How to sell summer food and drink in 2026

‘Tis the season of picnic blankets, clinking ice in glasses and wafts of barbecue smoke in gardens across the land. Consumers of all ages are slathering on the sun lotion and excitedly awaiting their next opportunity to eat al fresco, whether that be a social occasion or a simple switch of indoors to outdoors for a family supper in the garden.

When the sun is out decisions need to be swift to make the most of the weather, and at Flourish Foodhall, the team is passionate about making decisions as simple as possible for their customers. 

Barbecue boxes are proving popular, providing value and a tastebud-tempting selection of meats that allows them to personalise their baskets. With ease the name of the game, Flourish has made sure to bring everything their customers need for a summertime occasion within arms’ reach – from the charcoal to feed their barbecues to the marinades to make the food upon them sing, as well as the drinks and nibbles to turn the meal into a party.

Ultimately, it comes down to service – and with shoppers choosing to shop at an independent fine food retailer instead of a supermarket for the transaction at hand, it pays to make it a positive experience all round. “It’s all about the people,” says Flourish’s Sam Riddington.

“They want to be able to have a conversation with the butcher about the meat they’re buying, to be advised on how best to cook and serve it. If people are going to spend more money they expect to receive a little love and care from us as retailers.”

What’s hot for summer 2026

At online retailer Farmfetch, offering a sense of seasonal adventure is all part of the fun. Their range varies from fresh meat to exciting ambient items, and Lauren Johnson-Ginn, founder, is finding that many of their items are being utilised for outdoor eating – from picnics to grazing as well as barbecues.

“Sea Sisters are really popular for us right now, with their stunning tins of fish in really beautiful oils and seasonings perfect for sunny weather eating,” she begins. Hot sauces are popular year-round but come into their own during the summer when customers are hungry for new.

“We stock hot sauces from The Lazy Scientists, a London-based producer who use the most funky ingredients like miso and seaweed, which are going down well.”

“If you’re wanting to level up your barbecue and do something a bit different with a lot of flavour, there are some really cool brands bringing that to the market this year.”

Naturally, it pays to cater to shoppers – and their summertime guests – who are following plant-based diets. Lauren recommends Nettle, a producer of vegan products, in particular their “Haverstock White. It’s almost like a Feta, but made with cashew and it’s incredible on a picnic spread.”

All of this fabulous food deserves something great to wash it down with, and Lauren finds that Farmfetch’s customers are particularly on the hunt for “bubbles they can enjoy in the garden. We sell some lovely sparkling wine from English vineyards that we list on the site,” she says.

“I find that pre-mixed cocktails are also becoming much more popular now, as well as cider” – so long as it has quality and provenance, as the sector is still shaking off potentially negative connotations – “and drinks that utilise locally-foraged ingredients. High quality production is key here.”

Al fresco opportunities

If your premises has an outdoor space, there are plenty of ways to make the most of that. At Flourish’s Farleigh Road site, they’ve found it’s smart to think of how to maximise that as much as you would your indoor retail space – especially during the summer.

“We put a lot of thought into how we make our outside space into a place where our local community can enjoy themselves and have a great time – particularly our reward card holders,” says Sam. “We host barbecues and family fun days, where we have lots of toys outside and a bouncy castle.”

On non-event days the space proves to be just as popular, with customers coming into the shop to pick up picnic and grazing boxes – the falafel scotch eggs and savoury croissants are hot tickets this year – to take outside with a blanket to enjoy al fresco.

New to the events roster this year is a reward card holders-only day, whereby the Flourish community will join to test out new inventions created in-house in the team’s production kitchen – giving them VIP access to what’s to come at this destination retailer.

How to maximise your summer sales

● Make some of your range grab-and-go: Shoppers want to maximise their time outside when the warmer weather hits, so create graze boxes full of picnic favourites – pastries and sandwiches, quiches and scotch eggs, plus snacks, cheese and a chutney –  so they can feast with minimal effort.
● Refresh your drinks selection: People are looking for fruity fun in summer on the soft drinks side, and light and elegant options when it comes to spirits and wines. Bonus points for displaying alongside fresh mint and citrus fruit to inspire them to level-up their tipples.
● Consider family options: When the school holidays begin families will be looking for low-cost ways to entertain and feed their kids, so provide easy and great value snack and meal kits plus consider making use of your outdoor space with kid-friendly toys.