The must-visit food and drink events on our radar

At Speciality Food, we’re naturally pretty big foodies. And so, we love nothing more than checking out what’s hot on the food and drink scene. We’re always on the lookout for the next big trends, tastes and products in the industry.

Here, the team shares the event they have loved, the discoveries they have made and the one coming up on their calendars.

Exciting events to remember

Lunch! 2026

The whole Speciality Food team attended lunch! 2026: a major UK event focused on the food-to-go, café, coffee shop, retail and hospitality sectors.
Taking place on 16th-17th September 2026, it was the first time Speciality Food attended—and it didn’t disappoint. “We really enjoyed our first time exhibiting,” Jess Brett, Head of Commercial at Speciality Food, said. It was a great opportunity to meet new and familiar faces across the food-to-go, retail and hospitality spaces, and identify emerging trends, products and brands.

Speciality Food wasn’t the only one experiencing a first this year, as lunch! did too. For the first time, the event formed part of the new London Food & Drink Festival, alongside The National Restaurant, Pub & Bar Show; London Drinks Exchange; Natural & Organic Food Show; and Artisan Food & Drink Show.

Lunch! gives the fine food and drink sector an opportunity for premium and artisan products to reach the broader sector, including retail, foodservice, cafés and hospitality— and we were excited to be part of it! Plus, we got to sample the new products, emerging trends and innovations that were all on show.

Lunch North! 2026—lunch! 2026’s northern counterpart—will be returning 10th-17th March 2027, and we’re already looking forward to what it has in store. The North-based food-to-go, café and coffee shop event will bring together those from the shop, deli, contract caterer, wholesaler, supermarket and travel caterer markets to showcase the latest brands and products in the space.

Great British Food Awards

On 6th October, a special ceremony was held in London to mark the Great British Food Awards. The event welcomed the people behind the country’s leading food and drink brands. Here, we revealed the regional and grand champions of this year’s awards. “What a great afternoon celebrating British Food & Drink!” Jess shared.

The Great British Food Awards celebrates the very best of food and drink produced in Britain, recognising high-quality products and the independent producers, farmers, makers and artisans behind them.

The awards help shine a spotlight on British brands, encourage high standards and innovation, and give consumers and buyers greater visibility into distinctive, locally produced food and drink. The event also provides a great opportunity to network, identify new products and emerging names in the British food and drink industry.

Watch this space, as the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners of this year’s awards will be officially announced on 30th October 2026.

Thetford Garden Centre

The Speciality Food team visited Thetford Garden Centre, an independent, family-run destination in Norfolk. Alongside its extensive garden and lifestyle products, the centre has a strong food and hospitality proposition, focusing on locally sourced, seasonal food, its award-winning Lime Kiln restaurant, in-house bakery, and an expanding food department.

With local suppliers and fellow B corporations at the core of the centre’s approach, it shows an interesting example of how food can become an integral part of the wider food and drink retail experience.

What’s coming up?

Bellavita Expo

Bellavita Expo 2026 is coming to London on the 18th-19th November 2026, showcasing a broad range of Italian and Mediterranean food, wine and drink brands. There will be an extensive range of products on offer, from speciality foods and wine to coffee, oils, pasta and other premium Italian products.

The premier B2B trade show, in partnership with TuttoFood Milano and Cibus Parma, will bring together more than 300 exhibiting brands and over 10,000 visitors from 43 countries over two days. Masterclasses, seminars, live cooking/competitions and tastings will all take place, giving a glimpse into the latest products and exciting goings-on in the space.

Innovators from the food, wine, speciality drinks, fresh produce, kitchen equipment, pizza/bakery tech, and HoReCa (Hotel, Restaurant, Café) solutions will all be in attendance. Showcasing technology and trends, this year’s event is expected to place a strong focus on tech across sectors, including AI-driven ordering, delivery systems, management software and digitalisation.

A taste of Japan

Our print editor, Holly Shackleton, is off to a Japanese fermentation event in Hackney this October. “It should be pretty fun, with demonstrations and tastings and incredible Japanese chefs,” Holly shared.

Discovering, tasting and learning about new ingredients, flavours and trends is a huge part of what the Speciality Food team love to get up to in their spare time—as well as, of course, writing about them. “Fermentation and Asian food are massive trends so looking forward to seeing how they collide,” said Holly.

“I love both fermented foods and Asian cuisine so I’m excited to discover what’s sure to be a new favourite food, plus demonstrations will hopefully allow me to recreate at home,” Holly shared. We’re looking forward to seeing some pictures of those at-home Japanese creations!

Get the lowdown on the latest food and drink news

Our October issue lands soon, and it is packed full of features. Expect to read up on Christmas cheese; Christmas drinks, chutneys and pickles; and Christmas trends, cakes and puddings—it is nearly the festive season after all! Find out all about Southern US and Mexican cuisine too, in this issue’s trend watch. Get ready to grab your digital copy soon!

We’re also publishing our Confectionery and Chocolate Buyer this month, giving you the latest on ingredients, insights and innovations hitting the sweet sector.

Affordable indulgence, inclusive products such as free-from and vegan, and innovative flavours and formats are just some of the latest developments we’re delving into.

And, as the new year is just around the corner, we’re excited to share a glimpse of the big trends we’ll be talking about in the fine food and drink industry throughout 2027. We’re now working on Speciality Food’s November/December issue and looking for product submissions for Stock Check 2027, so get in touch.

How to contact us

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