Feature: Talking Heads

In association with:     
 

Alice Bowyer, director of food and drink at Butcombe Group

P&B: How do you keep up to date with pub food and drink trends?
AB: There’s a variety of ways in which we stay informed about trends, for example through a combination of data analysis, industry insights, and direct feedback. Each week at Butcombe Group, we review sales data across our estate of over 70 managed pubs to spot emerging patterns. I also rely on supplier insights and consumer trend reports from sources such as CGA and KAM Media. Regular feedback from our front-line teams – chefs, front-of-house staff, operations teams and general managers – is invaluable for understanding what’s resonating with guests. Having an eye on social media is also important, and I do also take inspiration from my own travels and global dining experiences, which all helps to bring creativity and innovation to our menus. 

P&B: What’s the process/timeline for introducing a trend into the business?
AB: The timeline really depends on the scale of the trend. For quick wins such as new cocktails or bar snacks, we can go from concept to launch in around 4-6 weeks. Whereas, larger trends, such as plant-based offerings or low and no options, typically follow a phased rollout over 8-12 weeks. The process includes concept development, supplier sourcing, rigorous testing, team training and then full rollout. A recent example is our trial of smaller desserts in a few of our sites. After receiving such strong feedback and seeing a significant 20% uplift in dessert sales, we made the call to roll them out across all of our pubs.

P&B: Most surprising or successful trend in recent years?
AB: While few trends have been truly surprising, several have proven highly successful. Premiumisation stands out across the board, with guests consistently choosing to trade up for higher-quality options. Similarly, the rapid rise of low- and no-alcohol drinks, particularly non-alcoholic spirits, has blown up and almost mirrored the growth of plant-based alternatives, such as vegan fried chicken. Small plates and sharing formats have also gained traction recently, encouraging longer dwell times and boosting spend per head. Finally, health and wellbeing continue to influence choices, shaping both menus and guest expectations.

P&B: How do you see pub food and drink evolving in 5-10 years?
AB: Over the next few years, I think menus will become more diverse and community-focused, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, shorter supply chains, reduced waste, and more plant-forward dishes. Technology will enhance speed and personalisation, but the human touch in hospitality will remain essential. I expect to see a fusion of traditional pub fare with global flavours, and a greater focus on experience and personalisation. Health will likely play an even bigger role, with moderation, smaller portion options (influenced by trends like weight loss medication) and cognitive health (think brain food) becoming more prominent.

P&B: What more would you like from suppliers?
AB: We’re want to implement innovation that’s scalable and operationally viable to implement across multi-site estates, so from suppliers, we need products that are cost-effective, consistently high-quality, and easy to execute. Not only as a business, but as an industry, we also value strong storytelling, especially when it highlights the origin of producer and the backstory of producers, with a particular focus on supporting local, British suppliers. What really stands out is collaborative development, for instance, we partnered with a supplier to co-create an ‘After Eight’ ice cream, which has proved very popular and since become a staple on all our dessert menus.

Matt Sullivan, head of food at Young's

P&B: What are the main ways that you keep up to date with pub trends when it comes to food and drink?
MS: Stomping the street is the best and quickest way to spot what’s on offer, visiting peers, competitors, ticking my way through the award-winning pub business, as well as lists of bars and restaurants around the world. 

Social media is another window to the world on a daily basis, watching what people react with and picking through what’s relevant to us. The problem with things like Instagram, though, is there is so much ‘foodie’ content, people making breads from leftover bottle tops and crisp packets with 1m likes. However, what you can come across is a few real innovators, both in terms of recipe creation, sustainability or seasonal use of ingredients. 

P&B: From the moment you and your team identify a trend, what’s the timeline/process of introducing it into the business?
MS: One of the best things about our menus has always been the agility in which we can add, evolve and tweak components or entire dishes. Not being a managed house menu company, our menus are ever changing, from adding seasonal products for a weekend or a six-monthly menu cycle – we do it often, because our customers know it’s a menu that’s designed around seasonality. The same goes with trends. So many have come and gone over the years, but we’ve added concepts, offers and even entire pubs around what it is we’ve found. By listening to our guests and trying things we have developed so many ideas. 

P&B: What has been the most surprising and/or successful trend in recent years?
MS: For us over the last few years, like everyone else, the massive increase in flexitarian eating has become immense. Myself included, like so many others, I try, albeit sometimes unsuccessfully, to be healthier. The rise in this popularity has helped with suppliers and the availability of amazing quality vegan and vegetarian food, from bakers with sourdough to the replacement meat products – the quality and range is 100 times where it was 10 years ago.

P&B: How do you see pub food and drink evolving in the next 5-10 years?
MS: The retro recipes are showing massive growth for us still. I think the rise of the gastropub 15 years ago gave us as an industry the need to vastly increase freshness and quality of product, but now the experts have established themselves in that sector, guests still look to the Great British pub to be exactly that, serving curries, nachos, burgers, chicken wings. But, and it’s a big but, the point of difference being that these need to be delivered in an absolutely best-in-class way. It’s never a chicken tikka masala, but it’s a venison shoulder rogan josh, with a samphire and Grelot onion bhaji. It’s not dirty nachos, it’s braised ox cheek nachos, Isle of Wight heritage tomato salsa and aged Cornish cheddar sauce, for example. These are the dishes that led to us being a proper pub, and these are the dishes our guests still love us for.

P&B: What more would you like to see from suppliers when it comes to procurement and the introduction of new menu items?
MS: We are lucky to have some amazing supplier partners; partners that showcase new and exciting products on a regular basis. Some of them have development chefs who are super talented and creative, which we love. All of our suppliers love to host us at growers, producers, farms and fishing locations. This is massively important to us to understand the effort and hard work that’s gone into supplying these products. 

Jak Yelland-Hill, procurement manager, food, at St Austell

P&B: What are the main ways that you keep up to date with pub trends when it comes to food and drink?
JYL: Suppliers play a pivotal role in shaping our food procurement strategy. I have regular meetings with key reps, engaging in ongoing discussions about market trends, consumer preferences and innovative practices emerging across the industry. These conversations provide valuable insights and help us stay ahead of the curve.

Trade shows and digital publications are also key resources, offering a broader view of the evolving food landscape and showcasing new products, technologies and concepts. As part of our partnership agreement, Bidfood, one of our primary supply partners, organises an annual Food Safari. This immersive experience takes us to culinary hotspots, where we explore local food cultures, discover emerging trends and gather inspiration that informs our menu development and procurement decisions. It’s a unique opportunity to connect with the food scene at ground level and bring fresh ideas back to our operations.
 
P&B: From the moment you and your team identify a trend, what’s the timeline/process of introducing it into the business?
JYL: Our use of systems allows us flexibility with menu creation, however there is still a minimum of four-week lead time on new dishes. Our development team will experiment with dishes while our procurement team will then source the best ingredients that support our sustainability and provenance strategy. This then needs to be added to our P2P and EPOS systems and finally the pubs can add it to their menus. Due to printing menus in-house, any changes can be made immediately.

P&B: What has been the most surprising and/or successful trend in recent years?
JYL: When we first explored the idea of introducing small and sharing plates two years ago, the financial outlook was cautious. We were advised that this approach could erode margins and potentially reduce average spend per customer. Despite the concerns, we chose to pilot the concept in a select number of pubs within our managed estate, and the results have been impressive.

Rather than diminishing spend, the introduction of small plates has actually boosted average spend in the venues where they’ve been added. This success is largely attributed to their placement in drink-led pubs, where customers are more likely to order light bites while enjoying a few drinks or watching live sport. The offering has enhanced the overall experience, encouraging longer dwell times and incremental food sales without disrupting the casual, social atmosphere.
 
P&B: How do you see pub food and drink evolving in the next 5-10 years?
JYL: There is an increasing emphasis on sustainability and carbon reduction across the food industry, driven in part by government-led Net Zero initiatives. Many businesses are now aligning their operations with these goals, and we’re no exception.

Within our group, food and hops account for over 80% of our total carbon footprint, making them a critical focus area for meaningful change. To address this, we’re taking proactive steps to reshape our menus with sustainability in mind.Our initial actions include introducing more plant-based dishes, which typically have a lower environmental impact, and sourcing local meat and fish to reduce transport emissions and support regional producers. Additionally, we’re working to minimise the presence of imported food and drink on our menus, further lowering our carbon output while promoting seasonal and locally available ingredients.
 
P&B: What more would you like to see from suppliers when it comes to procurement and the introduction of new menu items?
JYL: As we continue gathering Scope 2 and 3 emissions data, having access to the carbon footprint of individual products would be incredibly valuable. This transparency would allow us to make more informed procurement decisions and align our sourcing with our sustainability goals.

Supporting small, local producers is another key priority. These businesses often lack the infrastructure to distribute widely, but larger suppliers can play a vital role by acting as logistical partners, essentially becoming the ‘wheels’ that help bring local products to a broader network. This collaboration not only strengthens regional economies but also contributes to a more sustainable supply chain by reducing transport emissions and promoting seasonal, locally sourced goods.

To streamline product evaluation and discovery, we’d also benefit from quarterly or bi-annual sampling days. These events would allow us to review and taste a curated selection of new products in one place, rather than relying on ad-hoc sample requests. It’s a more efficient and engaging way to explore innovation and assess potential additions to our menus.

Rhia Harry, research and insights manager at Bidfood

P&B: What are the main ways that you keep up to date with pub trends when it comes to food and drink?
RH: Research, research and more research! For the past few years, we’ve worked with CGA by Nielsen IQ, an insight and research consultancy, to conduct our own bespoke survey and exclusive research. We collaborate to discover what consumers are eating, what they are interested in trying, and what is set to trend over the next few years.  

But it doesn’t just involve sitting behind a desk! Along with our development chefs and nutritionist, we hit the streets, visiting and interviewing operators and, of course, eating and drinking the spectacular food they have on offer. Our research has taken us across the UK, from London to Glasgow, Birmingham to Bristol, Manchester and Brighton. It’s always amazing to see the passion behind each place and how they have leveraged the trends in their own special way. 

P&B: From the moment you and your team identify a trend, what’s the timeline/process of introducing it into the business?
RH: We want our customers to stay ahead of the curve, so we dedicate a lot of time to this. The entire process of identifying the following year’s trends takes around nine months – it’s our biggest campaign of the year! We brief CGA with an extensive list of questions in early spring, and by early summer, we have our results. From that moment, it’s all hands on deck with support from our chef, nutrition, category managers, and digital and studio teams. We have just three months to absorb and digest all that precious data and translate that into videos, web content, presentations and a guide for the business to use and support our customers.

P&B: What has been the most surprising and/or successful trend in recent years?
RH: The most surprising for me was our Swiss trend from 2024, as it’s a relatively hard cuisine to find, but more than half (56%) were interested in trying it. When looking at the bigger picture, sharing dishes are increasingly popular, and fondue plays well into this, while offering a form of ‘eatertainment’ as the cheese melts and oozes, so it’s not a complete surprise.

2025’s Chocolicious trend proved to be very popular – it was also my favourite! This trend works well in pubs, as add-ons such as syrups, spices, sauces and marshmallows can create a sense of luxury to the basic hot chocolate. 

P&B: How do you see pub food and drink evolving in the next 5-10 years?
RH: I think we’ll see pubs strike a real balance between holding on to the classics people love and introducing fresh ideas that keep things exciting. Consumers are looking for more choice, healthier options and menus that feel a bit more sustainable – whether that’s through plant-based dishes, lower-carbon products, or working with local suppliers. At the same time, pubs are places people go for experiences, so food and drink will keep evolving to deliver that sense of occasion. Technology will support this, but the pub’s heart will remain the same.

P&B: What do you think operators would you like to see from suppliers when it comes to procurement and the introduction of new menu items?
RH: From what we hear, operators really value simplicity and support. New ideas are exciting, but they need to work in a busy kitchen or bar – so versatile, reliable products are key. They also look to suppliers for a bit of inspiration and guidance, whether that’s showing how a product can be used or explaining why a trend matters. Ultimately, it’s about making their lives easier while helping them stay relevant to customers. It’s all about collaboration, and that’s what we do at Bidfood; we form partnerships with our customers so they can grow because they’re at the heart of everything we do.