Hugh Thomas writes about food, beer, and sustainable farming for magazines and blogs, sometimes consulting on similar matters. He’s contributed to Time Out, Ferment, Great British Chefs, Zagat, and many more besides. hughlthomas.com

“I’m an old schmuck. I don’t know about Zoom, I’d rather have a face-to-face conversation.” Off and on, from his childhood to his passing, 

 at legendary East London café E. Pellicci. The COVID-19 crisis and ensuing lockdown in the UK re-emphasised his fondness for his local, even when the sustenance was secondary. “When it reopened, boy, I realised how much I’d missed it,” he told 

 in September 2020. “I don’t call this a caff – for me it’s a social club.”

Beans on toast, pub fry-ups, or a Greggs commute croissant – like so much else in everyday life, the pandemic shook up what Britons have for breakfast. The dishes they’ve craved and the spaces in which they’ve been able to enjoy them have adapted, in some cases for the foreseeable future. Some breakfast joints, for example, have pivoted to delivery for the first time, with 

 doling out American-style pancakes and ‘Have the Lot’ fry-ups to Londoners’ doorsteps. New lifestyles have also impacted the morning meal. According to Waitrose’s 2021 Food and Drink report, cooking is the ‘new commute’ as lockdowns have increased most people’s time at home, freeing up opportunities for creative, nostalgic, or comforting ways to fill the gap. The fact that sales of eggs rose by 22% in 2020 hints at this shift, with Waitrose noting that viral TikTok videos of the ‘Tornado Omelette’ have encouraged Britons to experiment with the versatile ingredient. 

The shift to at-home consumption has had wider consequences. Coffee shop chains that usually rely on time-pressed, on-the-move consumers have been contending with a state of irrelevance. Even McDonald’s has been struggling, with RJ Hottovy, a consumer strategist at Morningstar, reporting that the fast food giant normally makes a third of its sales over breakfast. 

Yet convenient options could still endure as some people’s lifestyles remain as hectic as ever, despite the economic slowdown. According to GlobalData research published in August 2020, 23% of people have bought more bakery and cereal items to eat for breakfast since the pandemic began. 

 So, what do Britons want to eat in the morning? And how are they making up for the absence of cafés in their daily routines while working from home?

Could COVID-19 mark the beginning of the end for the daily commute? With offices virtually bare across Britain’s cities, the pandemic has brought that question into centre focus. A survey conducted by researchers at Cardiff University and the University of Southampton revealed that 88% of people who’d been working from home during the lockdown wanted to continue doing so at least some of the time post-pandemic. 

 A separate study from Owl Labs found that 45% would even go as far as taking a pay cut if it meant they could keep working from home. 

As they don’t have to worry about the commute, many people are starting their day later than usual. Those who opted for a morning meal during the first UK lockdown were 40% less likely to eat before 8am. 

 And given that many workforces are unlikely to return to offices in a significant number in 2021 – Facebook, for instance, doesn’t anticipate a return until July – let alone have an appetite for doing so, late breakfasts may stick around for a while. 

 Brunch may also become more common – between March and June 2020, Britons made weekend brunches at home on an extra 60 million occasions compared to 2019. 

Certainly, the cooked breakfast is coming more into play. Fry-ups, which were often reserved for the weekend pre-pandemic, are now back on the daily menu. Figures from Kantar point out that over the 12 weeks to the 14th of June 2020, Britons tucked into bacon and/or eggs for breakfast an extra 82 million times compared to the same period in 2019. Additionally, the number of breakfasts cooked at home almost doubled year-on-year, while other foods associated with the morning meal – croissants and pastries, for example – featured in 25% more occasions. 

The effort that once went to waking up and commuting is being redirected

On-the-go breakfast foods have been among the most significant food-related casualties of the pandemic. As consumers actively looked to slow down their lifestyles, drinkable yoghurts, breakfast biscuits, and cereal bars fell out of favour, often replaced by more traditional or heartier options. “We’re likely to see hot breakfast ingredients, professional-grade coffee machines, and baking mixes play a more prominent role in the breakfast occasion,” says Katrina Diamonon, a principal analyst at GlobalData. 

Convenience, therefore, could begin to mean something slightly different. In a similar vein to E. Pellicci’s pivot, Manchester-based institution The Koffee Pot is delivering 

 to locals. In the Birmingham area, meanwhile, The Plough’s Full English via Deliveroo hit the sweet spot with locals who were undeterred by neither the potential of soggy toast nor the £14 price tag. The pub’s owner, Adam Johnson, instigated a bit of hype with the help of social media influencers and a discount on the delivery platform. He claims that it’s worked so well that he expects to continue delivering fried breakfasts post-lockdown: “I think if we can perfect the packaging and delivery, it may be what people want.” 

Amid economic and political uncertainty, the pandemic has created a longing for dishes like the classic fry-up. In a similar vein, the uptick in demand for peanut butter – which featured in 46% more breakfast occasions year-on-year in the 12 weeks to June 2020 – prompted brands such as Snickers, M&M’s, Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut, and KP to release new products in this space. 

 “Comfort and nostalgia are back,” said Martyn Lee, the executive chef at Waitrose, to 

, adding that food has also played an important role in bringing people together. 

 Indeed, a survey conducted in April 2020 revealed that 19% of Britons were sitting down to have more meals together. 

With urban traffic sharply down, brands are reaching out to the suburbs

Which appetites are fleeting – and what will persist?

Across almost every industry, businesses are asking themselves which pandemic-era trends will stick for the long term. Cooking from scratch may be one contender, especially if employers learn from the lockdown period and facilitate remote working going forwards. According to Waitrose, 74% of Britons working from home say that cooking provides a welcome interlude between ‘home time’ and ‘work time’. 

 Research conducted in April 2020 backs up this idea, with 89% of those surveyed saying they planned to keep cooking after lockdown restrictions were lifted. 

 Around the same time, John Lewis recorded a 6% jump in sales of teapots and mugs, while many egg cup ranges sold out and demand for juice glasses surged by up to 44%, demonstrating the value people were placing in breakfast equipment. 

“2020 has certainly seen us spending a lot more time at home, and sales indicate a lot more time in the kitchen too,” says Wendy Miranda, a customer ambassador at kitchenware retailer Lakeland. “Having a quick look at sales of breakfast items, we’ve seen an 18% increase in LocknLock Bacon Box sales [in the] year-to-date, and an 11% sales increase of our Lakeland Egg Poaching pan. This trend of cooking from scratch is reflected across our complete range of cooking and baking products.” 

The pandemic has also failed to dent many Britons’ affection for coffee. After the announcement of the second national lockdown in November 2020, AO.com claimed that sales of coffee machines in England shot up by 412% as consumers looked to elevate their java game from home. 

 Kerttu Inkeroinen, the marketing and e-commerce director at Union Hand-Roasted Coffee, has seen the effects of this first-hand. “Coffee equipment sales have rocketed and most suppliers are not able to fulfil the demand – grinders, coffee makers, and so on are constantly out of stock,” she explains. “We’ve also seen a huge surge in demand for people shopping for our coffee online, with four-fold uplifts since the start of the year. Anecdotally, we have lovely messages from people saying that having that cup of coffee at home reminds them of normality and is a comforting break to have in their working-from-home day.” 

People are investing in their kitchens to upgrade their mealtimes

With 30% of 35- to 44-year-olds and 26% of those aged 25-34 saying that breakfast is likely to be their healthiest meal of the day, brands in this segment may want to emphasise the nutritional value of their products in advertising and on product labels. However, different age groups prioritise different nutrients – 56% of over-65s say that protein content is important when picking between breakfast options, compared to just 31% of 16- to 24-year-olds. Additionally, just a fifth of 45- to 64-year-olds say that protein content is important, with that proportion rising to 41% among Britons aged 24-34. 

 Yet despite this preference for protein, many Gen Yers and Zers aren’t opting for fry-ups. One in five people under the age of 30 has never had a Full English and 24% say it’s ‘too greasy’. Instead, 71% say they’d prefer smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, avocado on toast, or oatmeal pancakes. 

 is hoping to accommodate these health-conscious consumers by offering high-protein, low-carb cereals.

Despite the increase in cooking from scratch, convenience may endure. Cereals, in particular, remain popular, with the number of people eating them for breakfast rising by 10% year-on-year in April 2020. 

 And though it’s not at the top of everyone’s mind while confined at home, the social aspect of going out for breakfast or brunch will inevitably take over when things settle down. Coming out of Britain’s first lockdown, 23% of under-35s said they were looking forward to eating brunch with friends as the hospitality sector reopened. 

 Meanwhile, in terms of eating out, 29% of people say they’ve missed going out for brunch the most. 

Food outlets are starting to think about uprooting from city centres to better serve suburbia, as demonstrated by Koya exploring cooking sites in residential parts in London and Northern pizza powerhouse Rudy’s opening its first restaurant in the suburbs of Greater Manchester. 

 The outskirts of urban hubs have flourished throughout lockdown and experts suggest that locations such as Manchester, London, and Birmingham may risk becoming ‘doughnut cities’ where attractions end up in the suburbs as the appeal of the centre hollows out. 

 Some Britons are already shifting their working and dining habits to make the most of their locales, setting up ‘pub desks’ to separate their home and work lives. In turn, some pubs have introduced a tariff for table bookings with tea and coffee included. 

 And with past research finding that 67% of Britons think it’s important for pubs to have breakfast options on their menu, it might not just be a cosy office space they’re looking for. 

Wendy Miranda is a customer ambassador at kitchenware retailer Lakeland.

Kerttu Inkeroinen is Union Hand-Roasted Coffee’s marketing and e-commerce director. Previously, she was brand manager for Coca-Cola’s GB arm.

Adam Johnson is the director of Chew Hospitality Consultancy and owner of The Plough pub in Birmingham.

United Kingdom

Eating and Drinking

Time Out

Waitrose

Marketplace

Just-Food

Evening Standard

Verdict

Grocery Trader

BBC News

The Grocer

Interview with Adam Johnson conducted by the author

The Guardian

John Lewis Partnership

The Independent

Interview with Wendy Miranda conducted by the author

Daily Record

Interview with Kerttu Inkeroinen conducted by the author

The Telegraph

Eater

Manchester Evening News

The Conversation

The Morning Advertiser

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