How Newcastle's top foodies have survived 2020's tumultuous hospitality chaos

Non-alcoholic drinks, especially beer - this is huge. I think a lot of people drank a lot during COVID. I predict non-alcoholic drinks to be the biggest trend in 2021. I think sugar replacements are going to be big as well, with people finding natural alternatives. I use fruit in some of my cooking, for example. Umami and sweet flavouring combination is big in Asia. Also, plant-based foods and environmentally-friendly cuisines are on the rise everywhere in the world, and black garlic is becoming more mainstream. I've been experimenting with it in my food.

Takeaway is huge, obviously, and home cooking. The lockdown sourdough phenomenon.

Restaurants are being stripped back and simplified due to COVID and the magnifying glass hovers over operational costs in comparison with revenue.

Trends are out and unfortunately for a lot of venues across the world, survival is in.

Every person in Australia is baking sourdough but the biggest trend has to be the continuation of the Yotam Ottolenghi phenomena. Ottolenghi treats vegetables as "heroes" and dials their deliciousness up through the use of both classic and contemporary cooking techniques, diverse cultural inspiration and what he describes as "flavour bombs". These are ingredients that pack a massive punch and transform the ordinary dish into something quite extraordinary. He first described these products in his book Simple in 2019. In Simple the bombs included black garlic (rich sweet umami), barberries (tartness), tahini, green cardamom pods, urfa chilli flakes, za'atar, pomegranate molasses, rose harissa, sumac and preserved lemons. You'll notice a distinct Middle Eastern theme running through these flavours.

In Ottolenghi's book Flavour, which was released in September 2020, he extended these to include additional items that really tend to be more aligned to Mexican and Asian flavour profiles. The latest range of items that he calls "essential ingredients" (and quite rightly so) include aleppo chilli, ancho chilli, black garlic (again), black lime, cascabel chilli, chipotle chilli, hibiscus flowers, fish sauce, gochujang chilli, ground cardamom, pocha beans, masa harina, miso, red bell pepper flakes, rice vinegar, rose harissa (again), Shaoxing rice wine and tamarind paste.

After the lockdown of the local hospitality industry we also noticed a real trend in the community where people were interested in upskilling and improving their general cooking skills. We have enjoyed a demand for cooking classes, specifically classes that go "back to basics" like making fresh pasta, and knife skills. I suspect that being forced to cook at home has made many people enjoy the act of creating a meal and want to take their skills to a higher level.

Online video tutorials have also increased in popularity for this reason, with industry leaders and local chefs alike jumping behind the lens to give you their own tips and tricks to help you master cooking more than ever. From YouTube tutorials, to IGTV (Troy Rhoades-Brown's salt baked pork belly episode is one of our favourites) to subscriber-based video channels like Masterclass or YesChef!, the opportunity to learn how to cook has never been more readily available. These videos have, in a way, filled a void and allowed us to connect with our local eateries when they have otherwise been unable to operate due to COVID.

Beyond this, we are seeing the home bar springing into action. There has been a clear resurgence in traditional cocktail making, with people hunting down specific pieces of glassware, cocktail ingredients and accessories to fit out their home bars.

I would have to say that people are way more excited about baking now, with all these viral videos of people experimenting with sourdoughs and bread and pastries. I also think that a virus that tore us all apart has in turn brought us even closer together in a way, in the form of comfort eating and sharing plates.

Probably the biggest impact I have noticed, and something close to my heart, is people being much more aware of the impact they have on the world and more thoughtful when it comes to sustainably sourced produce. Also, sustainability in packaging and single-use plastics seems relevant to more people now.

I wouldn't say there's been any specific food trend but I feel dining out is the trend. Have you tried getting a last minute booking on a weekend anywhere?

No chance.

I think people, now more than ever, are showing great support for their communities and dining out locally.

Something that I have definitely seen is more and more people taking up baking.

With all the time spent in this lockdown people have taken to sourdough starters, pastry work - Sunda on Instagram has some super insane pie work.

I still think that with this virus keeping us all under the thumb, we're going to see a lot more home cooks becoming more adventurous which will translate into the dining scene and give chefs the confidence to flex some old-school skills.