Food & drink trends 2026 in Sussex

Sushi tacos at Mixto by Tropical Sushi

Nick Mosley dusts of his culinary crystal ball to predict food and drink trends in Sussex for 2026.

Pacific rim cuisine

This is a trend that just won’t go away and for good reason because its absolutely delicious, varied and pretty healthy too. The kitchens of countries that border the Pacific ocean have taken the world by storm in recent years and in doing so they’ve not only championed their national dishes but also mashed things up with their long-distance coastal neighbours.

This fusion cuisine combines influences from South East Asia, Japan, Korea, the Polynesian islands, California, Mexico, Peru and Chile. Led by fresh fish and seafood, vegetables and tropical fruits alongside punchy herbs, citrus, ginger and soy, Pacific rim dishes are probably most typified in the now ubiquitous Hawaiian poke bowl that can be found on every UK high street but can also be savoured in fusion dishes on restaurant menus such as Californian miso-glazed black cod, chilli-packed Korean fried chicken, Japanese chicken katsu burgers and Mexican tempura fish tacos.

In Brighton, head to Mixto by Tropical Sushi on Western Road (www.mixto.co.uk) or O’Shio on Trafalgar Street (www.oshio.co.uk) for the best examples of this cuisine in town.

One ingredient corn flakes as M&S

Clean eating… and labelling

With many of us becoming increasingly concerned about the growing list of additives and preservatives on the labels of our food, supermarkets have been slowly but surely introducing new ranges of products with fewer ingredients.

Ultra-processed foods are now included in most of our daily diets however many of the ingredients in them won’t be the raw ingredients found in your kitchen cupboard. Emulsifiers, modified starches, stabilisers, hydrogenated fats… none of them sound tasty when you read the words.

As most of us conveniently rely on our local supermarkets for food, we are somewhat beholden to the big brands so if you don’t cook from scratch then check labels. More supermarkets are introducing ranges with minimal additives so keep an eye out whether you’re in Lidl or M&S.

Kindling on East Street (credit Ellen Richardson)

Meat on the street

Undoubtably more of us are eating more plant-based meals at home than ever before. However a clearly growing restaurant dining trend – particularly in the ‘fast casual’ bracket – is chicken and beef. We’ve been enjoying a cheeky Nando’s peri-peri chicken for years but premium burger and steak restaurants are now ten-to-the-dozen on our high streets.

In Brighton, check out Honest Burgers on Ship Street (www.honestburgers.co.uk), the very impressive Flat Iron, also on Ship Street (www.flatironsteak.co.uk) and – my personal favourite – Kindling on East Street (www.kindlingrestaurant.com) for great value meat munching.

Add-ons? Or bad-ons?

Being charged for side dishes that should be in integral part of the plate I’ve ordered is a personal bête noire. If I order fish then I expect chips… you get the idea. Although restaurants clearly need to increase their margins wherever they can, charging for sauces or a simple side salad is a bridge too far for me. When I order a main course for £25, I expect it to be a meal rather than being charged another £5 for vegetables and then yet another £5 for spuds. Unfortunately, I think we’ll be seeing more of this in 2026.

Laurie MacDonald of The Archives (credit Honking Elephant)

One unit drinking

We’re all increasingly conscious of our alcohol consumption but – lets face it – some 0% cocktails are somewhat lacking in taste and body. More bars are now offering a one unit option so you can still enjoy a quantifiable measure of your favourite spirit and be completely in control of what’s in your glass. One unit is a legally defined measure of spirit – in the UK that’s 25ml of 40% alcohol by volume – equating to a typical small glass of wine or half pint of beer. By choosing a one unit cocktail you stay in control of what you’re consuming whilst also having an elevated experience: its a win-win.

At the fore in Brighton is The Archives on North Road (www.thearchivesbrighton.com) who offer 0%, one unit and regular cocktails with the same flavour profile.

Rampion offshore wind farm is supporting the local marine ecosystem

Wind farm eco benefits

There will always be differences of opinion when it comes to conversations around off-shore wind farms but on the whole the Rampion installation off the coast of Brighton hasn’t caused any major waves and its certainly helped our little part of the world on the journey to net zero.

Sustainable energy aside, the wind farm has also created a zone where native sea life can thrive. Small boats can still fish in the area but trawlers can’t so marine life is thriving. With the addition of an exploratory man-made reef around the bottom of one of the turbines, lets all keep an eye on how sustainable energy and the management of Sussex’s coastal eco-system can work hand in glove to power our homes and business whilst also regenerating our sea.

Find out more about the Rampion wind farm at their free to enter visitor information centre alongside the Brighton i360 (www.rampionoffshore.com).

Retro goes metro

A reinvigorated trend for comfort food started during the Covid lockdown period and its not seeing any sign of slowing down. Communal Sunday roasts are undoubtably back on the table but also bangers and mash and – joy of joys – 70’s style prawn cocktail, the latter of which is a classic crowd pleaser. I’m eagerly waiting for a Brighton pub to offer me cheese and pineapple on a stick rather than nuts and olives.

Have you the guts?

I don’t know if its just me but my social feed is overflowing with posts around gut health. When people refer to gut health they usually mean the health and balance of the community of microorganisms living in our digestive tract. A healthy, balanced microbiome – with a diversity of beneficial bacteria – is thought to influence not just digestion, but also immune function, inflammation regulation, mental health, metabolism and even longer-term disease risk.

We’ve all long-known the benefits of yoghurt but in recent years the kombucha and kefir trend has taken hold with flavoured products to be found in the soft drinks aisle of your local supermarket. But also look out for tasty fermented dishes in restaurants such as sauerkraut and kimchi. Check out Soju on Western Road for fantastic, authentic Korean kimchi (www.sojubrighton.com).