As a result of the upward trend, the high-end grocer is anticipating its most successful vegan Christmas period ever.
A spokesperson for Waitrose revealed specific search terms are driving the spike in traffic. Consumers hunting for “vegan roast potatoes” increased by 166%. Meanwhile, enquiries for “vegan panettone” rose by 110% on last year.
To cater to its increasingly vegan-curious and fully plant-based clientele, the supermarket has unveiled its biggest animal-free festive range so far. Included in the 20+ items are Thai Style No Fishcakes and other finger foods. All are part of a multi-buy party food promotion.
In addition to its groceries sector, Waitrose has reported significant interest in vegan options through two of its other channels. The Waitrose Entertaining department, which prepares ready-to-serve foods for customers, has apparently seen orders for meat-free dishes increase by almost half. This figure is expected to rise further before the end of the year.
“I'm thrilled we're now able to provide a vegan option for every course and with vegan and vegetarian Waitrose Entertaining orders up 49% compared to last year, I have no doubt this category will continue to go from strength-to-strength,” said Simona Cohen-Vida-Welsh, the vegan product developer for Waitrose.
Simultaneously, home cooks are looking to Waitrose for vegan inspiration. A rise in the number of people searching for nut wellington and vegan Yorkshire pudding recipes has been observed. The latter alone has seen a 94 percent increase.
Vegan Christmas food at UK supermarkets
Waitrose isn’t the only UK supermarket chain upping its plant-based festive range.
Notably, Asda unveiled its largest-ever plant-based line-up this year, featuring 97 products. As well as traditional items, including roasting joints and Christmas pudding, increasingly inventive recipes have been added. These include non-dairy breaded brie and chocolate truffles.
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