumn comfort foods and where to try them'
From deep-filled pies and apple crumble, to warming curries and slow-cooked tacos, this is where to find some of the best comfort foods in London
As summer turns to autumn, the season of comfort food arrives. Trends expert Gurdeep Loyal shares his favourite comfort foods to enjoy in autumn, plus where to try them in London and our best recipes to make at home. For more like this, check out our best comfort food recipes with over 60 recipes. 1. Deep filled savoury pies Cutting into a buttery crusted, deep-filled savoury pie is one of the most wonderful autumnal sights to behold. Equally comforting is a deep-filled fish pie topped with piped mash potato, or even a pie with a flaky puff-pastry top. What matters is that the filling is richly flavoured, with a thick, warming gravy. Quo Vadis in Soho from Jeremy Lee is famous for it’s daily-changing majestic suet-crusted pies – with fillings like Swaledale mutton, celeriac and turnip, guinea fowl and porcini, or ham hock, chicken and leek. At The Hero Pub in Warrick Avenue, their classic duck, and cheese and onion pies are topped with piped Duchess potatoes, perfectly burnished before they’re served. And at Blacklock, the steak and stout pie is made using the trimmings from their morning butchery, fuelled by a hearty stout. Make it at home: make a golden braised beef and mushroom pie, lamb shank shepherd's pie topped with fluffy mash or a deep filled vegan butternut squash pie. 2. Roti and curry There’s something deeply comforting about abandoning cutlery and eating with your hands – especially when it’s to scoop up a fragrant curry with torn pieces of roti. At Roti King in Euston, their iconically flaky roti canai are hand rolled and stretched to order, served with your choice of beef rendang, chicken kari or dhal. In Elephant and Castle, head to Guyanese restaurant Kaieteur Kitchen where chef Faye Gomes’ rotis are served with slow-cooked oxtail pepperpot, okra and curry chicken. And at The Tamil Prince in Islington, try their famous flaky-buttery rotis with paneer butter masala, Chettinad lamb curry or Thanjuvar chicken curry. Make it at home: we've got plenty of curry recipes to choose from, from a beef rendang to a healthy spinach and chickpea curry. Learn to make homemade roti canai to scoop up your sauces. 3. Soup dumplings Autumnal comforts are all about foods with a mix of textures that sooth, surprise and delight in equal measure. Crispy sheng jian bao soup dumplings deliver this sensory contrast in every way: pan-fried until golden-brown and crispy on the bottom, with an unctuous meaty-soft filling, and hot soup oozing from their insides to slurp out with every bite. Dumpling Shack in Spitalfields have almost cult status for their pan-fried pork soup dumplings, made fresh every day and served with their house chilli oil. For a more traditional steamed take on Shanghai soup dumplings, head to Dim Sum Duck in Kings Cross where their dumplings are famously large, with delicate translucent skins and a deeply flavoured soup broth. Make it at home: set aside a rainy autumn weekend to make Chinese pan-fried soup dumpling bao, complete with homemade dough and chilli oil. 4. Crumble and custard Warm seasonal harvest fruits, baked with a crumble-oaty-sugary crust, and served with piping hot custard is the personification of autumnal comfort in pudding form. At Humble Crumble in Borough Market their nostalgic crumble cups are made using sustainable ingredients, like Wildfarmed flour, the highest quality Madagascan vanilla and Northiam Dairy cream. Seasonal flavours include classic apple, rhubarb and a decadent “crumbrûlée” – a crumble topped with custard and blowtorched sugar. For an alternative take on crumble with a similar sensorial effect, try the hot chocolate mousse at Marjorie’s wine bar in Soho – a warm custardy chocolate pudding, topped with crunchy hazelnuts, cacao nibs and olive oil. Make it at home: an old school apple crumble, juicy pear crumble or spiced easy plum crumble – the options are endless. Serve your crumble of choice with a big jug of homemade custard. 5. Slow cooked birria tacos There’s something deeply comforting about a slow cooked birria meat taco, dipped into a Mexican broth of its own juices. At Taca Tacos in Peckham, their signature beef birria is cooked for 6 hours in a braise of Mexican beer, rich spices and chillies, served with crispy quesatacos, soft shell tacos and broth. Coba Mexicana on Brick Lane serve their birria tacos with Oaxaca-style cheese melted onto the taco shell, slow cooked braised beef, hot sauce and pots of rich birria consommé. And at Birria Taco near Kensal Rise, birria are filled with marinated tender beef, slow cooked in Mexican salsa, herbs and spices. The beef is pulled off the bone and filled into crispy corn tacos and melted cheese over a griddle, topped with sweet white onions and coriander, served with a consommé broth. Make it at home: making our birria tacos recipe is worth the effort to be rewarded with super tender beef, crispy tacos and melting cheese. 6. Gözleme (Turkish stuffed flatbreads) Freshly griddled Turkish flatbreads, filled with piping hot spinach, feta and potatoes are one of the most comforting things your can devour at lunch time at this time of year – and they’re perfect to take along with you for a brisk autumnal walk in a park. Istanbul Gozleme – which pops up around the city in places like Wanstead and Hammersmith – serve up deliciously charred, deeply filled versions, with garlicky yogurt and chilli sauce for dipping. At Pitted Olive in Bloomsbury, their gözleme are hand rolled in the window with fillings like lamb and onion, and spinach-feta. And at Hala restaurant in Harringey, filo gözleme are freshly made with minced meat, potatoes or even cheddar. Make it at home: award-winning food writer Özlem Warren shared her gözleme recipe filled with potato and spinach. 7. Udon noodle soup What could be more autumnal than a steaming pot of umami-rich broth, with thick chewy wheat noodles, and additions like smoky bacon, jammy eggs and seaweed? Udon noodle soup is supremely comforting by its very definition. At Koya Ko in Broadway Market, their classic ginger miso soup is served with udon noodles, juicy pork and comes with seasonal greens. Okan in Brixton Village serve up their noodle soups curry-udon style with ginger pork and beef. And at Misato in Soho, their thick Japanese udon come with options of curry pork katsu, Kitsune soup with fried bean curd, or tori udon with Japanese fried chicken. Make it at home: this healthy miso chicken soup has a fragrant broth for the udon noodles – top with an egg if you like. 8. Biryani A celebratory slow cooked biryani – rich in spices, slow cooked onions, and aromatics – is one of the most comforting autumnal dishes there is, especially if the rice is cooked under a ‘dum’ dough lid which traps in the flavours like a vacuum. Asma Khan serves up the most famous biryanis in central London at Darjeeling Express in Kingly Court at her Biryani Supperclub Events. Her lamb dum biryani is a family recipe where layers of meat, potatoes and rice are infused with saffron and spices, slow-cooked in a sealed pot and then served with Hyderabadi chilli-onion gravy and beetroot raita. At contemporary coastal Indian restaurant Trishna, their luxurious wild mushroom biryani consists of kaima rice, sliced truffle and pink peppercorn raita. And at Ambassadors Clubhouse just off Regent Street, their regal Punjabi Masledar lamb biryani is served with a boondi palak raita. Make it at home: try our lamb biryani recipe for a great dinner party centrepiece, or go veggie with a paneer dum biryani. 9. Raclette Hot melted cheese and potatoes are two things that scream autumn – especially when done in an Alpine French way. Kappacasein in Borough Market’s raclette is legendary throughout the city, with their London-made raclette cheese – warmed then scraped over new potatoes, baby gherkins and pickled onions. At La Fromagerie in Bloomsbury their melted raclette comtoise is served over Charlotte potatoes, with shallots, mustard and caper relish. And Josette in Farringdon is famous for its signature all-you-can-eat raclette experience, where table-top melted morbier and raclette cheese is served with potatoes, charcuterie, and cornichons. Make it at home: this is the ultimate indulgent autumn recipe: frying pan potato bread topped with raclette and a tangy pickle dressing. 10. Dosas, sambhar & chutney Dipping a crispy edged dosa, into warming gingery sambhar and a tangy chutney is an autumnal delight that hits every tastebud. These South Indian pancakes are made a little bit like crepes, either from rice, chickpeas or sometimes ancient grains. Ravi Shankar Bhelpoori House in Euston is a long-standing institution, whose famous crispy dosas are filled with masala potato or spinach and paneer, served with a coconut chutney. At Jikoni in Marylebone from Ravinder Bhogal, her buckwheat dosa is served with pumpkin thoran and coconut-garlic chutney. And at Dosa World just off Brick Lane, their dosas come with fillings of masala chicken, lamb, paneer or prawn. 11. Sausages and mash Creamy mashed potatoes and sausages are a marriage made in autumnal comfort heaven, especially when topped with a lusciously thick gravy. At Mother Mash in Carnaby Street, you can choose your own pie and mash journey – with a choice of classic, cheesy, sweet potato or horseradish mash, and cumberland, London smoky or vegan Lincolnshire sausages – teamed with onion, farmer's or classic gravy. The Woolpack in Bermondsey Street – famous for its cosy vibe – serves up pork & apple sausages with creamy mash, caramelised onion jam and Young’s ale gravy. And at German Gymnasium in Kings Cross their German Käsekrainer consists of smoked & grilled cheese pork wurst, sauerkraut, soft herbed mash potato and crispy onions on top. Make it at home: make our sausages and mash with cheat's onion gravy for an easy midweek meal ready in under 30 minutes. 12. Rice pudding The creamy sweetness of rice pudding – evocative of school dinners and vintage culinary times past – has had something of a gastronomic glow-up in recent years. It’s the perfect autumnal hug in every one of its guises, be that classic-traditional or out-there gourmet. At Gina restaurant in Chingford – from husband-and-wife team Ravneet Gill and Mattie Taiano – one of the highlights on their pudding menu is a creamy rice pudding served up with cherries and pistachios. At Mexican restaurant Fonda by Santiago Lastra, rice pudding is infused with cinnamon and served with cherries and mezcal custard on top. Jackon Boxer has an exquisite Riz au lait with English plums and macadamia at Dove in Notting Hill. Also check out Quince Bakery in Islington, where pastry chef extraordinaire Anna Higham has also become famous for her comforting rice pudding tart – baked in a pastry case with seasonal fruit compote – that’s equally delicious hot or cold. Make it at home: master a classic rice pudding or be inspired by global flavours with our halva-topped rice pudding or Spanish rice pudding with a crunchy sugar topping. Be inspired... 41 autumn desserts 21 autumn cake ideas Best ways to celebrate autumn Best comfort food recipes
Gochujang prawn toast rice paper pancakes
Turn paper-thin Vietnamese rice paper sheets into a crispy pancake, complete with spicy sesame prawn filling
Try gochujang prawn toast rice paper pancakes, then try our bánh xèo tôm Vietnamese pancakes, bun cha with sizzling meatballs and Vietnamese chicken curry (cà ri gà bí). Rice paper sheets are paper-thin transparent wraps traditionally made from rice, tapioca and water. What’s unique about them is that they can be both supple and chewy, or shatteringly crispy, depending on how you use them. For Thuy Diem Pham (@chef_thuy_pham), chef and author of The Little Viet Kitchen and Vietnamese Made Easy, they are a staple of her cooking. “As a Vietnamese, rice paper isn’t just something I use often, it’s something I adore,” she tells me. “It’s incredibly versatile: a light, stretchy sheet that transforms into goi cuon (summer rolls), bánh cuon (steamed rice rolls), cha giò (fried spring rolls), dumplings or even crispy Vietnamese pizza on the BBQ!” When using it for rolls, Thuy has an expert trick: “Don’t use warm water to wet the paper, as it softens too fast and you lose control. Use cold water instead. The key is to understand rice paper so you can control it, know when it’s soft, when it’s still firm and when it’s perfectly elastic. When it’s hydrated just right, it’s much stronger than you’d expect. When rolling, keep it snug and airtight, and push out the air so the fillings don’t slide out mid-bite.” You could also turn this recipe into crispy rolls if you like by blooming the rice paper in water, rolling up the prawn filling into mini cigars, then deep-frying. Gochujang prawn toast rice paper pancakes recipe
The iconic sandwich of Philadelphia has had a revival. Make your own with ribeye steak, pickled chilli peppers, two types of cheese and more
Try our Philly cheesesteak, then check out our brisket sandwiches with beer onions and blue cheese, classic bulgogi and steak bulgogi bowl. Philadelphia is experiencing something of a culinary renaissance, with some of the best chefs in the US now based there, along with a large African American and south-east Asian diaspora leaving their own delicious marks on the city’s culinary scene. With this, the iconic sandwich of Philadelphia, the Philly cheesesteak, has had a revival. There are a handful of Philly cheesesteak institutions that are worth a visit: Pat’s and Geno’s being the most popular with tourists, Jim’s on South Street and Uncle Gus’ Steaks in Reading Terminal Market being popular with locals, and the viral Angelo’s Pizzeria serving up some of the best cheesesteaks around because of how it seasons its meat. The main decisions to make with ordering one is ‘wit or witout’, which refers to onions. Then, there are cheese options to choose from: provolone, American jack, cheddar and bright orange Cheez Whiz being the most popular. Then, there are toppings and condiments to pick: green peppers, ‘long hot’ chilli peppers, ketchup, relish, mustard and Lucifer’s hot pepper powder being some of the top picks. This recipe amalgamates them all! Philly cheesesteak recipe
Gurdeep Loyal's best new cookbook recommendations, 2025
Trends expert Gurdeep Loyal's best new cookbook recommendations for food and drink inspiration from across the globe
Whether you're looking for food and drink inspiration, wanting to add to your kitchen library or searching for the perfect gift for the foodie who has everything, cookbooks are the answer. Our trends expert Gurdeep Loyal brings you his favourite new books that'll have you cooking up a storm. Discover new and emerging voices from across the globe, whose books allow them to share their stories and recipes. From Ukraine and Nigeria to Armenia, cook your way across the world with Gurdeep's favourite new cookbooks of 2025. Looking for other inspiration for the latest trends? Check out Gurdeep Loyal's guide the best homeware brands. Gurdeep Loyal's favourite new cookbooks 2025 at a glance Fusão by Ixta Belfrage, £21.35 Sama Sama by Julie Lin, £21.35 Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria by Ozoz Sokoh, £24.93 Green Mountains by Caroline Eden, £20.69 Bayrūt: Recipes from the Heart of a Lebanese City Kitchen by Hisham Assaad, £20.15 Bread & War by Felicity Spector, £15 The Snack Hacker by George Egg, £15.89 Boustany by Sami Tamimi, £23.83 Long Day? Cook This. by Justin Tsang, £20.25 Sunny Days, Taco Nights by Enrique Olvera, £22.99 Roti by Anuradha Ravindranath, £16.99 Kapusta – Vegetable-Forward Recipes from Eastern Europe by Alissa Timoshkina, £20.97 Danube: Recipes and Stories from Eastern Europe by Irina Georgescu, £20.93 Best new cookbooks to buy 2025 Fusão by Ixta Belfrage Available from Amazon (£21.35), Waterstones (£23.99), Bookshop.org (£26.60) The second solo cookbook from best-selling author and chef Ixta Belfrage is playfully subtitled “Untraditional recipes inspired by Brazil” and is a vibrant celebration of culture, identity and flavour. She grew up absorbing food traditions from Italy, Mexico and Brazil, which is embodied in this colourful new book, the title of which translates to ‘fusion’ in Portuguese. Inside, Ixta brings her signature creativity and flair to the food of her mother’s homeland. It’s divided into sections for flavour bombs, meat, seafood, vegetables and sweets, with every recipe offering up a fresh take on traditional Brazilian dishes. Culture-straddling dishes include stir-fried papaya with crispy basil, moqueca fish burgers, grilled fish with mango curry butter, and lamb with pineapple pimenta and toasted cassava. Available from: Amazon (£21.35) Waterstones (£23.99) Bookshop.org (£26.60) Sama Sama by Julie Lin Available from Amazon (£21.35), Waterstones (£24.99) Julie Lin grew up learning how to toss pasta with chopsticks, listen to the sizzle of her cooking sensorially and create a banquet out of leftovers – lessons integral to embracing both her Malaysian and Scottish heritages. This is a joyful celebration of this journey and all parts of her identity, with 90 delicious recipes and heartwarming stories of food and self-discovery. Her ‘agak-agak’ style is about cooking with soul and creating accessible dishes with explosive flavours, like curry leaf chicken legs, chilli crisp puttanesca and sticky tamarind prawns. Available from: Amazon (£21.35) Waterstones (£24.99) Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria by Ozoz Sokoh Available from Amazon (£24.93), WH Smith (£27.60), Waterstones (£30) Ozoz Sokoh is a Nigerian food writer and educator who began documenting her food journey on her blog Kitchen Butterfly. Her research explores the roots of West African and Nigerian cuisine, and the impact of these cuisines on global culture. Chop Chop is an introduction to Nigerian home cooking, with 100 delicious recipes. In Nigeria, the word 'chop' is all about food and feasting, and 'chop chop' a nickname given to someone who loves to eat. The book explores the rich food culture of the six regions of Nigeria, giving you historical and cultural context of dishes along the way, with recipes like Nigerian-style jollof, seafood okro soup and chin chin fried dough bits. Available from: Amazon (£24.93) WH Smith (£27.60) Waterstones (£30) Green Mountains by Caroline Eden Available from Amazon (£20.69), WH Smith (£25.76), Waterstones (£28) Travel and food writer Caroline Eden’s book is an enlightening on-foot exploration of Armenia and Georgia. There are recipes woven throughout, bringing to life the encounters she has along her journey and weaving together the unique geographies and culinary cultures of the two countries. She tells tales of testing hikes and the relationships she forms with her hosts, punctuated by the food she eats along the way: citrus fruits, unique teas, apricots, mountain greens and ‘magical’ cheeses. The evocative recipes include lamb with plums, green beans and cinnamon, omelette with dates and tarragon panna cotta. Available from: Amazon (£20.69) WH Smith (£25.76) Waterstones (£28) Bayrūt: Recipes from the Heart of a Lebanese City Kitchen by Hisham Assaad Available from Amazon (£20.15), Waterstones (£27) Hisham Assaad, chef and author of the blog cookin5m2.com, explores how the amalgamation of rich culinary cultures in the city of Beirut has shaped its unique cuisine. Dishes include comforting mains like köfte, potato and tomato casserole or chicken, sumac and caramelised onion rolls, sides like butter beans with lemony garlic, and sweets like walnut baklava. The stunning location photography takes you right to the heart of the alleyways, centuries-old buildings and the homes of people that have remained resilient and fruitful throughout the city’s tumultuous history. Available from: Amazon (£20.15) Waterstones (£27) Bread & War by Felicity Spector Available from Amazon (£15), Waterstones (£20) A senior producer for Channel 4 News, Felicity Spector has been a television journalist for 34 years, covering the fall of the communist bloc and the end of the old Soviet Union. Bread & War is a compelling account of feeding, eating and resistance in wartime Ukraine. Bread, bakeries and bakers have become a central part of Ukraine’s war effort, a means of survival and powerful symbol of national resilience. The book tells the extraordinary stories of military kitchens that cook for soldiers and volunteers, and chefs that pivoted from fine dining to turning out loaves of bread for families in need. There are also a handful of recipes that bring you closer to the people, like syrniki curd cheese pancakes, a poppy seed cake with plums from Katrya in Lviv, and energy bars inspired by Dou Bakery in Odesa. Available from: Amazon (£15) Waterstones (£20) The Snack Hacker by George Egg Available from Hive (£15.89), Amazon (£15.89), Waterstones (£22) This is a collection of over 90 inventive, playful, rule-breaking recipes for everyone that is sure to thrill your tastebuds. There are clever hacks for fast food favourites and recipes using surprising combinations, unexpected ingredients and unconventional methods. George is just as happy to reach for ingredients like Babybel, crabsticks and salad cream as he is for gourmet ingredients like date syrup, tahini and seaweed. There’s a deep-fried Pot Noodle recipe, Twiglet brownies, peshwari toasties and even beer-battered Celebrations. This is an inviting and spirited celebration of food that revels in the joy of playing in your kitchen. Available from: Hive (£15.89) Amazon (£15.89) Waterstones (£22) Boustany by Sami Tamimi Available from Amazon (£23.83), Waterstones (£25.99), Bookshop (£28.50) A homage to Palestinian food and culture, Boustany is the first solo cookbook from Ottolenghi co-founder Sami Tamimi. The word translates from Arabic to ‘my garden’. Growing up in Palestine, Sami’s family’s garden was a vibrant, verdant space filled with vegetables, herbs, grains and pulses, cleverly transformed into plentiful, flavourful dishes. The recipes and stories in this book reflect these roots, the way he grew up eating and the dishes he returns to again and again. There are over 100 colourful vegetarian recipes for breakfasts, sharing plates, big celebrations, simple breads, moreish sweet treats and easy dinners. Every recipe is filled with emotion and memories, like the maftoul with tomato, okra and yogurt, quick makdous (pickled aubergines), courgette and leek ijeh, and garlic-infused broccoli and labneh dip. Available from: Amazon (£23.83) Waterstones (£25.99) Bookshop (£28.50) Long Day? Cook This. by Justin Tsang Available from Amazon (£20.25), WHSmith (£23.92), Waterstones (£26) Born in north London to immigrant parents from Hong Kong, Justin’s family opened a Chinese buffet in 1993, where Justin spent his evenings after school. The sights, noises, smells and delicious ingredients are where Justin’s passion for food began. Experimenting with traditional recipes, Justin took inspiration from his heritage and influences from growing up in 90s London. He began sharing his passion online and quickly went viral with videos showing his trademark style of walking through the door and cooking up something quick and delicious. This is a book of home-cooked Asian food with fun twists, including recipes like fish finger sando with lime, wasabi and chive mayo; chicken thigh and honey gochujang instant noodles; and chilli and sesame dumpling salad. Available from: Amazon (£20.25) WHSmith (£23.92) Waterstones (£26) Sunny Days, Taco Nights by Enrique Olvera Available from Amazon (£22.99), WH Smith (£27.99), Waterstones (£29.95) From much-loved Mexican chef Enrique Olvera comes a definitive guide to everyday tacos for home cooks everywhere. The 100 vibrant recipes include classic tacos like barbacoa or pork with orange and sinaloa fish, plus original creations like brussels sprout, wagyu-yuzu kosho and rabbit tacos alongside delicious salsas like Yucatecan habanero sauce, red morita salsa and green Serrano salsa. The colourful photography is playful, with every taco-filled page bursting with unexpected ideas and new flavour combinations that will thrill your tastebuds in the most delicious ways. Available from: Amazon (£22.99) WH Smith (£27.99) Waterstones (£29.95) Roti by Anuradha Ravindranath Available from Waterstones (£16.99) This charmingly captivating cookbook celebrates South Asia’s most iconic flatbread, the roti, in all its multiple guises. Blending the Delhi-based author’s personal stories, step-by-step DIY guides and easy tips, there are more than 90 unique recipes to discover that transform the humble roti into a flavour-packed meal, including matar bhari roti with zingy peas, pudina mint naan, bakarkhani flaky mugal sweetbreads, and sheermal flatbreads brushed with saffron milk. There’s also expert advice on the ultimate pickles and accompaniments, roti-making tools and guides to making your own ghee, yogurt and paneer. Available from: Waterstones (£16.99) Kapusta – Vegetable-Forward Recipes from Eastern Europe by Alissa Timoshkina Available from Amazon (£20.97), WHSmith (£25.76), Waterstones (£28) This stunningly original cookbook is a celebration of vegetable-based cooking across Eastern Europe – dishes filled with vibrant culinary traditions and history. It honours five humble vegetables – cabbages, beetroots, potatoes, carrots and mushrooms – and places flavour at its heart. Unique dishes include cabbage strudel, potato babka, pierogi, tzimmes carrot cake, and Bulgarian mushroom and walnut pâté. Filled with beautiful illustrations and photography, it’s a feast for all the senses. Available from: Amazon (£20.97) WHSmith (£25.76) Waterstones (£28) Danube: Recipes and Stories from Eastern Europe by Irina Georgescu Available from Amazon (£20.93), Waterstones (£28) This stunningly photographed, poetic cookbook celebrates the simple and vibrant everyday cooking of Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria, a “diverse cuisine, whose main ingredient is generosity”. The 80 inviting recipes include potato stew with cheese filo crust, quince and rice with rosemary, and semolina milk soufflé. Available from: Amazon (£20.93) Waterstones (£28) Related content Best coffee table books Kitchen style inspiration: kitschy style Kitchen style inspiration: dopamine décor Kitchen style inspiration: coastal grandmother
The viral 'potato chip tortilla' marries thick-cut crinkle crisps with Chinese chilli crisp to make something simple but delicious
Try Gurdeep's double crisp frittata, then discover courgette frittata, broccoli and taleggio frittata, mini picnic frittatas or broccoli and roasted red pepper frittata. The potato chip tortilla – made famous thanks to Ferran Adrià – has become something of a viral hit on Instagram and TikTok. It’s simple to make: eggs are whisked, combined with potato crisps, Spanish ham, pimentos and thyme, then slowly cooked on a hob until just set. It’s led to countless remixes, including Italian-inspired frittatas, cooked first on the stove, then finished in the oven or grill. Frittatas are the signature dish of Bristol-based Elly Curshen (also known on Instagram as @ellypear), renowned for her inventive no-waste recipes: “I started making frittatas at The Pear Café because I wanted an alternative to sandwiches that people could take away easily,” she tells me. “The frittata was the perfect answer and became not only my signature dish but my favourite final resting place for leftovers.” Elly always starts with the same base of cooked new potatoes fried in butter or oil, eggs and cheese, such as a good cheddar. “After that, you’re only limited by your imagination,” she continues. “One combo that works really well is a curried cauliflower frittata – made using both the florets and leaves of the cauliflower, along with fresh coriander, curry powder, mustard seeds and nigella seeds. Serve with mango chutney.” My frittata here takes inspiration from both Ferran and Elly, with the culinary delights of thick-cut crinkle crisps and Chinese chilli crisp combined into something simple but delicious. Double crisp frittata recipe
Gurdeep Loyal's favourite homeware brands and products to discover
Each month, our trends expert Gurdeep Loyal brings you the best stylish homeware brands and releases to discover, from serveware and tableware to linens, glassware and more
Are you looking for a stylish addition to your kitchen? Our trends expert Gurdeep Loyal brings you his favourite new homeware brands, launches and special releases that you'll be swooning over. Discover new small brands, colourful tableware, timeless glassware and irresistible serveware that will make your dinner parties shine. If your kitchen is your haven, these picks will be the perfect finishing touches. Look out for new additions to the list every month. For more home inspiration, check out our picks of the best autumn home decor ideas and best kitchen wall art for foodies. For more autumnal inspiration, see our best autumn travel breaks for food lovers and our guide to how to make the most of autumn ingredients. Best new homeware brands and products to discover Iittala Teema tableware Available from Nordic Nest (from £13.10) Buttercup yellow is the ‘it’ kitchen accessory colour of the moment and Scandinavian brand Iittala’s Teema crockery collection is the perfect shade of egg yolk to play with the trend at home. Originally created by Finnish designer Kaj Franck in 1952, the range’s minimalist shapes are both timelessly elegant and hard-wearing, made from durable ceramic that can be used every day. The range includes cups, platters, plates and bowls in bold primary shapes, and it’s also available in other retro colours like lilac, rose pink and sage green. Fable glassware Available from Fable, Selfridges Zero-waste company Fable is known for its minimalist, durable, lead-free crystal glassware. Its collection blends modern design with functionality, with beautiful stemware wine glasses, Japanese tall and short glasses, elegant coupes and glass carafes. Designed for everyday use, they’re sturdy and lightweight enough to use casually but can also add a touch a sophistication to more formal occasions. It makes ceramic coffee mugs and espresso cups as well, hand finished in Portugal in delicate pastel shades. Fellow Stagg Pour-Over Set XF Available from Fenwick (£50), Healf (£80), Origin Coffee (£99.95) A slick essential for any coffee connoisseur, this nifty device is designed to ensure you can consistently make the perfect pour-over coffee every time. It has a built-in ratio aid, vacuum insulated body and steep slope to prevent spillage. What’s more, the holes inside are uniquely placed in a specific pattern that ensures balanced extraction and stops the coffee from clogging. Laetitia Rouget Available from Selfridges, Flannels French ceramicist and textile designer Laetitia Rouget has become known for her vibrant fruit bowls, fun candle holders and whimsical sweets jars. Her comic aesthetic was honed at Central Saint Martins in London, where she trained. Her playful illustrated motifs often include amusing animals, fruits, abstract foliage and even naked bodies. Her humorous earthenware snake mugs, complete with squiggly handles, are handmade in Portugal, and sure to bring a laugh to any summer breakfast table. Niche by Nisha Available from niche by Nisha This sleek new kitchen essential is a seven-in-one tool that can peel, eyelet, scrape, crinkle, grate, julienne and slice. It has a comfort grip and compact design that can fit easily into any kitchen drawer, as well as being dishwasher-safe and durable. Designed by chef Nisha Parmar, it’s an all-in-one multi-functional tool that can help elevate your cooking game at home Netherton Foundry Available from Netherton Foundry, The Newt in Somerset, Borough Kitchen, Sous Chef Family-owned Netherton Foundry makes spun iron and copper cookware in south Shropshire, with a commitment to reducing its impact on the planet by crafting beautiful pans that will last. A favourite with food writers and chefs, the pans are lighter in weight than cast iron but retain heat just as well. Block Design Available from Block Design, Luna & Curious Block Design is a London based studio specialising in bold and beautiful tableware. Its bubble glasses are sure to add a vibrant pop of colour to any festive tablescape – in contrasting colours like blue and red, amber and cobalt, or pink and green – with floating bubbles perfectly placed for your thumb. They also make bowls for cocktail snacks, and even two-tone glass spoons for coffee scooping or cocktail stirring. Nata Concept Store Available from Selfridges, Nata The playful, food-inspired handmade candles from London-based Nata Concept Store are made using vegan ingredients – making them an eco-friendly Christmas present or stocking filler. There are iconic pasta shapes like rigatoni, tortellini and farfalle; crinkle crisp, green olive and fried egg shaped candles; and even one resembling stacked garlic cloves. Matilda Goad & Co Available from Matilda Goad & Co, Anthropologie The playful kitchen and tableware from Matilda Goad & Co takes inspiration from daily rituals, offering a contemporary twist on classic designs. The collection includes a yellow tartan plate and egg cup set, colourful scalloptrimmed napkins, ceramic toast racks, hand-blown glass straws with pops of colour and rainbowhandled cutlery sets. There are also tumblers and carafes with a candy striped twist design to brighten up the table. Akub x Nur Minawi ceramics collection Available from Akub Akub, the modern Palestinian restaurant in Notting Hill, has launched a contemporary crockery range in collaboration with third-generation Palestinian ceramicist Nur Minawi. Hand-crafted using traditional ceramic methods, the collection features nine stoneware pieces that are perfect for entertaining at home, including asymmetrical plates, ideal for canapés, and deep bowls for slow-cooked stews. KS Creative Pottery Available from KS Creative Pottery, Whistles The Sicilian-inspired tableware by potter Kate Sellers is meticulously designed, and hand-finished in her Staffordshire studio. With designs that feature pastel candy stripes and playful faces, it’s sure to add a touch of Italian sunshine and humour to any summer tablescape. Falcon Enamelware Available from Falcon, Season Cookshop, Amazon Falcon Enamelware has a timeless elegance and enduring durability thanks to its porcelain surface fused onto heavy-gauge steel. It was originally made in the Black Country near Birmingham. The heritage brand’s classic ice white, blue-rimmed designs are complemented by a host of boldly coloured kitchenware in playful shades of pillarbox red, mineral blue and spring green. Glassette Available from Glassette Glassette has launched a five-piece glassware collection that celebrates form and simplicity, from founder Laura Jackson. There’s a glass for every occasion, including The Frenchette Bistro Glass, The Coupe Glass, The Red Wine Glass, The Tall Tumbler and The Short Tumbler. Handmade from lead-free crystal, mouthblown into moulds and then hand-engraved at the base for an elegant touch. From £35 for a set of four glasses. Summerill & Bishop Available from Summerill & Bishop, Fortum & Mason Bring the essence of an aromatic herb garden to the table with a botanical tablecloth and napkins by Summerill & Bishop, on 100 per cent French linen. It’s a visual feast of chives, rosemary, thyme, parsley, cucamelon, asparagus, citrus, verbena, mint, limetree, lavender and passiflora that creates a striking backdrop to any outdoor picnic. Manzoni Pietro Available from David Mellor Manzoni Pietro is a family-run company based in Bergamo, Italy, that specialises in handmade wooden kitchen accessories and tableware. Its simply shaped fruit and salad bowls come in a range of striking colours – with a unique water-based varnish that gives a homely sheen. The range also includes a playful domed wooden bottle stopper and screw mechanised nutcracker – terrific housewarming gifts for any food lover. Available at the David Mellor store in Marylebone, London, and online. 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20 food experiences around the world that every food lover should try
From summer crayfish banquets in Malmö to Quebec's snow-taffy celebrations, check out Gurdeep Loyal's favourite foodie experiences from across the globe
Looking to add memorable foodie experiences to your bucket list? We asked food and drink trends specialist Gurdeep Loyal for 20 recommendations from around the world. For more from Gurd, check out his favourite homeware brands and products to discover, Gurdeep Loyal's culinary hotspots and Gurdeep Loyal's trend-led recipes. Gurdeep's favourite foodie experiences around the world 1. London, UK – Eat pie and mash in an iconic East End pie house Pie, mash and liquor (parsley sauce) is a culinary icon, upheld today by a handful of East End family eateries. G Kelly on Roman Road Market (in the Mile End neighbourhood) has been serving pies, mash, liquor and jellied eels since 1939. Its classic beef mince pie has a perfectly burnished pastry crust and is served with a puddle of flavourful green liquor and creamy mash. S&R Kelly & Sons in Bethnal Green is another East End institution – it’s been making traditional handmade mince meat pies since 1915. 2. Malmö, Sweden – Welcome August like a Scandi at a crayfish party August in Sweden is all about kräftskiva: outdoor parties centred around music, drinking and vats of freshly caught crayfish boiled in briny liquid (sometimes with a splash of ale), served cold with a crown of fresh dill. Malmö on the southwestern coast of Sweden is one of the best places to experience one. The Malmö Festival takes over Stortorget Square every August with long banquet tables (they stretch for more than 1km) piled high with boiled crayfish. 3. Mumbai, India – Do a sunset chaat street-snack crawl at Juhu Chowpatty Beach Juhu Chowpatty Beach in Mumbai is famous for its long sandy beach, sunset views and some of the best – and most colourful – street food stands in all of India. Visit Shree Ram Pav Bhaji for its paneer pav bhaji served with a buttery roll, masala pilou and Indo-Chinese hakka noodles. Sharma Chaat Bhandar is known for crunchy pani puri and papdi chaat, while Juhu Sealand specialises in technicolour falooda milkshakes and creamy pistachio-cashew kulfis. 4. Primorska, Slovenia – Visit a biodynamic orange winery Slovenia’s orange wines (made from white grapes where the skin and seeds are left in the macerations to impart an orange tint and tannins) are some of the best in the world. They’re known for their bold and complex flavours, with notes of floral herbs and rich honey. The north-western Primorska region, which stretches along the Adriatic Sea, is where Slovenia’s most prominent orange wineries can be found. Guerilla, a biodynamic winery in the Vipava Valley, is famous for its deep golden-coloured wines with notes of chamomile; and Movia wine estate in the village of Ceglo makes wines with intense bouquets of citrus, peaches, liquorice, vanilla and nutmeg. Make the most of your Slovenia trip with a few days exploring Ljubljana's best restaurants and the lush, green Julian Alps. 5. Penang, Malaysia – Take in the nighttime delights of Kimberly Street Night Market One of the most vibrant places to eat after dark in Penang is Kimberley Street Night Market in George Town’s Chinatown. Here you can try everything from laksa and oyster omelettes to char kway teow fried noodles and sweet si koh soup. Kimberley Street Duck Kway Chap is known for its rich braised duck flat-rice noodle soup. Tina’s Kitchen is a family-run spot that sells five-spiced Chinese sausage rolls, nasi ulum salted fish rice, and purple yam with tapioca jelly. And Tua Pui Curry Mee serves thick, aromatic curry soups with chicken, squid or cuttlefish. 6. Quebec, Canada – Head to a sugar shack for maple syrup snow-taffy celebrations Maple syrup taffy celebrations mark the Canadian culinary calendar every March and April. The highlight is when freshly tapped maple syrup is boiled, drizzled over clean white snow, then wound and twisted onto popsicle sticks into a sticky, chewy taffy. The area surrounding Montreal is famous for its cabanes à sucre (sugar shacks), which are traditional Quebec establishments where the new season’s maple syrup is celebrated in all its culinary guises. Érablière du Cap has been celebrating maple syrup since 1983 and offers a unique sugar shack menu and maple snow taffy experience. The Le Relais des Pins sugar shack experience includes visits to the maple sugar refinery and sleigh rides in the snow. 7. Houston and Louisiana, USA – Put on a bib and dive into a Viet-Cajun seafood boil Vietnamese immigrants have been thriving in the USA since the 1970s, particularly in Houston and Louisiana, which has resulted in a unique Viet-Cajun fusion cuisine. The most famous dish to come from this is Viet-Cajun seafood boil (traditional Cajun boil meets Southeast Asian aromatics). Crawfish & Noodles in Houston from James Beard Award-nominated chef Trong Nguyen specialises in Viet-Cajun crayfish, flavoured with a special spice blend (featuring lemongrass, ginger, garlic and cayenne) and served with Asian honey garlic wings on the side. Big EZ in Louisiana serves its Viet-Cajun boil Saigon-style: with kumquat, lemongrass and Cajun spices. 8. San Sebastián, Spain – Hop from bar to bar for pintxos and txakoli Basque-style tapas (pintxos) are typically served on long cocktail skewers or on top of toasted bread. San Sebastián, with is long sandy beach and characterful cobbled old town, is famous for its numerous pintxos bars, where hopping from one place to another is very much the done thing. Try the ‘igueldo’ at Antonio Bar: roasted tomato, tuna belly, Basque green peppers and salted anchovy on bread. Then head to Bar Txepetxa for fried calamari, gambas, vinegared anchovies and gilda, eaten alongside the region’s famous sparkling dry white wine, txakoli. Finish at La Espiga for thinly sliced jamón, oozy Spanish tortilla and stuffed piquillo peppers. Check out our full guide to the best restaurants in San Sebastian for more inspiration. 9. Oaxaca City, Mexico – Try freshly steamed street-side tamales Mexico’s Oaxaca City is all about tamales: steamed masa corn parcels filled with richly flavoured fillings, wrapped in banana leaves or corn husks, then freshly steamed. The rich, intensely savoury mole tamales at Mercado Sánchez Pascuas are some of the best in the city. Or head to Tamales de Tia Tila just outside of the city for black mole and salsa verde filled tamales, along with sweet tamales with cinnamon and tropical fruits. See our full guide to Oaxaca for more, including where to stay. We've also got a recipe for Mexican chicken mole rojo, to recreate at home. 10. Lagos, Nigeria – Enjoy barbecued suya skewers with yaji spice Nigeria’s famous suya skewers are strips of beef or goat, marinated in a yaji spice blend of chilli, ginger, garlic, peanuts and sometimes fermented locust beans and crushed bouillon. These are barbecued on skewers and served with more yaji spice sprinkled on top. The roads of Lagos are awash with suya carts and stalls. Glover Court Suya is one of the most loved spots, serving up beef and mixed grill skewers using its own unique spice blend. Locals favour Belton Suya Spot and Akerele Super Suya for their flavourful suya skewers. Discover more about Nigerian cuisine, and explore recipes from Cusine Experts, the Flygerians, with their Egusi Soup and Beef Suya. 10. Nice, France – Take a fire-baked socca and pissaladière to the beach The regional cooking in Nice combines seasonal Provençal ingredients with Italian influences, as is best illustrated by socca and pissaladière. Socca (chickpea flour pancakes) are cooked in large iron pans over fire until scorched, then hand-cut into craggy pieces before being piled onto paper plates and served with sachets of salt and pepper. Pissaladière is a savoury Niçois pizza-tart with a thick layer of caramelised onions, anchovies and olives on top. Chez Rene Socca situated on a bustling corner of old town has queues for their piping hot socca and generously topped pissaladière at all hours. Chez Teresa, which also pops up in the old town market, is known for its crispy and moreish socca, perfect for taking to the beach with a cold bottle of French beer. Check out our round up of the best French food trips for more France travel inspiration. 11. Chicago, USA – Indulge in Chicago’s deep-dish and ultra-thin tavern-style pizzas Although Chicago deep-dish has attracted global fame, there are in fact two pizza styles that reign supreme in the windy city: buttery crusted cast-iron deep-dish, and ultra-thin crispy square-cut tavern style. For deep-dish, head to cult Chicago institution Piquods in Lincoln Park for ‘caramelised edge’ cheese-crusts, oozy layered inverted fillings and high-quality ingredients. For square-cut tavern style, visit Italian-owned Pat's Pizzeria, where the ‘cracker crust’ pizzas have been a hit with locals since 1950. 12. Singapore – Dive into some saucy Singaporean chilli crab Singaporean chilli crab is traditionally made with mud crabs that are cooked in an intensely flavoured sauce, rich with chilli, garlic, ginger, shallots, tomato paste and sometimes lemongrass, fermented soybean paste, sesame oil, or Shaoxing wine. Roland Restaurant is often cited as the birthplace of the dish and its recipe (invented by Madam Cher Yam Tian) has an intense chilli heat and deep flavour. The Michelin-recognised Keng Eng Kee Seafood at Alexandra Village is equally renowned for its own take on chilli crab, with a slick sweet and sour style sauce that’s thickened with egg. Try making it at home with our Singapore chilli crab recipe. 13. Tokyo, Japan – Try whisky highballs and drinking snacks in the alleyways of Golden Gai Golden Gai is a district of Kabukicho in Shinjuku where there are more than 250 tiny drinking dens across a handful of streets. Dongara-Gassyan specialises in Osaka-style fried meat and vegetable skewers, and Japanese karage-fried chicken with a tare glaze. Albatros bar with its kitsch chandeliers and chintzy interiors is famous for cocktails infused with ingredients such as spicy pepper and prickly pear. And Totobar is known for its sake, served up with small plates of grilled fish and sashimi. 14. Brussels, Belgium – Feast on shrimp bechamel croquettes and Belgian craft beer Belgium’s famous garnaalkroketten are deep-fried bechamel croquettes filled with flavoursome grey shrimp – expect a crisp, bread coating and creamy, velvety middle. Most traditional restaurants in Brussels have them on the menu, but the best place to try them is at Noordzee Mer Du Nord situated in a picturesque square in the historic old town, overlooking the gothic Église Sainte-Catherine. They’re freshly fried to order and are served with a rich mayonnaise and thick wedges of lemon – perfect for eating on outdoor tables that dot the square, with a craft Belgian beer to hand. Mare in the hip Wolf Food Hall also serves classic shrimp and old brugge cheese croquettes with homemade tartar. 15. St John’s, Antigua – Try the national dish of pepperpot and fungee Pepperpot is a one-pot stew that’s cooked long and slow with everything from beef to salted pork, spinach, yams, scotch bonnet peppers, thyme and all-spice. It’s served with fungee – a cornmeal and okra-based bread ball. Suga Beez is a road-side eatery with a daily changing menu of local specialities that serves up some of the most flavoursome pepperpot in St John’s. And Joe Mikes restaurant, which is attached to a casino, is a buffet-canteen style eatery that serves pillowy soft and delicate fungee alongside long-cooked pepperpot in a rich, meaty broth. 16. Crete, Greece – Eat traditional antikristo at a Cretan tavern Antikristo, which means ‘over fire’, is a traditional Cretan method of roasting salted lamb or goat on large skewers for several hours over open flames, then letting the meat cook in its own juices to give it a deep, intensely smoky flavour. Taverna Arhaia Lappa is an ancient tavern in the village of Rethymno that’s famous for its antikristo lamb. In Heraklion, Petousis is known for its traditional Greek barbecued lamb, cooked with the skewers in a circular formation for up to six hours until tender and deliciously charred. 17. Hong Kong – Dine at an old-school dim sum trolley-cart institution These unique establishments that serve freshly steamed dim sum on old-school trolley carts are treasured in Hong Kong. Lin Heung Lau Tea Room is one of the oldest, known for its steamed barbecued buns and har gau, pan-fried radish cake and deep-fried sesame balls. Luk On Kui is another traditional push-cart dim sum eatery that harks back to the 1970s with its décor and old world charms. Maxims Palace is one of Hong Kong’s most adored dim sum cart institutions, complete with white table clothes, crystal chandeliers and an almost endless selection of dim sum to select from trolleys that circle through the restaurant every lunchtime. 18. Turin, Italy – Try gianduja hazelnut chocolates in all their guises Gianduja – a rich chocolate and hazelnut confection – is the culinary symbol of Turin and Piedmont in northern Italy, showcasing the regions intensely flavoured buttery hazelnuts. It’s often turned into chocolate bars, sold as a spreadable paste, or even made into gianduiotto chocolate nuggets. Guido Gobino is a 50-year-old Turin institution with a historic headquarters on Cagliari Street. Its gianduja combines 45% tonda gentile trilobata hazelnuts, Italian sugar and vanilla bean. Contemporary chocolatier Guido Castagna sells unique tear-drop shaped gianduiotto, made with chuao cocoa from Venezuela. 20. Hanoi, Vietnam – Tackle a deep-filled bánh mì at a street-side stall in the city The bustling motorbike-flooded streets of Hanoi are the best places in the country for Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches (French-style baguettes filled with the likes of lemongrass-marinated barbecued meats, pickled carrots and radishes, whole red chillies and fresh coriander). Bánh Mì Bà Dần in Hanoi’s old quarter is known for its crispy-soft breads and generous fillings, while Banh Mi Lan Ong offers Vietnamese sausage and fried egg fillings, plus signature sauces and duck pâté. Check out our rainbow banh mí recipe to make your own at home. 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Sweet honey, citrussy yuzu koshō and fiery red chilli are drizzled over freshly charred yakitori
Try yakitori with citrussy hot honey, then discover yakitori chicken skewers with miso, salmon yakitori with stir-fried brown rice or chicken thigh yakitori. I first encountered Mike’s Hot Honey in Williamsburg, New York, a decade ago, when it seemed like every food establishment in the neighbourhood had bottles of the stuff on their tables, regardless of the cuisine they were serving. Hot honey’s popularity has sky rocketed in recent years – there are now entire aisles devoted to the stuff in hipster delis around the world. Recipes extracted from Flavour Heroes by Gurdeep Loyal (£27, Quadrille). Photographs: Patricia Niven. Recipes are sent by the publisher and not retested by us. Yakitori with citrussy hot honey recipe
This take on an ice cream sundae enriches the fudge sauce with toasted sesame oil and adds essential crunch via bittersweet coffee brittle
Try Dame Blanche with sesame-toffee coffee, then discover knickerbocker glory, strawberry sundae with strawberry sauce or The National Catastrophe ice cream sundae. It was a true pleasure to discover that the relatively mundane sounding ‘vanilla and chocolate ice cream sundae’ has a fabulously extravagant title in Belgium: a dame blanche. The original all-white dessert was created by French chef Auguste Escoffier and named after an 1825 comic-fantasy opera. Pile high with whipped cream and top with a maraschino cocktail cherry if you’re feeling extra frou-frou (which I always am). Recipes extracted from Flavour Heroes by Gurdeep Loyal (£27, Quadrille). Photographs: Patricia Niven. Recipes are sent by the publisher and not retested by us. Dame Blanche with sesame-toffee coffee recipe
Peanut butter pie with a cinnamon cereal crust
This peanut butter cream pie is unashamedly gluttonous – one of the tastiest creations I’ve dreamt up
Try our peanut butter pie with a cinnamon cereal crust, then try chocolate and peanut butter sheet cake, peanut butter brownies or easy banana bread with peanut butter frosting. There’s a particularly funny line by Henry James in Washington Square. Taking a gentle swipe at his plus-sized protagonist, Catherine Sloper, James proclaims that she was “something of a glutton... [She never] stole raisins out of the pantry, but she devoted her pocket money to the purchase of cream cakes”. It’s something I fully identify with: in my teens I too spent much of my pocket money on chocolate éclairs, custard slices and cream-filled buns. As an adult, the habit has endured, although these days I’m more likely to bake an indulgent treat for myself. Recipes extracted from Flavour Heroes by Gurdeep Loyal (£27, Quadrille). Photographs: Patricia Niven. Recipes are sent by the publisher and not retested by us. Peanut butter pie with a cinnamon cereal crust recipe