There is a considerable appetite in Brits for trying new world food products and flavours at home, shows a recent survey, bringing a good news for the grocery and convenience sectors as well as food manufacturers
The research by product intelligence platform, Vypr, found that sweet and savoury combinations such as hot honey and chili are the most popular. for one in five UK shoppers. This is followed by nostalgic flavours such as rhubarb and custard cream for 19 per cent.
The third top flavour trend is tropical tastes, such as guava and dragon fruit, for 17 per cent of consumers according to the research of 2000 consumers in June 2025.
Asian influences play strongly on flavour choices with 26 per cent planning to experiment with Japanese food and 25 per cent opting for Korean. The third most popular cuisine Brits want to try is Swiss food with its heart warming and comforting cheese and potato dishes as a key trend.
When asked about the nostalgia trend, most consumers (25 per cent) want products that taste of strawberries and cream, followed by rhubarb for 17 per cent and apple pie for 15 per cent.
Almost three quarters of UK shoppers (71 per cent) believe they are adventurous in trying new flavours. When asked where they are most likely to experiment, the majority (33 per cent) said at home, while 25 per cent are more adventurous when dining out.
Ben Davies, founder of Vypr, commented, “The appetite for consumers to try new products and flavours at home is great news for the grocery and convenience sectors in the UK as well as food manufacturers.
“The cost of living is showing its ongoing impact with more opting for the lower cost option of trying something new at home. Twice as many people say they will only try something new at home compared to only trying when eating out (11 per cent compared to 6 per cent).
“This trend is a great opportunity to drive incremental sales with new product ranges and add new flavours to tried and tested home cooking classics. For example, new stir fry sauces inspired by Japanese or Korean flavours – or even simple jar sauces – offer consumers a low-cost way to experiment.
"Fresh bakery products would be an ideal way to explore sweeter flavours, with the nostalgic aroma of freshly baked goods adding to their appeal.”
Vypr also asked consumers about their preferences for soft drink flavours. Black cherry top came out top (for 18 per cent), followed by wild berry (17 per cent) and mojito (15 per cent). Savoury drinks flavours are also increasing in popularity and consumers are most keen to try cucumber (32 per cent), followed by beetroot (19 per cent) and red tomato (19 per cent).
Davies added, “While Dubai Chocolate has been a huge social media trend, prompting many brands to launch their own versions.
"Despite the hype, it ranks third among sweet flavour preferences.Its rise has likely influenced the popularity of pistachio, which comes in second.
"However, the top choice for almost a third of consumers (27 per cent) is apple cinnamon. Surprisingly, despite the huge buzz around Biscoff both online and in stores, speculoos spiced biscuits came last, with just 4 per cent of consumers keen to try them. This is likely down to low brand awareness — once people try the flavour, it’s likely to rise in popularity, just like Biscoff did.”
For tropical flavours, consumers opted for familiarity over experimental with mango, coconut and dragon fruit being the top three choices and less known yuzu was chosen by just 6 per cent.
Vypr’s findings are based on responses from 2,000 people, drawn from a nationally representative sample of its 80,000-strong UK consumer community.
