Waitrose executive director James Bailey has said “food inflation has changed not only how people shop, but also how they cook and eat”.

According to its Food and Drink report 2023-24, price-conscious customers have been searching for the best value, switching more to own-label, buying bigger pack sizes and looking to the premium grocer’s promotions to ease their bills.

A third of survey respondents told the business they’re regularly eating classic dishes such as shepherd’s pie and macaroni cheese.

“They’ve been simplifying their meal choices and becoming a little less adventurous, choosing familiar foods and recipes they find comforting. Chicken Kyiv and beer battered fish are the most popular dishes in our Dine In Meal Deal,” said Bailey.

The report showed that sales of potato side dishes are up 19%, with triple cooked chips and potato dauphinoise the most sought after.

Everyday frozen sides have also surged in popularity, with sales of essential french fries up 80% and essential crinkle cut chips up 34%. Sales of Waitrose Essential Pork Sausages, are also up 34% on last year.

Waitrose said it “even found solace in these foods during the wet summer” when sales of ready-made roast potatoes and yorkshire puddings were up 47% and 39% respectively.

Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning 

The retailer’s report also highlighted that sales of no or low-alcohol beer, cider, wines and spirits are up 23%, adding that “demand is continuing to grow”.

One in 20 survey respondents (5%) told Waitrose they had their first ‘non-alcoholic drink’ this year.

With Christmas and the New Year approaching, around one in seven (15%)  said they intend to drink less alcohol’ with health being the main driver, and 25% will do it to save money – with only 6% trying to avoid a hangover.

Master of wine and head of trading for beers, wines, spirits & soft drinks Pierpaolo Petrassi said: “The rise of no and low, lighter reds, ice in wine, cocktails in cans… this year we’ve been ripping up the alcohol rulebook and discovering a new freedom in choosing what we want to drink and when.”

Canned cocktails have been a star performer, with 40% of shoppers buying the product for the first time in the past six months.

Rum and tequila-based cocktails have seen a combined growth of 84%.

The report is based on analysis of shopping trends, millions of product sales, and a survey of 2,000 adults in the UK.

Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter