Six summer food trends to watch out for
 Do you recognise what the secret ingredient is in these pancakes? If not, scroll down to number six... From TikTok-induced cucumber shortages last August to a sudden obsession with ‘date bark’ the year before, certain food trends seem to really blow up over the summer. Here’s what’s making a splash this year and is set for take-off over August. 1. Smashed everything (especially cucumbers and tacos) Smashed burgers might not be new, but they’ve never before had the airtime on restaurant menus that they basked in last summer. At the same time, smashed potato salads promptly started doing the rounds. This year, the trend for flattening food’s sticking around, albeit with some tempting developments: tacos filled with smashed meat (pork is up there as a favourite) and our old friend smashed cucumber salad. This traditional Chinese dish isn’t a newcomer, but has only recently been getting the social media attention it deserves. 2. Crisp charcuterie boards When TikToker Kaelahe first filmed herself grilling creamy cheese on a bed of crisps and topping the lot with balsamic glaze, she helped bring ‘chippy boys’ mainstream, with her videos getting millions of views. This easy snack was eventually expanded on: crisp charcuterie boards became a certified Thing and people rushed to pile meats, cheese and chutney over their potato snacks. Poppy O’Toole (that’s right, the ‘potato queen’ herself) is fully behind this development, with her version getting 2.1million views on TikTok. Social media’s Elly Curshen has used crab meat in her recent take, for a lighter, summery feel. 3. Dumpling salad Having recently joined the ranks of supermarket freezer aisles, ready-made Asian-style dumplings (think gyoza) quickly started spreading into social media videos, too. Last winter we saw them added to soups, curry sauces and stir-fries. And now, they’re being used to build salads, which incidentally often co-star – you guessed it – smashed cucumbers. 5. Hot honey beef bowl This is something of a super-trend, in that it’s a bit of a mash-up of three hot-right-now foods. Hot honey grew in popularity throughout 2024, becoming the must-have sauce for everything from roast chicken to halloumi and avocado on toast, while everyone’s obsession with protein has given beef a boost. And nourishing, prep-ahead bowl food, from Buddha to poke, is very much on the summer menu. The beef and hot honey is often paired in said bowl with cottage cheese (probably the biggest food trend of 2024, again thanks to that protein content), the decade-popular avocado and sweet potato, in all its complex-carb glory. A match made in social media heaven. 6. Matcha tea Whether you love that grassy flavour or hate its earthiness, matcha is a trend that’s sticking around for the summer. While matcha tea has existed for centuries, the vibrant powder has been making serious popularity gains in the last year. Iced matcha lattes, lemonades and even cold brew matcha are the green drinks everyone is ordering this season. Want to add the flavour to your meals? Try this matcha pancake stack. Whether you can’t wait to smash some cucumbers or are about to head out in search of a matcha lemonade, this summer’s food trends are all about big flavours and fun twists. Which one will you try first?