It’s wedding season! And, as an incoming Bridesmaid, ‘wedding trends’, ‘hen party ideas’ and ‘wedding reception décor’ are all my Google account has seen recently.
Each year sees new trends in the wedding industry – child-free celebrations, unplugged ceremonies, live painting and even holiday hen dos.
But, as a perpetually hungry individual, there’s one thing on my mind when it comes to weddings – the food. So, what better pastime than to explore the biggest food and drink trends inspiring brides and grooms to be, so, join me as I delve into what wedding planners are committing to this year.
It’s that time of year when you log onto Instagram and your feed is flooded with the latest NPD food and drink the world has to offer… but all is not as it seems.
We’ve collated some of our favourite April Fool’s pranks we saw this year – and honestly, some aren’t too bad!
Anti-marketing is seemingly on the up once more, with Oatly, Surreal and Days all leaning into, whilst simultaneously calling out, traditional marketing methods. Although outwardly work-shy in approach, this tactic is entirely well-thought-out and speaks to increasingly savvy consumers in a relatable, funny and memorable way. It seems the subtle art of not giving a f***, actually includes giving many f***s, and could be paving the way for a new type of tongue-in-cheek advertising.
Who doesn’t love a themed cocktail night? Just around the corner on March 24th, is National Cocktail Day, and if the fact that it falls on a Sunday doesn’t dampen your spirits, we’ve got you covered!
A couple of weeks ago, my friends and I got together for a chill night-in which consisted of us each making a round of cocktails inspired by our jobs. What ensued, was a boozy insight into each other’s 9-5.
In May of last year, I visited the tropical paradise of St Lucia, to explore the breath-taking Caribbean landscapes complete with beaches and rainforest, and also to experience the vibrant and diverse cuisine of the island.
St. Lucia’s cuisine is a delightful blend of African, French, and Caribbean influences. The island’s rich history is reflected in its food, creating a unique combination of flavours that is sure to leave any food enthusiast craving more.
Wondering where to take your Valentine’s? Well, being both an avid foodie and a Londoner, I have the insiders track to the top London restaurants for your date. Most options are slightly off the beaten track and dare I say it… better than the typical hot spots in central London that will no doubt be bustling with other lovestruck couples.
Purely by coincidence, November saw four jellybeans trot off to Amsterdam over four consecutive weekends. By the time each of our respective trips were over, we had, as you might expect, compiled an (increasingly long) list of recommendations for one another. Full of our favourite foodie hotspots in the Dutch capital, we’ve whittled it down to our top three each. Here are our favourites:
Packed inside the bustling streets of Borough Market, you’ll find Berenjak, a Persian restaurant, inspired by the home-cooked, family dining occasions often found in the Alborz Mountains. This compact restaurant, complete with dimmed lighting and beautiful décor came highly recommended, and it’s not hard to see why.
If you’ve never heard of the Ninja Creami, it’s a kitchen gadget which allows you to create a multitude of frozen treats – obviously ice cream is a given, but it can also do sorbets, gelatos, milkshakes and smoothie bowls. You simply freeze the ingredients you want in the provided tubs for 24 hours and push a button to work its ‘creamify’ technology, revealing a delicious frozen treat in minutes. Once ‘spun’, you can then add additional treats to mix into the ice cream, such as biscuit chucks, chocolate chips or fruit. It’s not just reserved for indulgent treats either – you can freeze fruits or yogurts to create healthy alternatives too.
We all love a bit of fast food this time of year, whether to take away or eat out when about doing the last-minute Christmas shopping. Tuck into the festivities by grabbing yourself something off these Christmas menus to keep you going at the busiest time of year. We’re going to dive into much-loved fast-food chains as we take a look into their take on festive favourites.
What’s better than reading about the latest out-of-home trends? Eating and drinking them! As you know, we are well-versed in the out-of-home market, but we love keeping up to date with the latest developments through Lumina’s Food Strategy Forum Debrief (which you can read here), swiftly followed by the Lumina Food Concept Study Tour.
This time around, we took a venture out to Hackney for the latest food safari, looking at all the new, exciting operators and concepts that are at the forefront of innovation and trends. Here is a quick whistle-stop tour of the afternoon…
As a leading food and drink agency, we make it our business to keep up to date with the latest eating out trends. The Lumina Foodservice Strategy Forum is always an informative session, packed with a wealth of data on the out-of-home market, upcoming trends and consumer behaviour.
Q4 looked into current mega trend and menu composition, along with a look to the future with key trends for 2024.
Whilst recently visiting the Mutti headquarters which are situated on the outskirts of Parma city centre, there was a free day in the schedule which meant it was the perfect time to discover some iconic food items from the local area. Parma, Italy, is a culinary haven renowned for its diverse range of traditional dishes and flavours. As a huge lover of Italian cuisine and history, this was a fantastic foodie experience and a must do when visiting the Italian food valley.
London is a notorious hot bed for swanky restaurants and cutting-edge dining experiences, and Dans le Noir, settled in the heart of the city, only serves to bolster this reputation. Exactly what is says on the French tin, this now rather well-known restaurant offers guests the unique culinary experience of eating your meal completely shrouded in darkness.
As September approaches and the kids go back to school – it can only mean one thing: Christmas is right around the corner. Savvy retail food and drink brands looking to position themselves as perfect Christmas gifts know that now is the prime time to roll out their Christmas PR campaigns. In this blog I’ll delve into why now is the perfect time to launch a campaign, explore various tactics brands can employ, and highlight how an agency like jellybean can help maximise results.
You’ll no doubt be more than familiar with the four core tastes -sweet, salty, sour and bitter. But as a multi award-winning food and drink agency we thought it was only right that we make sure you’re familiar with the fifth, Umami. This term directly translates to the “essence of deliciousness” in Japanese. “Oo-ma-mi” is typically mistaken for a salty taste but more commonly described as “complex” and “a lasting flavour” that deepens and intensifies the taste of a dish.
If you have ever wondered how to brief your marketing agency to get the very best work out of them then here’s a cheat sheet to help focus your thinking and inspire your next great campaign. It all comes down to the why, how, what & when…
As a leading food and drink marketing agency specialising in both out of home and retail, we eagerly anticipate the quarterly Lumina Intelligence briefings.
These sessions play a vital role in keeping us well-informed about the most recent developments and emerging trends in the foodservice industry, allowing us to best inform client strategy. The latest forum from the Lumina team did not disappoint, with the very insightful debrief followed by the cult-status Food Safari around Borough Market – it’s safe to say we all left with a lot of food for thought and very full but happy tummies!
As International Pride month comes to an end, I wanted to exhibit how queer chefs have played an essential role in shaping and revolutionising the food industry.
I know I speak for many people (including myself once) when I say Instagram reels can seem daunting, and it can be the most challenging part of social media for many. However, they are much simpler than they look. In this blog, I am going to take you through some of my top tips to keeping up with reels.
