Can you believe it? It has been ten years since Deliveroo arrived in our lives, transforming our takeaway options from pizzas and kebabs to run the length and breadth of Manchester’s restaurant scene.
A decade ago, the idea of being able to order a meal from your favourite restaurant to your door seemed like a real curveball. To be honest, It just wasn’t done – but now it seems like the most normal thing ever.
So, come 2040, will we all be as accepting of VR dinner parties, 3D printed meal plans and breath prints? Experts working for Deliveroo certainly seem to think so.
The Delivery giant has published a unique look into the future of food, and released its Snack To The Future report to mark its 10th anniversary.
Bringing together leading futurists and experts from the worlds of food, science, technology and innovation, the report offers a forward-looking view of how the nation will be eating by 2040 and how our dinner tables are set to revolutionise.
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Image: Supplied
Research commissioned by Deliveroo has revealed that in the next ten years, you’ll be able to virtually smell and taste your takeaway before choosing your order, amongst other things.
The report from Deliveroo and guest experts including Georgie Barrat (Technology Journalist and TV Presenter on The Gadget Show) and Tom Cheesewright (applied Futurist), reveals key predictions and technological advancements by 2040 that are set to rock consumers’ worlds.
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These include breath-prints, me-ganism Diets, foodgasms, edible beauty, 3D printed meal plans, VR dinner parties and restorative restaurants by 2040, as well as ‘wine cordials’ that will mimic the flavour of alcohol and personal AI diet planning assistants.
Dystopian? A little.
Image: Supplied
Deliveroo’s new report outlines exactly what these terms mean and how experts think they will manifest in the next decade. Keep reading to find out the key points made by experts.
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What is in Deliveroo’s Snack to the Future report?
o BREATH-PRINTS: Find out how breath-prints will make our future food decisions for us. Expect personal tech devices to be enabled with BreathTech, meaning you can breathe on your device and get a deep level of insight into what foods you should be eating to have optimal impact on your individual health and wellbeing
o ME-GANSIM: Move over Keto, the predicted next big thing in dieting and set to be the mainstream diet of the future, is the Me-gan diet (Me-ganism); a hyper-personalised diet which is fully bespoke to your individual nutritional needs, powered by AI technology
o PERSONAL AIs: Underpinning the Me-gan diet and lifestyle, AI technology will offer you your own personal AI (a life long AI buddy) which will help automate and tailor what you are eating based on preferences and needs at any given time
o FOODGASMS: Food that makes you feel… food delivery services will be using additional digital audio and visual content to elevate the meal enjoyment experience, so much so that it could take food pleasure to the next level with ‘foodgasms’ (braingasms via what you eat)
o EDIBLE BEAUTY: Get ready to see the food and beauty industry become more integrated than ever with a rise in edible beauty products like anti-aging ice-cream and the chance to dine from hormone-balancing and dopamine driving menus
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o 3D PRINTED MEAL PLANS: From packed lunches to printed lunches, food prep is about to become a lot easier with advances in 3D printing technology helping you create perfectly portioned and nutritionally balanced meals, of your choice, at home
o VR DINNER PARTIES: Dine with celebrities, royals and late loved ones in your favourite holiday destination, or recreate food moments from famous movies thanks to VR technology, which will simulate dining experiences from the comfort of your home – think: enjoying a delightful breakfast at Tiffany’s, while you’re tucking into a bacon sandwich on the sofa
o FAREWELL FUSSY EATERS: Thanks to VR and AR technology, your brains could be tricked into thinking you are eating something you are not, for example, if you are a fussy eater who doesn’t want to eat vegetables, you could put on smart glasses and think you are eating chocolate or sweets
o RESTORATIVE RESTAURANTS: New restaurant concepts will remove outside world distractions, with personal tech devices banned at entry and a rise in the popularity of silent cafés and restaurants, ONLY offering tables for one to encourage mindful eating
o PASS THE AMARANTH: Whole grain staples, such as corn or maize, are about to look very different with alternatives such as amaranth, fonio, sorghum, teff, khorasan, einkorn and emmer, all likely to be mainstream in 2040
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o ALT-OHOL: As the nation increasingly seeks alcohol alternatives, we can expect to see a rise in popularity of ‘wine’ cordials that mimic the taste and flavour profile of real wine, without the negatives
Speaking on the report and the predictions for the future of food Will Shu, Founder and CEO of Deliveroo, said: “I started Deliveroo in 2013 with a mission to connect people to the best quality food from local restaurants and deliver it directly to people’s doors.
“It has been an incredible ride over the past ten years and I am really proud of what we have built.
“As we look towards the next decade and beyond, Deliveroo will continue to create exciting new innovations in food delivery, build new and better consumer experiences and take Deliveroo beyond functionality and convenience to really capture the passion and emotion of food.”
Featured image – Supplied
Eats
Inside Manchester’s newest Italian restaurant serving 70-year-old Calabrian recipes
Clementine Hall
A new restaurant inspired by Calabrese cooking has opened its doors in Manchester city centre.
Sometimes only a steaming hot bowl of homemade pasta will do, and you’ll find it at the new Pranzo Italian in abundance.
Located on King Street, slap bang in the centre of town, this light-drenched restaurant is set to become your go-to for authentic Italian cuisine.
Born in West Yorkshire, they opened their first restaurant in the spa town of Ilkley back in 2018 before quickly opening another location in Harrogate after Pranzo became inundated with hungry customers.
Images: The Manc
Fast forward to now, they have another site in York and now luckily for us, here in Manchester.
Inspired by founder Marco’s Italian heritage and his Nonna’s traditional Calabrese cooking, every single thing you’re served here is homemade.
From the fresh pasta and the rich sauces to the fluffy focaccia used to mop up said sauces, and not to forget the cherry gin used in the standout Sour Cherry Negroni.
Dishes here are as traditional and authentic as they get, using 70-year-old recipes that Marco learnt from his Nonna (who you’ll spot in old pictures proudly hung up around the restaurant).
Images: The Manc
On our visit, after indulging in couple of cocktails at the bar we kicked things off with a couple antipasti, because it really would be rude not to.
The arancino picante was a real standout, stuffed with spicy fennel sausage, smoked provola cheese and served on a bed of nduja cream.
This had everything you wanted in an arancini, crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside and served piping hot.
We recommend ordering the focaccia el aglio alongside it to dunk into the smoky nduja cream, a genius move if you ask us.
Images: The Manc
Now, onto the mains.
We ordered three of Pranzo’s specialist pastas and every single one was cooked to perfection. If you’re a fan of proper al dente pasta then trust us, you’re going to love this place.
The ragù di manzo features fresh mafalde pasta in a deeply savoury 4-hour beef shin sauce, and they definitely don’t skimp on the meat.
Showered in parmesan at the table, it’s a favourite on the menu for a reason. The reason? It’s nothing short of delicious.
Images: The Manc
We don’t know about you, but if burrata is on the menu then we’re ordering it with zero hestitation.
A lot of the pastas on the menu give you the choice of plonking a burrata on top, and we went for the nduja è salsiccia piccante.
The sauce is decadent and fiery, combining nduja with spicy fennel sausage, spinach and cream. The addition of the creamy burrata was another genius move, balancing out the spice perfectly.
Last but not least, and a personal favourite, was the scoglio seafood pasta.
This wasn’t just some pasta topped with a couple of prawns, this was absolutely packed full of juicy tiger prawns, mussels and squid – all perfectly cooked and tossed with garlic and cherry tomatoes in a silky sauce.
The recipe used for this one hasn’t changed in 70 years, and we’re glad that it hasn’t.
Images: The Manc
Elsewhere on the menu you’ll find seasonal specials such as your classic caesar salad and pan fried fish, as well as a selection of pizzas.
Of course it wouldn’t be an Italian feast without a tiramisu and this one hits all the right spots.
Indulgent with a punchy coffee flavour and almost cloud-like in texture, that’s a winning dessert if we’ve ever seen one.
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The space, set across two floors, is light and airy whilst the service is top notch. But don’t just take our word for it, find out more about Pranzo and book your table here.
‘Do not let Britain’s independent businesses disappear on your watch’ – Manchester bakery makes heartbreaking plea to Andy Burnham
Clementine Hall
A beloved Manchester bakery has issued an open letter to Andy Burnham ahead of the Budget begging him for help.
Barbakan Deli in Chorlton is basically an institution at this point.
The legendary bakery and delicatessen has been serving the community for 62 years, famed for its freshly-baked loaves of bread, its handmade sandwiches, and its pastries and cakes inspired by bakes from across Europe.
Posting on Instagram last night on Thursday 18 September, Frankie Dyer the director of Barbakan, issued an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Images: The Manc Group
It read: “Dear Mr Burnham, As an independent business owner in the hospitality sector, I am begging you to please read this.
“Really read it. And seriously consider what businesses like mine are telling you before the upcoming Budget.”
It continued: “In just the last two years, we have self-funded new bakery machinery, new catering kitchens, essential repairs and renovations and opened a second retail site, creating another six local jobs. We have won more than ten national awards for the quality of what we do.
“We have invested. We have grown. We have employed more people. We have worked harder than ever. In short, Prime Minister, we are doing everything you keep asking British businesses to do.
“And our bank balance is finished. That is the reality.”
The letter finished by Dyer inviting Andy Burnham to come visit the bakery and pleading for a ‘fighting chance’ to save the business: “We need action. We need meaningful reductions in the tax burden placed on employers.
“We need Employer National Insurance looked at urgently. We need a business-rates system which allows independent high-street businesses to survive. We need VAT reform for hospitality. We need Corporation Tax to reward businesses which reinvest, employ and grow.
“And we need proper grants and incentives that help established independent businesses invest and expand — not schemes with endless criteria which most ordinary businesses can never access. We need you to do something.
“And we need more than one token gesture in the Budget. A band-aid for a bullet wound. So I am asking you, Prime Minister, to come back to Manchester and see it for yourself. Pop an apron on and stand behind our counter.
Images: The Manc Group
“Come into our bakery in the middle of the night and meet the people making Manchester’s bread while most of the city is asleep. Look at our payroll, our energy bills, our rates, our supplier increases.
“Look at what leaves our bank account every single week simply for the privilege of keeping 50 people employed and our doors open. You said you wanted a government that understood the regions. You now have an opportunity to prove it.
“Independent businesses across this country are not asking for a handout. We are asking for a fighting chance. I sincerely hope your next Budget gives us one”.
Georgina Pellant -
28th June 2023 
