Nostalgic 1970s dishes are set to make a comeback with sales of dinner party staples from the era including prawn cocktail, beef stroganoff and baked Alaska soaring in popularity as lockdown restrictions ease.
Recipe searches for prawn cocktail have risen by more than a third this month, according to new figures from Waitrose, while there was a 300 per cent boom in those searching for how to make a stroganoff.
Other classic recipes in demand include beef wellington and coronation chicken.
And the trend extends to those looking to whip up a dessert, with Waitrose seeing a 200 per cent increase in searches for Baked Alaska, as well as spotting surges in searches for Black Forest Gateau, Arctic rolls and chocolate roulade.
Nostalgic 1970s dishes are set to make a comeback as sales of dinner party staples from the era including prawn cocktail, beef stroganoff and baked Alaska have soared in popularity as lockdown restrictions ease. The trend continues to those looking to whip-up a dessert as Waitrose has seen a 200 per cent increase in searches for Baked Alaska, as well as spotting surges in searches for Black Forest Gateau, arctic rolls and chocolate roulade
Millenials whipping up the dishes at home have also taken to social media to show off their skills, with more than 60,000 posts using #bakedalaska on Instagram, while more than 73,000 have shared snaps of stronganoff and a further 45,000 have posted pictures of prawn cocktail.
Zoe Simons, Senior Innovation Chef at Waitrose told FEMAIL: ‘Now we’re able to host indoors once again, we have seen a growing trend in retro dinner party recipe searches on Waitrose.com.
‘It’s clear we’re revisiting our childhoods and recreating recipes such as prawn cocktail, devilled eggs and baked Alaska, dishes which our parents and grandparents would have served for an extra special evening.
‘We’ve also seen sales of roasting joints up 48 per cent compared to last year, as customers are serving a dinner party centrepiece during the unseasonally cooler weather.’
Jelly is enjoying a resurgence in popularity driven by nostalgic millennials who want to recapture the taste of their childhoods, according to the upmarket supermarket.
Waitrose has seen a spike in sales of the old-fashioned treat as stressed-out shoppers seek out familiar flavours for summer garden parties and BBQs.
Traditionally a simple dessert, jelly has been given a grown-up update using experimental flavours, shapes and colours that ‘pop’ on Instagram.
London’s Michelin-starred Hide, which offers a Glazed Croissant Tartlet featuring a strawberry jelly on its summer menu, is leading the charge of restaurants bringing back jelly for a more sophisticated palate.
Recipe searches for prawn cocktail have risen by more than a third this month, according to new figures from Waitrose
There was a 300 per cent boom in those searching for how to make a stroganoff as people opt to make the classic recipes including beef wellington and coronation chicken (stock image)
Sales of Waitrose’s jelly child desserts are up 21 per cent year-on-year, while gelatin, which is needed to make your own jelly, is up 13 per cent on last year.
The supermarket has also seen a surge in interest in jelly dessert recipe ideas with ‘Lychee Cream with Pomegranate Jelly’ (+10%), ‘Creamy Fruit Jelly’ (+104%) and ‘Strawberry & Elderflower Jelly’ (+35%) proving particularly popular.
John Lewis has also seen a surge in sales of tablecloths up by 73 per cent compare to last year as people prepare to host again.
It comes following a year of increased demand for nostalgic goods as people seek home comforts following a difficult 12 months.
Sales of trifles are up 35 per cent on last year and other retro desserts such as sticky toffee pudding and cherry pie have seen a 60 per cent increase, figures from the British supermarket chain reveal.
The humble apple and blackberry crumble is another dessert which is receiving more love than normal as it has sold 13 per cent better than last year.
Online searches for ‘sponge pudding’ and ‘bread and butter pudding’ also saw an increase by 888 per cent and 349 per cent respectively.
‘School dinner cake’, a vanilla sponge cake with white icing and sprinkles has taken over UK social media, with more than 25,000 posts on the hashtag.
It’s become so popular it’s appearing on menus at restaurants and bakeries across the country offering home delivery – as thousands become nostalgic for the dessert which is being branded the lightest, fluffiest, cake ever’.
The experts behind the Young British Food & Drink Awards, which celebrates fresh voices in food writing, also found that nostalgic deserts are on the rise in their 2021 report.
When times get tough, escapism is the place Brits find happiness and M&S has seen the mini battered sausages chip shop style boxes soar in sales due to our love affair with comfort food, the YBF report reveals.
Sales of ‘old fashioned’ sweets from people’s childhoods, like cola cubes, rhubarb and custards, mint imperials, sherbet pips and other nostalgic products such as fudge, toffee and chocolate are soaring as the UK endures continued restrictions.
Taste of childhood: Jelly is enjoying a resurgence in popularity driven by nostalgic millennials who want to recapture the taste of their childhoods, according to Waitrose. Pictured, a mango and passion fruit jelly served with vanilla and mint infused Greek yoghurt and biscuit crumble
‘School dinner cake’, a vanilla sponge cake with white icing and sprinkles has taken over UK social media, with more than 20,000 posts on the hashtag in the last few weeks. Pictured: One Instagram users cake
Cartwright & Butler, which is based in Yorkshire, reported a rise of 170 per cent in sales of butter fudge, earlier this year, while salted caramel fudge shot up a staggering 4500 per cent and peanut brittle purchases were up 84 per cent compared to the same time last year.
Psychotherapist Charlotte Fox Webber previously told MailOnline: ‘In a time period of turbulence and distressing change, nostalgia transports us back to what we know— and there’s such sweet familiarity in things from the past.
‘There’s something so evocative and comforting about past associations and memories. It makes complete emotional sense that in an era of chaos and sorrow and stress, we feel safe when we are reminded of childhood pleasures’.
Zespri™ SunGold™ Kiwifruit Swiss Roll
Serves: 8
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
What you need
4 eggs
120g golden caster sugar
120g self-raising flour
4 Zespri SunGold kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
300ml double cream
1 lemon, zested
To serve:
Icing sugar, to dust
What to do
1. Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Grease and line a large Swiss roll tin (39 x 26cm) with baking paper, making sure the paper overhangs the edges of the tin. Thinly slice 2-3 kiwis.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together 4 eggs with 120g golden caster sugar until pale and creamy. Gently fold in 120g sieved self-raising flour until fully combined.
3. Pour the batter into the lined tin, tipping the tin gently to get an even layer right into the corners. Place half the slices of kiwifruit on the surface of the batter. Bake for 15 mins or until lightly golden and springy to the touch.
4. Allow the cake to cool for just a few mins, then remove from the tin and (while still warm) use the baking paper to help you roll up the sponge, starting from the longest edge. Rolling while warm should help prevent any cracking and you will end up with a long cylinder. Allow to cool completely.
5. Meanwhile, whip the cream.
6. Unwrap the cooled sponge and trim any browned edges with a large serrated knife. Spread the whipped cream over the whole sponge in an even layer.
7. Using the rest of your kiwi slices spread them out evenly over the cream.
8. Re-roll the sponge, making sure the edges meet. Wrap the whole roll in a clean piece of non-stick baking paper and then a layer of clingfilm, pulling it tight and twisting the ends to seal again. Refrigerate for at least half an hour to firm up, or until ready to serve.
9. When ready to serve, unwrap the roll and transfer to a serving board or plate with the seam underneath. Trim the ends to neaten and decorate with a dusting of icing sugar.
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Jelly recipes for YOU to try at home
Waitrose shares three of its most popular jelly recipes:
LYCHEE CREAM WITH POMEGRANATE JELLY
Preparation time: 10 minutes + chilling and setting
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Makes: 4
INGREDIENTS
- 2 gelatine leaves
- 14-15 fresh lychees, peeled
- and stoned, or 425g can
- lychees, drained
- 50g golden caster sugar
- 300ml double cream
- FOR THE POMEGRANATE JELLY
- Seeds from 3 large pomegranates
- 2 gelatine leaves
- 2 tbsp sugar
METHOD
- Place the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water and leave to soak.
- Place the prepared lychees in a blender and whizz until as smooth as possible – you should end up with about 150ml lychee purée. Spoon the purée into a medium-sized saucepan along with the sugar and cream. Mix and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat.
- Squeeze out the water from the gelatine and stir into the cream mixture, stirring well until dissolved. Pour the cream through a sieve into a jug, pressing everything through with the back of a spoon. Divide the mixture between 4 serving glasses, cool completely then place in the fridge to set – about 1½ hours.
- Meanwhile, for the jelly, reserve about 4 tablespoons of the seeds to decorate. Pulse the remainder in a food processor until roughly chopped. Pour the chopped fruit and juice through a sieve into a small saucepan, pressing as much juice as possible through the sieve without crushing the white pips too much as they can be quite bitter. You should end up with about 200ml juice.
- Place the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water and leave to soak. Add the sugar to the pomegranate juice, bring to the boil then remove from the heat. Squeeze out the water from the gelatine and add to the juice, mixing well until dissolved. Set aside to cool.
- Pour the cool pomegranate juice over the set lychee cream and add a tablespoon of reserved pomegranate seeds to each. Carefully return the glasses to the fridge and chill for at least 2 hours until the jelly has set.
CREAMY FRUIT JELLY
Total time: Ready in 10 minutes, plus setting time 10 minutes
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
- 135g strawberry jelly, cut into cubes
- 170g can evaporated milk
- 400g tub Nature’s Finest
- Tropical Fruit Salad, drained
METHOD
- Place 100ml boiling water in a heatproof measuring jug and add the jelly cubes. Microwave for 1 minute and stir occasionally until dissolved. (Or, add the water and jelly to a pan and heat gently until the jelly dissolves.)
- Add the evaporated milk and top up to 500ml with cold water.
- Stir in the fruit and transfer to a serving dish. Chill until set.
STRAWBERRY AND ELDERFLOWER JELLY
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 3 minutes + setting
Makes: 6
INGREDIENTS
- 400g British strawberries, washed
- 8 gelatine leaves
- Juice of 3 lemons
- 100g golden caster sugar
- 150ml elderflower cordial
- Clotted cream
- 6 Waitrose Seriously Delicate
- All Butter Rose Shortbread
- 7g pack Cooks’ Homebaking Freeze Dried Strawberries, blended to a fine powder
METHOD
- Hull and slice the strawberries then divide equally between 6 x 175ml glasses or moulds. Soak the gelatine in a bowl of cold water.Meanwhile, place the lemon juice, sugar and elderflower cordial into a pan with 650ml water. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- Drain the gelatine leaves from the water and pat dry on some kitchen paper or a clean tea towel, then stir into the elderflower mixture until they dissolve.
- Pour the liquid evenly into the glasses and place in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Serve the jellies straight from the glasses with a spoon of clotted cream, a shortbread biscuit and a scatter of the strawberry powder on top. If the jellies are in moulds, dip the moulds into a bowl of hot water, invert the jelly onto a plate and serve as above.
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Source: Food Recipes and News
