Afternoon tea: baking is back

Banish images of pinnies: baking is back, and it’s trendier than ever. Along with making the most of seasonal foods comes a revival in what Britain does best. Think regional delicacies (Bakewell tart, Yorkshire parkin). Think cosy winter weekends with homely smells throughout the house. Think cups of Earl Grey and finely presented, sumptuous, decadent, delicious confections. Yes, it’s time to make a (cake) stand for 2008 because, this year, baking is back.

“Good housekeeping”

Not so much a new trend as continuing one from 2007, 2008 will see a revival of what used to be called ‘home economy’. Making the most of seasonal produce and lower food miles, there’ll also be emphasis on sustainable fish stocks (for example, try substituting pollock for cod) and wasting less food. According to the website Lovefoodhatewaste.com, a third of the food we buy gets thrown away and ends up in landfill, where it generates levels of methane that are more disastrous to the environment than carbon dioxide. Oh, and it’s a waste of all our money. As awareness of the financial and environmental impact grows, we predict a return to good, home-cooked food and a modern day, fresh take on ‘make do and mend’.

Get wobbly with jams and jellies

Okay okay, so 2008 isn’t all about going retro, but we have got one more prediction that takes the future back to the past. Neatly joining the dots between using seasonal produce and baking is creating a tasty range of jams and jellies. Make the most of English favourites like summer berries and capture the taste of summer in a jar: ideal for sandwiching those delicious sponges or for maxing out that trifle taste. Or, capitalise on new trends in floral flavours: try making rose petal jam or even just sprinkling rose petals on rice pudding for a Moroccan-inspired flavour experience. But for those whose sweet tooth left them in childhood, jellies aren’t just about sugar, spice and all things nice: try a lively start to any dinner party with Christine Hamilton’s bloody Mary jellies, a decidedly adult take on a childhood favourite.

Microleaves

Crack open the gardening gloves and get growing this year’s restaurant trend. Chefs such as Ramsay and Blanc can’t get enough of microleaves, greens that have been picked before reaching full maturity, usually when they are between six and 30 days old. Dress up the mustardy tang of mizuna, add colour to your plate with ruby chard and pack a flavour punch with fennel shoots. These mini-greens look great, have fantastic concentrated flavour and – even better – for the impatient gardener, take absolutely no time at all to grow!

Peruvian cuisine

South America is widely tipped to become a flavour mover and shaker of 2008: the even better news is that with such an enormous continent, there’s a whole lot of food to choose between. Peruvian cuisine looks set to top the food charts, with peppers, grains and potatoes making a new entry – also think the marinated flavours of ceviche and, for an alcoholic hit, pisco sour.

Jennie Blythe