Just Eat reveals the UK’s top food habits for 2022

20 December - Just Eat has today revealed the nation's favourite dishes, grocery items and big food moments as part of its 2022 End of Year Wrap.  

The data, produced by Just Eat, found that customers have been keen to broaden their palates with sales for Mexican, Greek and African food up from last year. There has also been a hunt for healthier foods, as the search volume for smoothies and soups increased by 83 per cent, sushi by 50 per cent and salads by 49 per cent. 

The traditional working lunch is also getting a rebrand, with British, American, Mediterranean and Japanese topping the list, according to Just Eat for Business.

However, the UK remains a nation of potato lovers, with chips leading the way as the most popular takeaway side order of 2022.

Let’s dive into this year's tasty food trends…

Brunch’in: The insights show that alongside the traditional weekend night in, Brits are thinking outside the takeaway box when it comes to their ordering habits. Breakfast is the fastest growing time of day for ordering food from the platform in 2022, despite more Brits returning to the office. In the last year, Just Eat has sold enough hash browns to fill nearly four football pitches.

Veganuary: Brits started off January with a 15 per cent increase in orders of vegan dishes. Just Eat for Business also found that workers are looking for more meat-alternative lunches, with the total vegan and vegetarian orders tripling in 2022. This means that almost a quarter of total orders on Just Eat for Business are now vegan and vegetarian.

Football x Food: Over half a million orders were made during the World Cup England Vs France match, the Champions League and the Women’s Euro’s Final this year. For each match, around 2,000 orders were made per minute at peak time around 6-7pm.

Groceries on the go: Households in more than 70 per cent of the UK have access to thousands of grocery products across a range of grocery stores via the Just Eat app, with the most popular items being the most essential. This includes eggs, bread and milk with milk being the most popular item for consumers, with enough pints sold in the last six months via Just Eat for the average Brit to make more than 50 million cups of tea.

Deliveries across the UK: As the market leaders in food delivery, Just Eat covers 97 per cent of UK postcodes. Geographically, the most northern order of 2022 was in the fishing town of Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland and the most southern order in the port town of Penzance in Cornwall, England.

But first…coffee?: More customers are using Just Eat to order in from their local coffee shop than ever before, with Lattes being the most ordered breakfast item. London, Edinburgh and Glasgow are the biggest coffee lovers, with it being the number one growing category in terms of orders.

Pizza anyone?: From a classic margarita to a more controversial ham and pineapple, pizza continues to dominate the UK. Pizza restaurants top the charts with the highest number of restaurants in the UK, with 19,000 across 108 cities we operate in. During 2022, Just Eat sold enough Pizzas, when stacked, to reach the height of 9,500 Leaning Tower of Pisas.

As the UK’s leading food delivery company, Just Eat delivers from over 68,000 partners across the UK, whether it’s marking sporting triumphs, trying out the latest food trends or doing their weekly grocery shop, Just Eat is for everyone.