Food news

• Core principles: the return of ‘real’ cider

  08-05-2025 14:00
  
  Much modern cider is mass-produced with the bare minimum fruit content of questionable provenance, but the UK used to be the world leader in fine ciders. Luckily, a new generation of terroir-focussed makers is finally emerging …“When I started out 10 years ago, only three of the makers here were even in business,” says Felix Nash, gesturing to the reams of golden bottles that line the shelves of his shop. I’m at the Fine Cider Company in London Fields, east London, with
  
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• EU ‘meaty’ names ban unlikely to go ahead: Why talks collapsed

  16-12-2025 17:37 via foodnavigator.com
  
  Talks between the EU Parliament and Council on the ban of 'meaty' names for plant-based products have collapsed after the introduction of new amendments by French MEP Céline Imart, who introduced the ban in the first place. This means that the ban is, in the short term at least, unlikely to go ahead.
  
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• Ben and Jerry’s removes three board members following introduction of new rules

  16-12-2025 15:12 via foodnavigator.com
  
  Following the introduction of 9-year term limits, three board members in Ben and Jerry's will step down: one with immediate effect, and the remaining two by the end of the year.
  
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• All about the baby cheeses: how to curate a festive cheeseboard to remember

  16-12-2025 14:00
  Perfection is a hard, a soft, a blue, a sheep and a goat’s, say our panel of experts, but three to four generous wedges will do the trickWhat should I serve on my Christmas cheeseboard?
  David, via email
  It will come as no surprise that Mathew Carver, founder of Pick & Cheese, The Cheese Barge and Rind, eats a lot of cheese, so in an effort to keep his festive selection interesting, he usually focuses on a specific area or region: “Last year, for instance, I spent Christmas in Sco
  
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• Kraft Heinz appoints new CEO following split announcement

  16-12-2025 13:44 via foodnavigator.com
  
  Kraft Heinz appoints Steve Cahillane as its new CEO ahead of the company’s planned split, as leadership shifts, board changes, and a major organisational transition set the stage for its next chapter.
  
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• Gluten‑free: Trends reshaping a booming market

  16-12-2025 13:09 via foodnavigator.com
  
  Explore the fast‑growing gluten‑free market, from rising consumer demand and better product quality to the bakery, snack, and pasta sectors leading growth.
  
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• Change but not extinction: Plant-based meat in 2026

  16-12-2025 11:39 via foodnavigator.com
  
  Plant-based meat has not been having a good time of it recently. But what's next for the trend? Will it survive in 2026?
  
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• Skye McAlpine’s pomegranate Campari jelly and salted caramel zuccotto – recipes

  16-12-2025 07:00
  A ruby-red, melt-in-the-mouth delight and an ice-cream encased in chocolate and marsala-drenched panettone – both to make ahead of timeWhile strictly speaking this is a zuccotto – that is, a dome-shaped cake filled with ice-cream and enrobed in chocolate – I take disproportionate pleasure in the fact that it looks very much like a Christmas pudding. Even more delightful is the knowledge that it can be made weeks ahead of time, and whisked out of the freezer and brought to the t
  
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• M&As: Dairy’s biggest deals in 2025

  15-12-2025 16:50 via dairyreporter.com
  
  Explore the biggest dairy shake-ups of 2024–2025, from General Mills’ $2.1bn yogurt divestment to Unilever’s ice cream spin-off, European co-op mergers, and Fonterra’s $4.22bn exit from consumer dairy.
  
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• Koppie: The Belgian coffee alternative brewing up a ‘moonshot’

  15-12-2025 15:29 via foodnavigator.com
  
  Discover how Belgian start-up Koppie is reinventing coffee with a sustainable, bean-free alternative made from chickpeas. Learn why coffee’s carbon footprint is a hidden environmental challenge and how innovation could change your daily brew.
  
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• World’s top 30 food-tech companies revealed

  15-12-2025 14:36 via foodnavigator.com
  
  This year’s top 30 food-tech innovations list isn’t just a ranking; it’s a snapshot of a global industry in transformation, where science, sustainability and scalability converge to redefine what how food is produced.
  
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• Georgina Hayden’s recipe for pear, sticky ginger and pecan pudding

  15-12-2025 14:00
  This non-traditional Christmas Day dessert is a surefire winner if dried fruit-based puddings aren’t your thingWhile our Christmas Day dinner doesn’t deviate too much from tradition, I do experiment with the dessert. My family, bar one sweet-toothed aunt, avoids dried fruit-based offerings, so classic Christmas cakes and puddings are a hard no. Over the years, I have tried variations on yule logs, pavlovas and sherry trifles, but the biggest crowdpleaser is easily sticky toffee puddi
  
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• The future of confectionery: Innovations driving success in 2026

  15-12-2025 13:02 via confectionerynews.com
  
  Discover the top confectionery trends shaping 2026 - from multi-textural treats and bold global flavours to personalised packaging, functional sweets, and AI-driven innovation. Explore how brands are blending indulgence with wellness, sustainability, and creativity.
  
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• Finnish Sweeprot on plans to ferment the ‘next generation of sweeteners’

  15-12-2025 09:44 via foodnavigator.com
  
  Finnish researchers unveil Sweeprot, a next-generation sweet protein derived from brazzein, offering zero-calorie, sugar-like sweetness without artificial aftertaste. Produced via precision fermentation, Sweeprot promises better digestibility, scalability, and sustainability—positioning itself as a key player in Europe’s sugar reduction revolution.
  
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• Clean-label: How ingredients lists can be made shorter

  15-12-2025 09:30 via foodnavigator.com
  
  Clean-label products are being increasingly demanded by consumers, as distrust in the food industry increases and scepticism of ultra-processed foods grows. Consumers are particularly sceptical about long ingredients lists. How can manufacturers shorten these ingredients lists, whilst retaining taste, texture and functionality in their products?
  
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• Mars completes Kellanova acquisition in deal set to reshape snacking

  15-12-2025 09:20 via confectionerynews.com
  
  Mars Snacking and Kellanova unite in a landmark deal set to reshape the global snacking industry, combining iconic brands like Snickers, M&M’s, Pringles, and Cheez-It to drive innovation and sustainability.
  
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• How to make nesselrode pudding – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

  14-12-2025 14:00
  A luxurious iced dessert stuffed full of boozy dried fruit, candied peel and frozen chestnut pureeThis festive, frozen chestnut puree dessert is often credited to the great 19th-century chef Antonin Carême, even though the man himself conceded that this luxurious creation was that of Monsieur Mony, chef to the Russian diplomat Count Nesselrode (albeit, he observed somewhat peevishly, inspired by one of his own chestnut puddings). It was originally served with hot, boozy custard – tho
  
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• The 12 condiments of Christmas

  14-12-2025 10:00
  Everyone needs a hand in the kitchen, and in lieu of any sous elves, Claire Dinhut – AKA Condiment Claire – picks the ones that will make your feast singSalt, sweet, bitter, acid, umami. While we don’t think to use too much “sweet” before dessert, it can counterbalance and enhance other flavours. Maple syrup is my sweetener of choice during the holidays because it just tastes cozy. Add it to roasted root vegetables or a poultry glaze, and it’s especially tasty
  
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• I won’t make a single one of these TV Christmas recipes; I’m just here to gawp | Grace Dent

  14-12-2025 07:00
  I defy anyone to watch the Nigella Christmas special and feel anything but drunk on yuletide bonhomieIf your run-up to Christmas already feels a bit chaotic, there’s always a cosy nook of the TV schedule where nothing but gorgeous, kitsch, heartwarming things happen. And by that I mean the cooking channels, where it’s currently full-on re-run time. Nigel Slater’s 12 Tastes of Christmas, anyone? That episode of Fanny Cradock at Christmas when she folds mincemeat into an omelette
  
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• ‘I won’t make a single one of these TV Christmas recipes; I’m just here to gawp’

  14-12-2025 07:00
  I defy anyone to watch the Nigella Christmas special and feel anything but drunk on yuletide bonhomieIf your run-up to Christmas already feels a bit chaotic, there’s always a cosy nook of the TV schedule where nothing but gorgeous, kitsch, heartwarming things happen. And by that I mean the cooking channels, where it’s currently full-on re-run time. Nigel Slater’s 12 Tastes of Christmas, anyone? That episode of Fanny Cradock at Christmas when she folds mincemeat into an omelette
  
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• ‘Tastes like scented candle’: the best (and worst) supermarket chocolate truffles, tasted and rated

  13-12-2025 14:00
  Our resident Sweet Spotter had the (mis)fortune of eating a selection of widely available chocolate truffles to save you one more Christmas chore ….• The best supermarket mince pies, tasted and ratedA perfect chocolate truffle, for me, has a fine, tempered shell that, with a soft, satisfying snap, gives way to a ganache that melts luxuriantly on the tongue (and, failing that delicate snap, then give me a classic bitter dusting of cocoa). Truffles may come in endless variations, but a
  
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• Flora Shedden’s Christmas desserts recipes for figgy crumble mince pies, boozy ice-cream, and choc pear meringues

  13-12-2025 11:00
  Three sweet treats for even the fussiest sweet tooth: fig and hazelnut crumble mince pies, sherry and raisin ice-cream, and chestnut and pear meringuesOut of sheer laziness, this is a no-churn, very quick to assemble take on things. I tend usually not to recommend no-churn ice-creams unless there is booze involved, so this sherry and raisin one is a great candidate (the alcohol stops the ice-cream from becoming too hard and crystallised). And keep the leftover egg whites from the mince pies to m
  
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• Meera Sodha’s recipe for Christmas ricotta semifreddo | Meera Sodha recipes

  13-12-2025 07:00
  Hobnobs, ricotta, chocolate and amaretto – what’s not to like?I believe in divine communion, especially when it comes to food; an alliance of ingredients that come together as though they were meant to feed spirit and body. It might be too lofty to say that this semifreddo is divine, but the combination of Hobnobs, ricotta, chocolate and amaretto really does it for me. That said, there are many alliances that can be formed in the Christmas store-cupboard, so use this as a base for an
  
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• Roll up! Philip Khoury’s recipe for pistachio yule log | The sweet spot

  12-12-2025 14:00
  This rich and moreish (and plant-based) yule log is a Lebanese Christmas favourite that harks back to the country’s French colonial pastI love a yule log, also known as a bûche de Noël. It’s a remnant from the time when Lebanon was a French colony, which lingers to the modern day, and is popular in Lebanese bakeries and patisseries over the Christmas period, often decorated with small figurines, plastic holly leaves and festive messages. Those decorations, and the trompe-l
  
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• Cocktail of the week: Tiny Wine's’ tierra roja – recipe | The good mixer

  12-12-2025 14:00
  A margarita dressed in a red vermouth coat with white tequila trimmings … ho ho hoThis smoky, deep-red cocktail takes its cue from our Latin roots, but with a seasonal twist. The mix of mezcal, tequila and vermouth is warming and vibrant, while pomegranate and rosemary lend a winter accent that makes it as fitting for a Christmas gathering as for a relaxing night in.Maria Yanez and Carlos Socorro, Tiny Wine, London W1 Continue reading...
  
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• Meat-free under the mistletoe – recipes

  12-12-2025 13:00
  Not a fan of the traditional festive spread? These recipes are a Christmas feast that even turkeys would vote for Continue reading...
  
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• Food trend predictions 2026 - and it’s not all about protein

  11-12-2025 17:01 via foodnavigator.com
  
  Discover the top food and drink trends for 2026 — from protein’s continued dominance to emerging movements like fibre, functional nutrition, ingredient swaps, and longevity-focused diets.
  
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• Gut health: Innovations shaping a $51bn industry

  11-12-2025 15:32 via foodnavigator.com
  
  The global digestive health market is booming, valued at $51bn (€43bn) and projected to reach $68bn by 2030 with an 8.3% CAGR. Once niche, gut health is now mainstream, driven by growing awareness of the microbiome’s role in immunity, mental wellbeing, and metabolic balance. This article explores the innovations and trends shaping the future of gut health.
  
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• Ho, ho, Hamburg: bringing the flavours of a true German Christmas market home

  11-12-2025 13:30
  From glühwein to lebkuchen, bratwurst to stollen, recreating the delicacies I sampled in the city’s festive markets is wholly achievable. Plus, a new digital cookbook for a good cause• Sign up here for our weekly food newsletter, FeastWithout wanting to sound tediously Scrooge-like, the German-style markets that have become seasonal fixtures in many British cities over the last few decades never make me feel particularly festive. What’s remotely Christmassy – or Germa
  
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• Christmas gift ideas for drinks lovers, from champagne to canned cocktails

  11-12-2025 13:00
  Don’t get pulled in by silly gadgets: buy presents you’d be happy to receive yourselfAlcohol is an unavoidable part of a festive spread (for more advice on which wines, beers and other drinks I like for each and every occasion, take a look at last week’s Christmas drinks guide), but, sometimes, a drink deserves a place under the tree as well as around it – especially if it’s an easy win for a drinks devotee for whom you need to buy a prezzie.As I said at this time l
  
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