Valentine’s day is a popular holiday to celebrate with our loved ones – whether this is a partner, family or even a pet (27% of people would buy a present for their pet and one third would rather spend the day with their pet than their partner (National Retail Federation) – Whisky, will you be my valentine next year?

As a leading food marketing agency, we know that the best way to someone’s heart is often through their stomach! During the pandemic last year, 2021 proved the biggest ever Valentine’s for food retail with sales up £85m compared to 2020. In the UK, over 50% of us thought that sharing food was a number one priority on Valentine’s Day, including getting a takeaway (27%) or cooking a special meal (26%) (Finder.com).

With this in mind, let’s have a look at the top food market trends for 2022!

Steak – consumers are always keen to treat themselves and their loved ones on Valentine’s Day, and steak is a real food of love. This is no surprise as many will see steak as a more gourmet option to other dishes. Cooked perfectly, there’s no better way to express your love. It pairs perfectly with some nice dauphinoise potatoes (or your choice of potato dish) and peppercorn sauce. If you want to get really fancy, why not buy your loved one some Wagyu Beef?

Takeaways – as expected, takeaways are a very attractive option for consumers on Valentine’s Day – especially falling as it did in 2022 on a Monday! After a long day at work, the last thing you want to be doing is spending hours in the kitchen! Personally, I opted for this too.

Dairy – this one came as a surprise to me, but cheese has become a popular gift for Valentine’s Day, with sales increasing 23% year on year (Kantar, 2021). Whether this is a simple cheddar, speciality, continental or soft cheese, there’s been a huge growth in cheese sales. Cheese and wine, anyone?

Cupcakes – Whether baking for someone or baking together, cupcakes have become a more popular gift for Valentine’s as it has a more personal touch than a box of chocolates. And after all the baking in lockdown, why not show off your skills?

Vegan and Veggie options – working in the food marketing world, we’ve witnessed the huge increase in popularity of vegan and vegetarian recipes over the last few years and it is no surprise that Valentine’s Day is no exception. Consumers will be looking for some delicious plant-based recipes to woo their partner, especially coming so soon after Veganuary.

How did you spend Valentine’s Day this year? Whether you treated yourself, spent it with a partner, family, or pets – let us know and tag us on Twitter and Instagram @jellybeanagency.