Shoppers are turning their backs on cars and cash and focusing on slow cooking and foraging for food

British families have discovered a love of foraging and home-cooking this year after the Covid-19 crisis ‘fundamentally reshaped’ their habits, according to a new study.

Spending more time at home, a quarter bought food online for the first time during the pandemic and families also discovered a new love for home cooking, foraging in bushes and even a love of hermit living. 

The figures come from the annual Waitrose Food & Drink report, which charts the buying and eating patterns of their customers.

Meanwhile other figures indicate the coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on shoppers in other ways too, with 28 per cent of car-owners reducing the use of their vehicle in the pandemic.

Meanwhile the shops now only take about 10 per cent of its sales in cash, compared to 22 per cent pre-pandemic.  

The supermarket chain, which is part of the John Lewis Partnership chain, said customers’ regular shopping and eating habits have been ‘fundamentally reshaped’ by the pandemic, and that families have seen a dramatic shift in attitudes to health, and mental wellbeing in 2020. 

Waitrose said it expects many trends which emerged during the pandemic to continue to grow in 2021 which included cooking for longer, Zoom cooking lessons and stocking up on Asian store cupboard essentials.

Almost 70 per cent of customers who shopped online during the pandemic said they expect to do so next year, even if current restrictions are lifted.

Waitrose executive director James Bailey said many changes in consumer habits had already begun to be noticed before the pandemic hit, so are ‘unlikely to reverse’.

‘The rise in online shopping is a good example of the pandemic really accelerating a trend which was happening anyway,’ he said.

‘We’ve had feedback from a lot of customers who previously might not have planned to use online but now had to, who have essentially been converted.

‘It is obviously very early to suggest what will be permanent and stay next year, but we are confident online is an area which will continue to grow.’

The report revealed that shoppers were using their increased free time at home to cook meals that take significantly longer – with cooking becoming the new commute to help people wind down after work. 

It added that sales of meat which typically needs to be cooked slowly had increased, such as oxtail, which saw sales more than triple over the year.

Waitrose also reported customers had spent more on items which they would typically eat and drink outside of their homes.

Sales of coffee beans jumped by 44 per cent as customers were consuming coffee at home which they might typically have bought from chains near their offices instead.

Despite the UK suffering its sharpest economic drop on record following the pandemic, Mr Bailey said there was a growth in demand for luxury items because a lack of holidays or social events had given some people more money to spend on groceries.

‘It was unusual because we saw double-digit growth of our essential range, which traded really well all year, but also on higher-end lines too,’ he said.

‘Luxury products and meals did well because people still had a desire to treat themselves during lockdown.’  

As well as foraging for fresh food, the study also found a new love for preserving and pickling as part of a revival of home cooking.

It said: ‘This mega-trend combines three smaller trends: experimenting with techniques, reducing waste and making use of seasonal gluts of products.

‘Preserving is where it’s at right now. UK social media mentions of preserving and fermenting are up by 28 per cent. And searches on Waitrose.com for ‘pickling’ are 222 per cent higher.’

It comes after Lakeland’s Food and Drink report found  bread-making, pizza ovens and food saving & storage made up the hottest topics of 2020 with sales up 130 per cent, 68 per cent  and 53 per cent on last year respectively. 

However products for on the go, ironing boards and covers and baking decorations all fell out of favour this year, while cooking and baking for children saw a huge rise.   

More than half of children baked a cake while over a third of adults said they had baked bread at home in the last six months.  

In recent years, as more consumers recognise freezing as one of the best ways to save food waste and guarantee freshness, freezing has become fashionable once again.   

After a pretty tough 2020, people seem determined to get to grips with the next 12 months by trying to improve their health, their finances and prepare for the year ahead by cleaning their home and batch cooking. 

Although most consumers won’t be denying themselves a bit of pleasure, as the report reveals only a relatively small number are taking on the challenge of Dry January or Veganuary. 

Steve Knights, CEO of Lakeland said: ‘It’s safe to say that 2020 has been very different to what any of us expected it to be. With the challenges of Covid-19 and lockdowns leading to most of us spending more time in our own homes, our 2020 

‘Lakeland Trends Report explores how this affected our cooking and baking habits. Our survey polled 3,000 people to discover the impact that cooking, baking and cleaning has on their lives and, along with our own customer insight, our report provides an in-depth look at the state of the nation’s homes. 

‘We’ve explored how lockdown led to many people discovering a new love of baking, the emergence of the well-being trend, the continued rise in demand for eco-friendly products (including Christmas crackers!), and much more. It’s always fascinating to learn more about what makes us tick and our report explores the hot topics of 2020, as well as taking a peek at what trends we can expect to see in 2021.’