Waitrose’s most popular products for 2024 are the most Waitrose thing ever | indy100

Graham Norton hosts party in Waitrose Christmas advert

Waitrose

Waitrose's most popular products have been revealed for 2024, and they're exactly the type of products you might expect a Waitrose shopper would buy.

The middle-class haven has been named Which?'s most expensive supermarket (a surprise to no one) - because where else has a Gail's Bakery and a champagne bar in the same room?

From their data, which was collected for each month on their website, it would appear the biggest foodie trends among shoppers were influenced by celebrities, culture, and nostalgia.

Here's what people were buying.

January - Bone broth

Gwyneth Paltrow wears purple eye makeup and a black suit at the Saint Laurent fashion show Getty

Celebrities love bone broth. Made up of liquid made from boiling animal bones and connective tissue, many chefs use it as bases for dishes such as soups or casseroles - however, it's thought to have a lot of anti-inflammatory properties. That's why the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Kylie Jenner openly sip on it at home.

So naturally, when the Goop founder speaks, we listen, and searches for bone broth were subsequently up 163 per cent at Waitrose.com in January.

February - Hash browns

@tomjustcooks Chorizo & Honey Loaded McCain Hash Browns 🔥 This recipe combines crispy @McCain UK hash browns, flavourful chorizo, and a sweet honey glaze, topped with Parmesan cheese and served with a tangy honey mustard dipping sauce. Ingredients: For the Hash Browns: 3 McCain Hash Browns 1 medium onion, finely chopped 100g chorizo, diced 1 tsp Cajun seasoning 1 tsp mixed herbs seasoning 1 tsp onion granules 1 tbsp honey 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese Handful of parsley Salt and black pepper, to taste Olive oil (optional, for frying) For the Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce: 2 tbsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp mayonnaise 1 1/2 tbsp honey 1 tsp apple cider vinegar A dash of hot sauce (to taste) Salt and black pepper, to taste Instructions: 1. Cook the Hash Browns: Preheat your oven according to the McCain hash browns package instructions. Arrange the hash browns on a baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Flip halfway through for even cooking. 2. Prepare the Chorizo and Onion Mixture: While the hash browns are baking, heat a pan over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil (if needed). Add the diced chorizo and cook for 3 or 4 minutes until the chorizo becomes crispy and releases its flavourful oils. Then add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes - I added a little water to the pan. 3. Season and Glaze the Chorizo: Add the Cajun seasoning, mixed herbs, and onion granules to the pan. Stir well to combine and cook for another 1-2 minutes to let the spices infuse. Drizzle the honey over the chorizo and onion mixture and stir to coat. Let it cook for an additional minute until it caramelises slightly. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. 4. Make the Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce: In a small bowl, combine the Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, honey, and apple cider vinegar. Add a dash of hot sauce to taste, and season with salt and black pepper. Stir well until smooth and creamy. 4. Assemble the Loaded Hash Browns: Once the hash browns are ready, remove them from the oven and arrange them on a serving board. Spoon the chorizo and honey mixture over the hash browns, distributing evenly. Sprinkle grated Parmesan and chopped parsley over the top while everything is still warm, allowing it to melt slightly. 6. Serve and Enjoy: Serve the loaded hash browns hot with the honey mustard dipping sauce on the side for dipping. This delicious combination of sweet, spicy, and savoury flavours makes for an irresistible snack or side dish, perfect for sharing! #LoadedHashBrowns #McCainHashBrowns #chorizo #honeymustard #breakfastideas ♬ original sound - Tom Just Cooks

Hash browns are the perfect potato form. You can have them on breakfast, you can have them as a mid-afternoon snack, and they're the ultimate hangover cure.

They're crispy, they're quick, and now thanks to TikTok (#Hashwich), we're normalising replacing bread on our sandwiches with their golden goodness. There's little wonder sales of hash browns are up almost 25 per cent year-on-year.

March - Tim Tam

Brits love an overseas snack, and Tim Tam has been a bucket list try for many foodies over the years - but until now, we've not been able to get our hands on them.

The chocolate biscuits (which are rather close in style to a Penguin bar), were exclusively introduced into Waitrose in March, and were a complete hit, with searches on the supermarket's website rising 202 per cent the day after launch.

April - Ottolenghi

Chaat masala potatoes with yoghurt presented on a white plate Ottolenghi

Yotam Ottolenghi's style of cooking, rooted in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours, has seen his restaurants skyrocket to the top of London's restaurant scene, and with a number of iconic cookbooks under his belt too, he's now dropped his own line of herbs and sauces in Waitrose - and they proved popular in April. Pomegranate, Rose & Preserved Lemon Harissa (£5) was the top choice for shoppers.

May - Sake

May was the month of Japanese cuisine, because sake was the most-searched Waitrose product, with searches up 241 per cent. The store introduced new varieties of the alcoholic drink made from fermented rice, expanding their range to include sparkling versions, as well as new flavours, including plum.

June - Pickle juice

Pickletok has become a social media phenomenon, and pickles have gone from being a humble burger ingredient to a much-loved snack that comes in a whole host of flavours and varieties.

But with 2024 seeing England make it all the way to the final of the Euros in June, pickles had their moment, when the football squad revealed they used pickle juice to alleviate cramp. The result? Pickle juice were at an all-time high for Waitrose, with sales rising 7 per cent year on year.

July - Muffins

@henrikchristians1 I HEREBY DECLARE MYSELF AS THE OLYMPIC MUFFIN MAN #fyp #olympics #paris2024 #olympictiktok #olympicvillage #muffins @Olympics @paris2024 ♬ original sound - Mike Brown

From the Euros to the Olympics, TikTok fell in love with Norway's Muffin Man - a swimmer who documented his obsession with the muffins athletes were being fed in the Olympic Village.

While a lot of people were inspired to attempt to make their own, Waitrose have Henrik Christiansen to thank, because muffin sales were up 24.8 per cent between July and August as a result.

August - Salad

TikTok's viral cucumber salad recipe in a bowl Martha Stewart

Caesar salad and a Diet Coke was the girl dinner of this year, but there were a few other viral salads we can't forget to mention either. Most notably, creators, consumers, and celebrities alike were all inspired to copy Logan Moffitt's cucumber salad recipe. The crunchy jar-based snack combines chopped cucumber with soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce, sugar, MSG, garlic, green onions, and sesame seeds. Cucumber sales were up 17.5 per cent as everyone scrambled to make it.

September - Nostalgic desserts

While some may gag at the thought of reliving their school dinners, it would seem as the nights draw in and the weather gets cooler, people have been seeking out comfort in the form of nostalgia. Rice pudding recipe searches rose by 66 per cent, spotted dick was up 800 per cent, and plum and blackberry cobbler by 150 per cent.

October - Chocolate butter

Blocks of All Things Butter butter sits in purple and green packaging on a flat surface All Things Butter

Thomas Straker is TikTok's hottest butter chef, and has since gone on to open his own swanky London restaurant, Straker's in 2022. But for those not in the Capital, you can now get a taste of his cooking from home, as his brand 'All Things Butter' has landed in Waitrose. But this isn't any old butter, and with a penchant for the unusual, his chocolate butter, became a hit. Apparently it's the perfect pancake and toast pairing.

November - Celebrity booze

Jeremy Clarkson leans on a tractor and poses with a pint of beer Hawkstone Lager

2024 has had a number of new celebrity alcohol brands hit the shelves - from Kylie Jenner's Sprinter, to Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's Teremana tequila - and for a lot of them, it's paid off. But some of Waitrose's fan favourites were a little closer to home, with Jeremy Clarkson's Hawkstone lager landing in stores, meaning you no longer have to stand in the rain for his farm shop. Other popular options were Kylie Minogue wine, and Blackeye Gin from Mike Tindall, James Haskell and Alex Payne.

December - Giant Cinnamon Knot

It's almost Christmas, which means it's time for gimmicks galore, with Waitrose introducing a giant cinnamon knot to their bakery section. The twisted dough treat drenched in ground cinnamon and sugar is already becoming a social media hit, with one creator reviewing it as "Deliciously sweet and cinnamony with a buttery middle and wonderfully crunchy crystallised sugar coating"l

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