Like many Aussies in London (and just regular 25-year-olds in London), we’re always looking for ways to live large on a small budget. Handy memberships like tastecard help us to do that, by offering 2-4-1 or 50% off at a HUGE range of restaurants around London. From novelty tourist places to swanky hotel restaurants to the always-reliables like Pizza Express, there’s a spot for every craving and mood.
Each year tastecard predict the Taste of the Year by gathering a broad range of data from the restaurant industry, social media, consumer research and food expert insights. In what comes as no surprise to anyone, the Taste of the Year 2020 has just been announced as jackfruit, and we are here for it. This delicious and nutritious tree-borne fruit is sweet like mango or banana when eaten raw, but when cooked, makes a delicious meat alternative.
Unless you’ve been hiding out under a rock the last year (and with the political and environmental state of the world rn, we don’t blame you), you’ve probably come across jackfruit before. When cooked it has a meaty texture and neutral flavour, making it ideal for simmering in sauces or grilling up with all your favourite spices. Just some of the incredible ways we’ve had it is in tacos, bao buns, fishcakes and sliders, and every time it’s so delicious, we don’t miss the meat for one second.
The rise in popularity of jackfruit means you can even purchase it at most major supermarkets now. This makes it easy for you to experiment with this incredible fruit from the comfort of your own home, and is also making it more accessible, affordable and delicious to ditch the meat. We’re two girls who are very partial to a Sunday roast, but knowing how good it is for your health and the environment to opt for plant-based meals, we try and mix it up as much as we can.
To celebrate the Taste of the Year 2020, tastecard have released a limited number of jackfruit-flavoured membership cards. Yes, that is correct, so you can taste your tastecard while loading up on tasty food from one of the 6000+ tasty restaurants available on tastecard. When it was delivered to my office, the guy sitting across from me caught me licking the corner of the card, and much judgement was given until I convinced him to lick it too. We both agreed the card tastes pretty damn delicious.
tastecard’s CMO, Anwar Sultan said: “The jackfruit trend is set to soar in 2020 with the ingredient being favoured for mainstream menus and served on dinner tables across the country. I’m really looking forward to seeing how restaurateurs, chefs and home-cooks experiment and incorporate jackfruit within everyday meals”.
If you’re not already onboard the tastecard trend, you can sign up and get saving in 2020 with a £1 60-day trial. If you’re lucky, you might even score yourself one of the limited-edition jackfruit-flavoured tastecards.
Jackfruit image sourced from tastecard
