Photo of
January 27, 2010
[][1]
The El Bulli brigade are getting a break

There was much gnashing of teeth among the world’s more ambitious, not to mention wealthy foodies, yesterday as Ferran Adria of El Bulli announced that he was to shut his restaurant for two years after next. Often cited as the best restaurant in the world, El Bulli is viewed as the high temple of molecular gastronomy even though Adria has long disowned the term. He is taking the time off to ask himself what he should do next. Jay Rayner, writing on the Guardian blog, has some perceptive thoughts on the subject.

Well, Ferran, me old mucker, I’m sure that you’re not short of ideas and, despite the fact that I am positive you will never read this, the 5pm blog has already done some of the footwork for you.

We’ve already done a bit of crystal ball gazing in the last few weeks but I’ve found some more predictions from industry experts about what sort of food we might find on our plates in the coming months and years. While personal jetpacks and meals in pill form are still some way off, there are some unexpected trends heading our way. Maybe.

Baum and Whiteman are hotshot restaurant consultants and their predictions for 2010 are here. Their trends for 2009 got it largely right although you might want to argue about Brussels sprouts being the boom veg of last year.

Anyway in 2010, chicken will be the new pork belly, apparently. I was also intrigued by their idea that having spent years taking the ‘bad’ additives out of food, there is now a market for ‘good’ additives that are said to enhance health or flavour. The company is based in the States so their predictions about food trucks and artisan hot dogs might not gain so much traction over here but the idea of chefs turned butchers, Latino street foods and urban farms seem probable.

The Daily Beast has come up with a photo gallery of food trends which is worth a look, not least for the assertion that the bacon-with-everything trend has a long way to run. Still, bacon with coffee? A bacon butty and a strong cup of Joe is a thing of beauty but I’d stop short of dunking my butty in my mug, never mind drinking bacon-flavoured coffee.

Over to you, Ferran.