Spices, sauces and seasonings to stock in 2025

We’ve all been there. The end of a long working day, hungry, and without the energy or wherewithal to whip up a tasty feast for the family. Thankfully, there’s a wide array of flavour-packed culinary shortcuts on the market right now – so you can help your customers to satisfy their hunger while ensuring that your shared love of quality and great taste is never sacrificed.

While cooking sauces have previously worn a reputation of being bland, watery, and poor quality, there’s a new generation of sauce-makers turning this on its head – and bringing taste explosions to cupboards up and down the country. When shoppers turn to cooking sauces, they’re tight on time not appetite, so it’s important to offer them something which not only aids them in their mission to get something on the table pronto, but tempts their taste buds and keeps them coming back for more.

“Consumer interest in cooking sauces continues to rise in 2025, and the reasons are clear. Today’s shoppers are juggling busy schedules with high expectations around what they eat,” says Gianfranco Perri, CEO and founder of Just Gourmet Foods – a curator of outstanding Italian produce. “They want more than just convenience – they want authenticity, traceability, and exceptional flavour. Cooking sauces have evolved into a smart shortcut to real home-cooked meals, with no compromise on quality.”

Provenance is a strong selling tool across the fine food sector, and this is very much the case in the cooking sauces category too. ““Fine food shoppers are increasingly looking for sauces that tell a story – products that reflect care, provenance, and craftsmanship,” says Gianfranco. Fine food markers can transform a humdrum weeknight speed-supper into an indulgent treat – without eating into tight timescales – he says. “They’re seeking the kind of detail that turns a meal into an experience: regional origin, traditional methods, clean labels, and standout ingredients.”

Hawkshead Relish’s new range of slow cooker sauces offers just the solution for shoppers seeking time-saving meal solutions without sacrificing on quality or flavour. “The idea was to offer consumers the flavour of something they have cooked themselves at home, without all the chopping and prepping,” explains Maria Whitehead, director. “We want to make people’s lives easier, and so these sauces can be used in a wide range of ways – from adding flavour to meat in a slow cooker or air fryer or as a marinade.”

There are four products in the range – Honey Mustard, Sticky Chilli, Lemon & Garlic, Bloody Mary – and a time-saver these sauces most certainly are; there’s no need to brown the meat or to season the end result – all that’s required is a little time for the flavours to mellow and mingle.

A taste for Asian flavours

For Carmen Ferguson, brand manager at Biona (parent company, Windmill Organics), South East Asian food has proven particularly popular. “At Biona we offer a range of organic cooking sauces which really hit the mark for healthy scratch-cookers who are looking for exciting ingredients to include in their repertoire,” she begins. “One area where we are particularly seeing increased consumer interest, and where we have recently introduced two new products, is South-East Asian cuisine. According to Mintel’s 2024 World Cuisines report, over half (54%) of British consumers say they’re cooking from scratch more than they used to, and South-east Asian cooking sauces in particular are in strong growth, surging in both value (by *28.4%) and volume (up *11.9%), to cement themselves as the current fastest-growing cooking sauce type.”

A bright future for cooking sauces

As shoppers’ spare time continues to tighten, “the future is bright – and delicious” for the cooking sauce category says Gianfranco – and this offers a rich opportunity for indies. “UK shoppers are moving away from generic, mass-produced sauces and gravitating towards depth, character, and provenance. Cooking sauces are no longer simply a “helping hand”; they’re becoming centrepieces of the meal.

“We expect continued growth in sauces that reflect specific regions, feature seasonal ingredients, and cater to evolving dietary trends, especially plant-based and flexitarian. There’s also room for more adventurous flavour profiles—something we’re exploring across our portfolio,” he says.
Retailers who support this shift with strong in-store storytelling, pairing ideas and thoughtful merchandising will see customer engagement grow. Whether it’s a quick meal or a curated gift box, sauces are becoming essential to how people experience food at home.

Retailer viewpoint

Lord Newborough of Rhug Estate explains how the estate’s retail team are approaching barbecue season this year

Top sellers
Our top-selling BBQ-related products in summer include marinated chicken kebabs, spare ribs, steak boxes and gourmet burgers. These items are incredibly popular due to their ease of preparation and suitability for outdoor cooking, which aligns perfectly with summer gatherings.

Key focuses for summer 2025
This season, we are keen on capitalising on trending flavours such as spicy and smoky BBQ sauces and marinades, as well as plant-based alternatives to cater to the growing vegetarian and vegan market which are offered at our takeaway in the farm shop. Additionally, we are offering specials cooked and presented by our chef in the farm cafe at Rhug Estate.

How to sell barbecue food
Effective selling techniques for BBQ products include engaging in-store displays that highlight our bestsellers, offering samples, and utilizing seasonal promotions. Point-of-sale (POS) materials featuring recipe ideas and pairing suggestions create excitement and encourage impulse purchases. Social media promotions and interactive cook-along events also enhance customer engagement and drive sales during the peak BBQ season.

Distributor insight

Laura Strapp, head of buying at Cotswold Fayre, shares her take on the growing cooking sauce and seasonings sector

Shoppers are looking for quality restaurant standard meal solutions so they can replicate at home. It’s all about convenience but not compromising on taste. We have seen growth in meal kit solutions, spice sachets and sauces in jars from all different cuisines growing with new challenger brands.

It has really evolved from the flavours from traditional Indian/Italian/Chinese being the well-known cuisines to more specific regions with growth in Thai/Japanese and Malaysian flavours.
With more challenger brands entering the market, and with cooking trends and shows, shoppers are looking to experiment more with flavours. Shoppers are scratch cooking but looking for ease when it comes to the important ingredients and this could be a chilli crisp oil that adds the perfect flavour!

Ultimately, this is an exciting category as shoppers are more educated in what goes into cooking sauces and finding that perfect brand that can simplify and add the flavours they need for a quick meal solution.