Food trend spotting London. UK.

As one of the best places to spot food trends and culinary extravagancies, I regularly come back to my favorite city in order to experience new things in the world of food. Come and join me on a discovery tour.

“One eats with the eyes” goes a common saying. So some of the food retailers (Waitrose in this case) have taken this seriously and arrange fruit and vegetables in a very neat way.

Some arrangements look like still paintings from a classical masterpiece. Whole Foods Market (owned by Amazon) is specifically good at this.

“infarm” – growing in the supermarket. As fresh as can be, with 95% less water and land and no pesticides. That is genuinely sustainable.

Knowing the source of the food we buy is increasingly of importance.

Instead of buying ingredients that have been shipped across the globe, getting local seasonal produce is a much better choice. Hence it is obvious to bundle it on display in the market.

Super foods are on the rise. Here for example “Hitamins Super Greens Vegan” for various purposes and “Irish Moss Milk Shake” (Selfridges Food Hall).

A vast “chocolate bar” (Eataly) in the proverbial sense. Fantastic how the display of traditional food can be defined in a new way.

This was the widest (and most colorful) variety of biscuits in beautifully crafted tin boxes I have ever seen (Fortnum & Mason).

Oversized “window dressing” for ice cream. Very appealing. Seen at Venchi, Piccadilly.

A colorful, symetrical assembly of cakes makes mouth watering (Eataly, bishopsgate).

Artisan cakes can be made up to perfection like little pieces of art. We have that also back home in Vienna, a Mekka for cake baking.

Seven dials market (see feature image) near Covent Garden is a popular hangout for folks especially afterwork. It hosts various ethnic food stalls with partly innovative concepts.

We have known running sushi in Europe for around three decades now. Running cheese is new to me. Makes more sense, as the cheese needs some room temperature before consumption anyway.

Eataly is an Italian food market concept in a few select locations across the globe. The market in Bishopsgate in the City of London is one of epic dimensions.

The assortment of Italian alimentari is truly amazing and unparalleled.

A vast selection of Italian olive oils and vinegars is an Italian food lover’s (and also cook’s) dream.

Gragnano just south of Naples is the world capital of Pasta. Pasta di Gragnano has 4 secrets: 1) special Durum Wheat. 2) Mountain water. 3) Bronze extrusion (which makes the pasta porous). and 4) a slow drying process.

Eataly has various “fresh bars” in the shop: besides a bakery, there is a fresh pasta bar.

Building Your own salad composition is a not such a common yet meaningful concept in a food market (Eataly).

Must be: a bit of luxury. When “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” then probably “caviar is a connoisseur’s best friend”. Here a prime selection in all shapes and sizes (and prices!). Seen at Harrods Food Halls.

This mission statement at itsu is testimony to the fact that there are no shortcuts to perfection in life. Nor in culinary excellence.

Café & gym: that’s what I would call a perfectly vertically integrated business model. I love sweets, but get frustrated at realizing that for a proper slice of cake I need a good hour of workout on my exercise bike.

Alternatively, London’s leading pharmacy chain boots has its dedicated “weight management” section.