UK Food & Drink and At-home Socialising Consumer Report 2026
2026-03-02T16:00:58+00:00
REP8493A74E_8254_4D80_93A7_4E8254FD80CD
2195
191630
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Report
en_GB
Being seen to help at-home hosts combat the stress many of them associate with managing social gatherings continues to offer strong potential for brands and retailers to tap into these…
UK
Leisure and Entertainment
Drinks
Food
simple
UK Food & Drink and At-home Socialising Consumer Report 2026
"Reducing hosting stress through prep guidance and high-impact presentation ideas will align with key hosting needs."
Amy Bishop, Analyst UK Food & Drink Reports
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
What you need to know
Opportunities
‘Cook-together’ solutions can tackle hosting stress
Unlock brunch as a hosting occasion
Make it easy for hosts to elevate presentation with minimal effort
THE MARKET
Market factors
Weak consumer confidence brings pros and cons to hosting
Graph 1: financial wellbeing and confidence indices, 2019-26
Restaurant inflation adds to appeal of at-home socialising
Graph 2: RPI, percentage change over 12 months, food and restaurant meals, 2019-25
Decline in under-15s will curb at-home socialising
Graph 3: trends in the age structure of the population, 2020-30
THE CONSUMER
Britain is a nation of occasional at-home hosts
Seven in ten adults host at-home social gatherings
Not just for Christmas: substantial year-round potential in at-home socialising
Graph 4: hosting at-home social gatherings at least once a month, by age, financial situation and presence of children, 2025
Informal gatherings lead for at-home hosting
Graph 5: types of at-home social gatherings hosted, 2025
Tackle consumer stress about hosting
Low-stress solutions will resonate with hosts
Highlight foods that cook together
Help hosts manage varied cooking times
Spotlight finger food as a year-round hosting solution
Capitalise on brunch as a hosting occasion
Brunch holds potential given high interest in hosting earlier in the day
Brunch holds untapped potential for hosting
Position breakfast foods as a brunch solutions
Help hosts to elevate the looks of food and drink
Hosts seek high-impact, low-effort ways to elevate dishes
Provide consumers with guidance for how to make food/drink for hosting look good
Showcase attractive serves at point of sale
Position visually-striking ingredients as a host-friendly solution
PRODUCT INNOVATION
Canapes and ‘sharing’ leap forward in food launches
Graph 6: share of food launches of canapes and products referencing ‘sharing’, ‘party’ and ‘platter’ in the product description, 2020-25
Premium and seasonal launches gain in canapes
NPD continues to push visual impact
Food/drink aims to be a leisure activity
International cuisines remain a key trend
Launches range from curious to comfort food
APPENDIX
Report scope
The market
Population estimates
The consumer
Consumer research questions
UK generation groups
Abbreviations
Being seen to help at-home hosts combat the stress many of them associate with managing social gatherings continues to offer strong potential for brands and retailers to tap into these occasions. Strong appetite for quick and easy food and drink solutions and food suited to smaller spaces signal a permission for brands and retailers to innovate and communicate around ease and guidance for lower-stress hosting.
With household budgets remaining under pressure in 2026, at-home gatherings continue to appeal as a cheaper alternative to eating out. Helping hosts to elevate presentation will chime in this context, while this makes tapping the interest in social occasions earlier in the day particularly timely, these offering a potentially lower-cost hosting option than lunch and dinner.
As financial pressures are predicted to start to ease from 2027, the competition from foodservice will begin to rise, putting the ease and guest-worthiness of retail solutions under growing scrutiny.
This report looks at the following areas:
Frequency of hosting at-home social gatherings with food and drink, key demographic groups and the impact of the squeeze on incomes
Types of at-home social gatherings hosted
Experience of stress among hosts and opportunities for tapping into this
How brands and supermarkets can unlock brunch as a hosting occasion
Routes for tapping into consumer desire for minimal-effort presentation ideas
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