Seven ways to up your foodie game in 2022

Think back to pre-2020, if you can remember that far back. Life was pretty normal and you were free to hold and attend as many dinner parties as you liked, without fear of catching a life-threatening virus, or the police turning up at your door. But as vaccines become more and more accessible, it’s of course likely that people will be having more dinner parties. Why not invest in some new glassware to impress your guests? These beautiful Champagne coupes from H&M have a gold-coloured rim and would brighten up your dinner table nicely. The glass is made out of sand that has been treated at extremely high temperatures and turned into a liquid. The molten glass is then made into various shapes and given different properties like transparency, strength and temperature resistance. Plus, the glass fully recyclable and sustainable. At £6.99 per glass, you’d be getting your money’s worth too. Also in the same range, are champagne flutes, carafes and tumblers.

You might have just missed out on Dry January, but that’s okay. Any time is a good time to try going sober. For January 2022, one in six adults planned to go sober for the month which has increased by 22 percent from the previous year. A lot of people found themselves drinking more in lockdown, when it was easy to just reach for a drink because of boredom. So it makes sense that non-alcoholic spirits are popping up everywhere. It’s a great way to not drink, but still enjoy a taste that’s similar to the taste of alcohol. And there are many London bars that are part of the trend, the Book Club in Shoreditch for example. It has a complete zero-proof cocktail menu to help you on your journey. Or Drink Shop Do, which has a vanilla bramble on offer for £4. If you're looking for an alcohol free drink to enjoy at home, this New London Light gin alternative is bound to curb your cravings. It apparently tastes frighteningly just like an alcoholic G&T according to GB Olympians Hannah Mills and Eilidh Mcintyre. Infused with juniper, ginger, capsicum, orange and sage, one sip of this drink will have your tastebuds going crazy with the combination of different flavours. It’s also infused with lemongrass, which is great for getting your source of vitamin A and C, and cascarilla bark. Best enjoyed with tonic, just like real gin would be, maybe with a slice of orange as a finishing touch. Plus, with every bottle purchased, 27p is donated to the Marine Conservation Society so you’d be helping the ocean too.

Now we’d be surprised if you weren’t aware of the veganism boom. There are chefs on TV showing viewers how to make vegan meals, vegan-only restaurants popping up all across London – like Eat of Eden for example, which serves up vegan Caribbean food such as their hearty pumpkin and sweet potato curry – and probably a hefty range of vegan ingredients available in your local supermarket. But believe it or not, 2022 is set to bring an even bigger amount of vegan products to life. Including “seafood” imitations like salmon and tuna. To help you get started on your veganism journey, 'BOSH 'the cookbook is 288 pages worth of vegan goodness. From the 'Big Bhaji Burger' to the 'World’s Best Pesto Lasagne', you name it, BOSH has it all. They refer to themselves as the plant-based bible and already have built up quite the reputation. With over 2.3 million fans on their YouTube channel, Henry Firth and Ian Theasby (the creators of the book), aim to inspire people with fun meat free, dairy and egg free recipes that will make you wish you gave veganism a try much sooner.

But if you don't want to go fully vegan, give reducetarianism a try. You may be familiar with reducetarian’s sister, flexitarian. While flexitarians mostly eat plant-based food and occasionally eat meat, eggs and dairy, reducetarians mindfully reduce their intake of these foods. And this no-pressure diet is set to be a big trend this year. If you’re struggling with veganism and going completely cold turkey with meat and dairy, reducetarianism might be your best bet. And to help you on your journey, The Reducetarian Solution features 70 essays from influential voices that explain how cutting down your meat intake by 10 percent or more can transform your life. There are over 40 vegan, veggie and “less meat” recipes to help you become a happy reducetarian. Recipes featured include a tasty tofu scramble, a veggie burrito and more. In trying reducetarianism, you’d be helping the animals, the environment, your health and the people around you. Though not a new trend, it’s a great time to give it a go.

Yes, you read that correctly! Eating creepy crawlies is set to be the next big trend in food this year. Over two million people are already incorporated insects into their diet, and it’s not a surprise when they are said to have superior health benefits, with high levels of vitamin B12, iron, zinc, fiber, essential amino acids, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and antioxidants. The most common insects to eat are grasshoppers, crickets and locusts. And if you’re wondering what they taste like, some compare them to a mushroom, while others say they have a nutty flavour. Well, these hot and spicy sriracha crickets, farmed in the UK, are marinated in a delicious award winning sriracha sauce before being slowly roasted. Great as a post gym snack, crickets are very high in protein, so you can get those extra gains. They’re ready to eat as soon as they arrive, so you can pop them in your bag to eat on the go. Bugvita also make crickets in plenty of other flavours, including smoked and if you’re after a more simple taste – roasted.

Bubble cakes, 3D cakes and more rose in searches on Pinterest recently. It’s set to be a big year for this trend. A car, a house, a handbag, you name it – you can probably find a mould for it. Bubble cakes are also set to be popular and there are tons of YouTube and Pinterest tutorials showing you how to make it. Well this space cake mould found on Lakeland will help you achieve the most impressive 3D mould you can take to your next dinner party. With this, you’ll be able to have lots of fun making six space-themed cakes. The kit comes with an earth, moon, ringed planet, alien, astronaut and rocket mould. Plus, they’d be great for kid’s parties. It’s very easy to detach the cake from the mould, so you don’t have to worry about your cakes being ruined. And don’t worry, they’re completely oven, microwave and freezer safe.  

Post-pandemic it seems like everyone has a dog now. And more and more restaurants are adjusting their rules to allow dogs to come and eat with their owners to enjoy the fun too. The popular Megan’s restaurant, with locations dotted all across London, welcomes you to bring your dog along. In fact, it prides itself as the best dog friendly restaurant in London. So why not bring this pet snack launcher along with you too? It will emit snacks for your dog in a neat way, to keep him or her occupied while you eat. It’s small so can easily be brought on the go and will keep your dog from getting bored. It’s only £2.50 and is extremely easy to get the hang of. To use, fill it with hard treats and just load up the launcher with a snack, pull down the slider, and push the button to launch it.