London chef shares 2024 food trend predictions, from insects to foraging

As 2023 draws to a close - with its giant croissants and butter boards - we asked a top London chef what we might all be eating (and photographing) in 2024.

Restaurateur and Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded chef Sebby Holmes has made a name in the London food scene for his bold Thai dishes, which he serves at his Highbury restaurant Farang. The spot had humble beginnings as part of London’s street food markets before it opened its first bricks and mortar site in 2016.

Sebby shared his five 2024 food trend predictions with LondonWorld, including the rise in foraging for ingredients in the wild - and eating insects.

Cooking from nose to tail

From leftover scraps to offcuts, Sebby Holmes, predicts 2024 will bring a "resurgence of nose-to-tail cooking".

He said: "Shoppers are turning to once-overlooked offcuts, embracing the challenge of crafting flavourful dishes from every part of an animal." 

Foraging 

The London chef said sourcing ingredients from local surroundings could be another thing we could see more of in the new year.

"I forage quite a lot through the year and am seeing so many more people getting out and finding wild garlic in the summer and edible mushrooms in the colder months," he said. "It’s so nice to see people making moves to understand more about what they’re eating and using our country’s amazing produce available."

Fresh over ultra-processed food

Next year could see shoppers switch to more fresh foods over processed products.

Sebby said: "2023 has seen an increased interest in ultra-processed foods thanks to the rise of vegan food brands and the conversation around how healthy meat-free alternatives truly are. Combined with a nation that’s becoming increasingly health conscious, we’ll no doubt see many of us moving towards more locally sourced ingredients in 2024."

Cooking from scratch

The popularity of home cooking in recent years could see more Brits taking to their kitchens. Sebby said the coronavirus pandemic has had a "lasting impact on our relationship with food" which has seen more people opt to prepare their own meals at home.

He said: "From one crisis to the next, the cost-of-living crisis has inspired many of us to opt for fresh, locally sourced, non-processed ingredients as a cost-effective approach to keeping costs down, choosing to instead cook from scratch at home rather than eating out or ordering takeaways."

Insects 

Creepy-crawlies and bugs have been a staple of bushtucker trials on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here over the years, could critters appear on our own plates next year?

Sebby thinks there could be a shift in seeing bugs as more of a protein source, saying: "While critters have been on the cusp of making it onto British plates, next year could finally be the year insects become a viable source of sustainable protein."

Sebby Holmes owns Farang in Highbury Park and has his own Payst brand of ingredients.