Taste of the future

Attendees were first treated to a Walking, Tasting Tour of the building, eating their way through the trends, sampling culinary delights from Blanch & Shock that included a Trash-to-Table menu, the ever popular bone broth, and a textural comparison between BBQ pulled pork and BBQ jackfruit in contemplation of possible meat replacements.

Delegates from companies as varied as Westfield, Innocent Smoothies and the Walgreens Boots Alliance then attended the presentation, where The Future Laboratory co-founders Martin Raymond and Chris Sanderson delivered an overview of the global food market. Guests also received insight into new consumer behaviour, discovered the trends that are dominating the food and drink landscape, met the innovators trailblazing their own way, and saw the packaging design directions that are challenging ideas of what packaged food and drink should look like.

On each of the two days, guests were treated to a varied panel of speakers. On the first day, Tanya Maher of Tanya's, a raw cafe in Kensington, Max Wagner, co-founder of Belsazar vermouth, and Fernando Peire, director of the Ivy, each explained the driving force behind their business, whether that be removing the stigma from vegan food, bringing vermouth back or ensuring service is a top priority. On the second day, Zoe Burgess, head of research and development at Drink Factory, Ludovic Miazga, Bacardi Global Brands ambassador for Grey Goose, and Jai Harji, creative director of the Black Arts Company, discussed how to make drinks creatively, why the typical notion of happy hour is changing, and why the Lidl Deluxe restaurant was such a success.

For more on the Food and Drink Futures Forum, buy a copy of our Food and Drink Futures report, now available in our shop.