Key facts
- Waitrose has seen a 110% increase in cottage pie sales and a 68% rise in South African red wine sales in the last month.
- Other comfort foods like chicken korma and chicken and ham gratin also saw sales increases of 67% and 68% respectively.
- Searches for traditional recipes such as toad-in-the-hole and spaghetti bolognese have also risen significantly.
- Food historian Seren Charrington-Hollis observed a strong demand for hearty meals like cottage pies and lamb hotpots, even in hot weather.
- Experts suggest 'reverse comfort eating' is driven by a desire for familiarity and grounding amidst uncertainty, cost of living pressures, and unusual weather.
Despite unseasonably warm weather, Britons are increasingly turning to hearty, traditional comfort foods rather than lighter fare, a trend identified by supermarket Waitrose as 'reverse comfort eating'. The retailer has reported significant year-on-year sales increases for dishes such as cottage pie (up 110%), chicken korma (up 67%), and chicken and ham gratin (up 68%). Sales of South African red wine have also risen by 68%.
Searches for classic recipes on Waitrose's website also indicate a shift towards more involved cooking, with spikes in searches for toad-in-the-hole (up 67%), spaghetti bolognese (up 91%), and rarebit mac and cheese (up 57%). Trifle, another 1950s staple, has seen a 100% increase in sales of its strawberry version.
Food historian Seren Charrington-Hollis noted that guests at a recent event preferred cottage pies and lamb hotpots over salads, despite the heat. She attributes this shift to a psychological need for indulgence and connection to roots amidst uncertainty from the cost of living crisis, global conflicts, and political changes, exacerbated by unusual weather.
Chef Simon Wood suggests that the cost of living crisis might be prompting people to recreate pub classics at home, especially as eating out becomes more expensive. He also points to time constraints and a lack of cooking skills as factors for choosing hot ready meals, alongside a general fatigue with salads.
Professor Rebecca Earle of the University of Warwick views this behavior as a long-standing method of using food to cope with distress. She highlights that the inclusion of dishes like chicken korma indicates the trend is not solely focused on traditional British fare but also reflects multicultural influences.