Stephen Jardine: Get back to the kitchen in 2012

NEWSNIGHT presenter Kirsty Wark recently asked me what have been my food and drink highlights of 2011.

Setting aside her calves liver with Swiss chard on Celebrity Masterchef, the honest answer is: ‘I’m spoiled for choice.’ It was a bumper year with further rises in food and drink sales, some impressive new restaurant openings and more awards for Scotland, culminating in three new Michelin stars.

So as we prepare the Black Bun for tonight, what lies ahead in 2012? With no guarantees in these uncertain times, here come my food and drink predictions for the next 12 months.

With more people with more time on their hands thanks to rising unemployment, the kitchen will become an increasingly important place. The tide is turning away from convenience and back to make it yourself. This month proved the point with Waitrose selling not Delia’s Christmas Cake but the ingredients to make Delia’s Christmas Cake.

Scotland gets a new cook school in March and existing venues will also be busy as people seek the skills to make meals that don’t just need 30 seconds in the microwave. The head chef at Cook School Scotland, Phil Lewis, believes this could be one of their busiest years.

This year saw a big development with Whole Foods Market opening in Scotland. I suspect they will spread quickly. With Earthy Food Market expanding in Edinburgh and farm shops on the increase all over the country, good ingredients for home cooking will be more available than ever before.

Eating out is also going through a period of change. Pop up restaurants were last year’s big craze, giving a twist to the dining out experience. Next year the idea will develop further. Clandestine home supper clubs have also burgeoned in Scotland in the last 12 months. Expect them to go specialist in 2012 with other eating cultures taking the chance to feed us in their homes.

Street food was London’s big sensation in 2011. Next year it will hit here with our late night fish suppers supplemented by funky vans selling gourmet burgers, hog roasts and stir frys. This column can also exclusively reveal Gordon Ramsay has again been looking at Scotland for a restaurant opportunity. Watch this space.

In terms of what we eat, local and seasonal will continue to rule. In these tough economic times, it makes absolute sense to use produce that is fresh and from just around the corner instead of the other side of the globe. We’re lucky. According to the UN, tomorrow, a billion people will wake up without enough food to lead a healthy, active life.

So as we see out the old year and bring in the new, spare a thought for those less fortunate in the food and drink stakes. We live in a land of plenty with some of the best produce in the world. That’s something to celebrate today and every day. Happy New Year.