Welcome to our 2020 trends report

It’s safe to say that 2020 has been very different to what any of us expected it to be. With the challenges of Covid-19 and lockdowns leading to most of us spending more time in our own homes, our 2020 Lakeland Trends Report explores how this affected our cooking and baking habits.

Our survey polled 3,000 people to discover the impact that cooking, baking and cleaning has on their lives and, along with our own customer insight, our report provides an in-depth look at the state of the nation’s homes.

We’ve explored how lockdown led to many people discovering a new love of baking, the emergence of the well-being trend, the continued rise in demand for eco-friendly products (including Christmas crackers!), and much more.

It’s always fascinating to learn more about what makes us tick and our report explores the hot topics of 2020, as well as taking a peek at what trends we can expect to see in 2021.

More than just a spring clean

The start of a new year signifies a time to think about the annual spring clean for many consumers, but by March 2020 cleaning meant more than just a visibly sparkling home.

Even before lockdown, we were all washing our hands more frequently than normal, and there’s no doubt this was the year hygiene went to the top of everyone’s list. But just how much of our increased vigilance around germs actually influenced our behaviour within our homes?

Whilst the majority of people have either stuck to their usual habits of cleaning as and when needed (42%) or a weekly clean (15%), nearly a quarter (23%) said they’ve cleaned much more over the last

six months than they did before, with a further 8% saying they now clean every day, and try to keep to a daily routine. Despite many of us sticking to our tried and trusted cleaning routines, consumers have actively sought out the right kit for the job, with Lakeland seeing sales in key areas, such as floor cleaning, increase by 33% year on year. Steam cleaning has also seen an increase of nearly 10%, while products that help us deep clean those hardto-reach places, such as the Sonic Scrubber, saw sales increase by 136%!

It’s perhaps not surprising that antibacterial cleaners and wipes have seen sales increase by 76% this

year, but with 20% of those surveyed saying that they now use eco-friendly cleaning products, Lakeland has looked to support the more eco-conscious consumer with greener ways to clean and sanitise too.

One such product is Electrosan, which harnesses the power of just water and salt to kill 99.9999% of germs. Introduced by Lakeland in 2020, it’s an anti-viral skin and surface sanitiser that, despite being bleach and alcohol-free, is 100 times stronger than household bleach and completely harmless to humans, animals and the environment.

And as such elevated levels of cleaning and sanitising have fast become a way of life for most of us in recent months, there’s no doubt that we’ll see more and more new product development in this area in the future.

The products that shaped 2020

Whats hot?

+130% bread making
It’s hard to beat the taste of freshly baked bread, so many of us found the perfect way to pass more time at home by creating delicious homemade loaves in the comfort of our own kitchens – after all, who can resist a warm crusty loaf?

+68% pizza ovens
Life without pizza is simply unthinkable for many of us, so when we couldn’t eat out, we turned to that must-have summer gadget, the home pizza oven, so we could treat  ourselves to authentic, restaurant quality pizzas at home whenever we wanted – mamma mia!

+53% food saving and storage
Spending more time at home saw many customers rediscover a love of cooking and baking, with more and more of us batch cooking and freezing delicious home-made meals. This, along with the desire to prevent fresh ingredients going to waste, led to soaring sales of food storage items.

+25% coffee machines
Grabbing a fresh hot takeaway coffee on your commute has always been a staple of working life, but with so many people working from home this year, that’s no longer a possibility. Customers have been investing in coffee machines so they can enjoy the same quality of coffee at home as they’d previously pick up from a coffee shop.

+46% pasta making
With supermarket shelves being emptied of pasta due to high demand, customers turned to making their own at home, taking advantage of the chance to learn something new and create a delicious meal, while getting the family involved in the fun too. Some pasta-making machines saw sales increase by as much as 249%!

Whats not?

-40% Products for on the go
Whether we’re going to work or school or just enjoying the great outdoors, travel mugs and drinks bottles are usually a popular choice with customers, but with the nation spending more time at home this year, customers have chosen not to add to their existing favourites.

-23% Ironing boards and covers
Everyone likes to be freshly pressed and wrinkle-free when it comes to work and school clothes, but with so many of us working from home, comfy leisurewear has replaced our smart clothes, meaning that many of us are choosing not to spend hours stood at the ironing board.

-32% Baking decorations
Whilst sales of bakeware and parchment have seen huge uplift in 2020, with Lakeland selling enough baking parchment to make over 13 million cakes, customers aren’t looking for fancy finishing touches – enjoying their bakes without the usual toppers and edible decorations.

The need to knead – how 2020 got us making a billion loaves of bread

First it was the loo rolls, next it was the hand gel, and then it was the flour. As lockdown was implemented across the whole of the UK in March, consumer shopping behaviour began to change.

Most of it was not stockpiling – consumers were buying more food from supermarkets because their families were no longer at school or work and they had more meals to cook. And they were doing less frequent, larger shops – that was official government advice.

But there was definitely an element of returning to the basics and wanting to give their families nurturing, comforting food – hence the bread making. Supermarkets first of all ran low on bread flour and then yeast. Stories emerged of people selling yeast on the black market. Then the pictures of sourdough started to flood social media as more and more consumers embraced the simple pleasure of making a loaf from scratch.

But how many loaves of bread were really made during lockdown? Was it a brief fad that kept many of us distracted during April, but we soon abandoned, or was it a new habit that home cooks fell in love with?

In total, 34% of adults said they had baked bread at home in the previous six months, with young people particularly keen: 46% of those aged 25 to 34 said they had embraced bread making.

Bakers made, on average, 2 loaves of bread a week, with some (15%) baking 4 or more loaves each week. This means, in theory, that home cooks in the UK have made up to an astonishing 936 million loaves of bread in their own kitchens during the past six months – very nearly 1 billion cobs, baguettes or farmhouse loaves. And this is very likely to continue. The vast majority of bakers said they intended to continue to make bread, in most cases just as regularly as they had during lockdown. A mere 3% said they would abandon the habit. The keenest bakers are retirees, with 67% of those  over the age of 65 saying they want to carry on making bread just as much as they have in recent months.

Will you continue to bake bread?

52% Yes, the same amount

23% Yes, not quite as often

11% Yes, once a week

11% Yes, just on occasion

3% no

Most home bakers were keen on baking the old-school way, either using yeast and kneading and shaping it themselves (44%), or using a starter to make sourdough (36%). Just 19% said they liked to rely on a bread machine – though that differed widely by age, with 40% of the 65+ age category saying they like the convenience and reliability of a bread machine.

The most keen on making sourdough and using a starter, rather than shop-bought yeast, were the 25 to 34-year-olds, with half of this age group prepared to experiment with the often temperamental, if magical, home-made ingredient.

Home-cooked meals firmly on the menu prevalent on supermarket shelves yes, consumers are increasingly short of time and unwilling to spend all day slaving at a hot stove and, yes, the average time spent cooking every day in Britain is reported to have fallen from

more than an hour in the 1980s to about 34 minutes now. But the huge majority of people still enjoy cooking from scratch on a regular basis – with only a very small minority saying they do not cook something on a weekly basis. If anything, with many Britons locked down in their own homes for months, 2020 reignited an interest in cooking properly, and sharing that food with their immediate family. In 2020, UK adults cooked from scratch on average 4.6 times a week and Lakeland saw sales of products such as their Soup ‘n’ Sauce Bags increase by 115% year on year. The number of adults who said they cooked from scratch every day was 28% – substantially more than last year, while those saying they cooked 5 or 6 times a week increased slightly. The enthusiasm for cooking is spread pretty evenly across the generations, though those aged 25 to 34 are the keenest, with 65% of them saying they cook at least 5 times a week, compared with the overall average of 52%.

On average, how often would you say you cooked a meal for you and your family from scratch?

% CHANGE 2019/2020

Every day +17%

5-6 days a week +4%

3-4 days a week

1-2 days a week -21%

Less Often

Pandemic Pizza – How the ultimate takeaway food became the thing to cook in 2020

Pizza is one of the world’s most popular dishes – the ultimate takeaway food. The perfect grab-and-go meal eaten as far back as Roman times and now a truly global phenomenon, available on street corners around the world from America to Asia.

But something different happened in 2020: people started to cook pizza in their own homes. Not the frozen ones you can reheat from the supermarket. No, they started to make pizzas from scratch, kneading their own dough, stretching it, making their own tomato sauces – and many people were prepared to invest in buying the right kit to ensure their bases were crisp and their toppings seared to perfection.

An amazing 33% of people said they had cooked pizza from scratch (including making their own dough) in the last six months – very nearly the same number who had baked their own bread. Young cooks were particularly keen, with more than half of those under the age of 35 making their own pizzas. Of those who had made their own pizzas, 22% say they have bought their own indoor pizza ovens. A further 12% of pizza makers have invested in an outdoor pizza oven – further proof that people with patios, roof terraces or gardens want this space to become an outdoor room, an extension of their kitchen as much as a place to grow plants.

The craze for making Italy’s famous dish was fuelled, in part, by the emergence of simple, well-designed pizza ovens onto the market. The name that had many foodies salivating was Ooni, a brand based in Scotland which was launched in 2012. Its ovens, many of them small and portable, promise cooks perfect pizzas in as little as 60 seconds, with a guaranteed temperature of 500°C.

In from the cold: the rise of the freezer
It’s hard to imagine these days, but not that long ago Brits hardly ever ate frozen food – except for possibly a seaside ice cream. That’s because hardly any households owned a freezer. Though Birds Eye had launched the frozen fish finger in 1955 to great acclaim, freezers were an expensive luxury and beyond the reach of most consumers until the 1970s.

In 1970 just 4% of UK households had a freezer; by 1978 it had climbed to 41%. It has now hit 98%, and with freezers have come an increasing number of frozen food brands and offerings as well as shops dedicated to selling sub-zero food.

In recent years, as more consumers recognise freezing as one of the best ways to save food waste and guarantee freshness, freezing has become fashionable once again. What’s more, those keen to help the planet can take comfort from the increasing number of reusable containers now available.

Our survey discovered over 27% of people are already using reusable freezer bags as their go-to product for freezing at home.

The freezer’s rehabilitation has also been helped by the plummeting cost of freezers themselves as well as the rise of increasingly gourmet frozen food brands. And, of course, 2020’s lockdown has played a part. Keen to ensure they did not waste ingredients in their larder or food in their fridge, consumers turned to batch cooking and freezing. Of those surveyed, 50% said they’d wasted less food compared to the previous year.

Over the last six months, what have you mostly used your freezer for storing?

Shop-bought ready meals: 34%

Home-made batch-cooked meals: 33%

Shop-bought ice cream and lollies: 11%

Leftovers: 9%

Other: 13%

50 years of home freezing expertise
Batch cooking and freezing meals for the week ahead, bulk buying and freezing fresh produce, home-made ice cream… the freezer has become an invaluable accessory in our kitchens, helping us get prepared and save money. But turn back time to the 1970s, and many people weren’t so sure about how to use their frosty friend… Thankfully, Lakeland were there to help, launching their freezer helpline to answer people’s frozen food queries and publishing Everything About Home Freezing – A Complete Guide For Anyone With A Freezer. To make people’s journey into the world of freezing even easier, they put together their Freezeasy pack – a starter pack with various freezer bags, containers, blanching baskets and how-to guides. They even made a film produced with home economists, sharing essential advice on home freezing – like how to safely freeze different types of food – that local groups like the WI could hire for their meetings. Fast forward 50 years, and Lakeland are still sharing their wealth of freezing expertise with their customers through their emails

and blog, like Customer Ambassador Wendy’s top freezing tips:

To maximise energy consumption, try to keep your freezer full.

To reduce waste, label and date everything so you can use the oldest first.

Don’t waste space with half empty freezer boxes – reusable freezer bags take up far less space as unused parts can be flattened.

Freeze berries in trays – this stops the berries from being squashed. Once they’re frozen, pop them in a box or a bag. As berries can go off very quickly, this is a great way to save money and reduce waste.

Always lay a piece of parchment paper on the top of sauces and ice-cream to prevent crystals forming.

If you have a glut of fruit, like apples, peel, chop and store them in bags in pie-sized portions – I add my cinnamon and sugar before freezing so I can just grab one when I fancy making an apple pie.

When I’m making gravy I always make double and freeze half for a later date – in fact I always double up on any type of stew or casserole and freeze excess for those days I need a quick dinner solution. It’s cheaper too as you can take advantage of supermarket bulk-buy offers.

The kids are alright…
If you read certain newspaper reports, you might think the majority of children believe fish fingers are made from chicken, potatoes grow on trees, and they wouldn’t know one end of a saucepan from another. But this is unfair. According to our research, a huge number of children have embraced cooking and often lend a hand in the kitchen. Helped in part by the huge and long-running success of various children’s cookery shows, many children have taken up spatulas and whisks. Parents were asked if their children had ever undertaken certain household and kitchen tasks. Over half (56%) of children have baked a cake, 55% have baked cookies or biscuits and 55% have made a sandwich – possibly not the most challenging recipe, but it’s a start.

Meanwhile, 30% have cooked a hot meal from scratch and the same amount make their own school packed lunch. Preparing a hot pudding was a bit more of a challenge, with just 18% of parents saying their children had achieved this…. except when it comes to cleaning up!

While lots of kids may love to bake and cook, they seem to be less keen on doing the washing up and other household chores. Parents were asked if their children had done any of the following jobs around the house

28% Cleaned a room other than their own bedroom

24% Washed up without being asked

11% Have done their own washing

8% Have done their own ironing

Britain’s favourite cake
We love eating cake in Britain, but which is our favourite to bake? Did lockdown send us to long-lost recipe books to dig out some childhood favourites? Did all those images of banana bread loaves flooding social media reflect what was really going on inside people’s kitchens? Errr… no. We carried on baking exactly what we were baking before. Nothing can topple a Victoria sponge off its top spot, can it?

2018                  2020

1 Victoria sponge     Victoria sponge

2 Chocolate cake      Chocolate cake

3 Banana bread        Banana bread

4 Cheesecake           Lemon drizzle

5 Lemon drizzle         Carrot cake

6 Carrot cake             Cheesecake

7 Coffee cake             Poundcake

All hail the coffee machine 

Working out to Joe Wicks, feeding the sourdough starter, brewing a cup of coffee – this is how many of us started the day during lockdown. Which may explain why the coffee machine has risen from 6th place in 2018, to 2nd place last year, to claiming the top spot as Britain’s favourite kitchen gadget in 2020. It replaced the microwave, the perfect kitchen appliance for those in a hurry and in need of quick sustenance after a long day at work. But with 2020 dominated by home working, and the rise of cooking from scratch, the wonders of the coffee machine overtook the convenience of the microwave.

Once again the list of those gadgets we like least are the ones that require some serious elbow grease and strong fingers to operate – the old-fashioned peeler and tin opener once again occupy the top two spots.

The Green Revolution is here to stay

We asked last year, after the huge popularity of the BBC’s Blue Planet II, how many consumers had tried to adopt various eco measures as part of their everyday lives. We’ve asked them again, one year on, to see if people are still willing to make various sacrifices to help the planet, or whether some of the measures are just too tricky to incorporate into their daily routines. And the results show conclusively that people aren’t just keen to continue recycling, reusing and reducing – they want to go further. There has been a marked increase in some areas that had been considered a little more niche in the past, such as using reusable wax wrappers rather than cling film and using eco-friendly cleaning products.

The only area where there has been a small drop off is recycling kitchen waste.

But is that because it had registered such a high level last year?

Which of the below have you embraced as part of everyday life?

% change

2019/2020

I use eco-friendly

cleaning products +25%

I use a reusable coffee cup when out and about +20%

I don’t use plastic straws +15%

I actively try to avoid food waste +9%

I use a refillable water bottle +9%

I have ditched cling film for

eco-friendly alternatives +8%

I try to use alternatives to

plastic where possible +5%

I have specific waste caddies +4%

I recycle my kitchen waste such as bottles, tins etc. -3%

Top ten eco Frustrations

Most consumers are very keen to do their bit to help the planet and the environment. But sometimes it feels it’s hard to do so – either because of the difficulty of recycling certain products or because certain items are intrinsically quite damaging to the environment. The biggest frustration, however, is the lack of clarity when it comes to labelling. Can I recycle this particular piece of packaging? Let’s have a look at the label… But do you know your Mobius loop from your Green Dot and your Widely Recycled from your TerraCycle logo? Then there are the labels that suggest something might be compostable – but does that mean it can actually break down in your garden compost bin? Not necessarily.

Which of these eco-problems frustrates you the most?

16 % Confusing recycling labels

15% Disposable facemasks

10% Food sold in black plastic trays

9% The amount of cardboard used by online retailers

8% Forgetting to bring your bags for life when going to supermarket

6% Plastic still being used in some teabags

6% Difficulty in recycling cling film

6% Takeaway coffees being sold in non-recyclable cups

5% The difficulty of recycling coffee pods

5% Plastic bottles with wrap-around plastic you can’t take off

It’s the Greta Thunberg generation keeping us green

Though 77% of the population try to recycle food packaging as much as possible, not all age groups recycle with equal enthusiasm. Of those aged 65 or older, 91% say they try to recycle as much as possible.

Millennials, on the other hand, are not nearly as good when it comes to recycling. A far lower 57% of those aged 18 to 24 and 61% of 25 to 34-year-olds say they recycle their kitchen waste. However, the generation possibly the most keen on helping the planet are those still at school. Though children were not surveyed directly, consumers with children between the ages of 5 and 18 were asked if their kids had asked their parents to change their behaviour to become more eco-conscious, or had themselves adopted greener habits. Three quarters of parents said their children had done so. Pester power used to mean your offspring begging for sweets at the check-out – now it’s more likely to mean pleading for their parents to use less plastic.

44% of people with children said their kids had asked them to recycle as much as possible, 29% said their children had asked them to switch to reusable water bottles – or had done so themselves – and 17% of young people asked for their mothers and fathers to cut back on using plastic in the kitchen. The same proportion had asked their family

I’m dreaming of a green Christmas…

It’s been a familiar scene for generations – sitting with the family for Christmas dinner, pulling crackers, telling the jokes followed by chuckles or groans, donning our hats and immediately casting aside the ludicrously small plastic comb or fortune-telling fish, destined for landfill. So is it time for a change? Yes! This year, Lakeland’s buyers have gone out and found greener alternatives to the classic Christmas cracker so you can take care of Mother Nature without missing out on the fun. Their biggerand- better-than-ever range of Lakeland crackers are all made from glitterfree, foil-free, fully recyclable card, so they can go straight in the recycling when they’re done with, packaging and all. And the only plastics you’ll find anywhere inside them – their Cracker Symphony whistles and racing polar bears – are either made out of biodegradable ‘ecoplastic’, or come with a storage bag so they can be stored away and used for years to come.

Whether you’re a little bit musical, enjoy a tipple, or love a bit of luxury, Lakeland have got the perfect eco-friendly cracker for you; and if you prefer to add your own gifts and treats, they’ve got you covered with their Fill-Your-Own Evergreen Christmas Crackers too – because you can tailor the contents to the individual recipients, there’ll be no unwanted gifts left on the table at the end of the meal.

Sparkling water that won’t cost the earth

These days we’re increasingly aware of the need to reduce, reuse and recycle, especially when one million plastic bottles are sold every minute and – shockingly – only 9% of them are recycled, with the rest ending up in landfill or in the ocean.

So, with 50% of us pledging to continue using refillable water bottles, it’s nice to know that making your own fizzy water at home can help you further reduce your plastic waste. Aarke, a Swedish design company who engineer premium home essentials purposefully designed to fuse luxury with everyday use, have designed their third generation Carbonator to make home carbonation cheaper and more convenient, while helping the environment. One Aarke water bottle can replace thousands of single-use plastic bottles and it’s made with high-quality, sustainable parts so it’s built to last.

Christmas pudding keeps its place on the table

Christmas pudding has been an integral part of the festive season for as long as trees have been garlanded with lights and Father Christmas has filled children’s stockings. Figgy puddings have been eaten in Britain for at least a few hundred years and were well enough established by 1845 for Eliza Acton to feature a Christmas pudding recipe in her ‘Modern Cookery for Private Families’. In recent years, however, reports have suggested its days might be numbered, with sales of sponge puddings and alternative desserts threatening to shove the Christmas pudding off the festive table. Too rich, too heavy, too traditional – are consumers looking for something different? It would seem the majority of people are determined to keep hold of this key part of Christmas, with nearly two-thirds (64%) saying they either buy (44%) or make their own (20%) Christmas pudding. 79% of those over the age of 75 are firm fans of it, whilst just over half (52%) of those aged 18 to 24 say they buy or make one.

Could the gingerbread house topple the Christmas cake?

The place of the Christmas cake is looking less secure than that of the figgy pudding. Exactly half of people say they buy (32%) or make (18%) one every year, though a further 12% say they occasionally make one. It’s a staple of the season, but not so embraced and loved.

There may be a rival, however: the gingerbread house. Helped by the increasing variety of easy-to-make gingerbread kits, the rise of Germanstyle Christmas markets where they frequently feature, and the Victoria & Albert Museum’s annual Gingerbread City (launched in 2016) – where architects make dizzyingly complex structures out of biscuits and sweets – gingerbread houses have grown in popularity, especially with young families.

Those aged over 65 appear to be completely uninterested in gingerbread houses, with a mere 3%

saying they make or buy one every year. But of those aged 25 to 34, 57% say they either always or sometimes make or buy a gingerbread house each year. This is only slightly behind the 63% of that age group who always or sometimes make or buy a Christmas cake. In another generation’s time, could the gingerbread house topple the Christmas cake?

Is it better to give or receive gifts? Depends if it’s a home-made cookie.

Over half the people surveyed (51%) said they would like to receive a home-made or home-baked gift this Christmas. Of the remainder, 29% said they’d like a bought gift, while 20% would like money or a voucher. In particular, young people, aged 25-34 are keen on the personal touch, with 57% saying they’d like something made by the giver, though all ages are fairly keen on the idea, with no age group registering less than 47% interest in receiving something home-made. Interestingly, it is those who very rarely cook from scratch who are most keen on receiving cash as a gift – rather than something home-made. Perhaps if you rarely cook yourself you don’t appreciate the love and attention that goes into something home-baked.

But though the majority of people would like to receive a personally crafted gift, are we actually prepared to make one ourselves? Just a quarter (26%) say they intend to bake or make a gift this year. There is, however, a very strong split according to age, with young people far more likely to fifind the time to roll up their sleeves and get crafting or baking. Indeed, nearly half (48%) of 25 to 34-year-olds say they intend to make something to give. This compares with those aged 65 and over – a modest 13% say they will make something.

Where do you hope to eat  Christmas Dinner/Lunch in 2020?

At the home of my parents/family 37%

At home with just my partner or partner and children 29%

At home with my invited family 25%

At a restaurant or hotel 5%

At a friend’s house 3%

Hosting or taking part in a Zoom meal 1%

Christmas Dinner 2020

It has been a tumultuous year. And no one knows how it will end and what the rules will be about who, when and how we can socialise. But one thing is for sure: we’d love to spend Christmas with our immediate families, our partners and children. And banish Zoom, if only for one day. Connecting with friends and family via video link may have been a lifesaver during the height of lockdown, but the novelty seems to have worn off…

Treat yourself (and the planet) to some TLC

There’s no denying it, 2020 has been a tricky year for us all. What with seeing less of our families and loved ones and spending more time at home, it’s hardly surprising that well-being has become a big priority – the nation has been baking, working out (hands up if you did PE with Joe?), gardening, and hiking its way to better mental health, as well as reaching out to others with care packages.

With well-being such a big focus at the moment, it’s likely that Christmas gifts this year will follow this trend too. Gifts like luxurious heated throws to keep loved ones snug on cold winter nights, aromatherapy oils to help them relax, daylight therapy lamps to counter the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder, hug-in-a-mug hot chocolates and other products to help people feel happy, cosy and pampered at home are likely to be popular choices this year. And it’s not just ourselves that we’ve been taking extra care of, but the planet too. While Covid-19 has disrupted many aspects in our lives, it seems it hasn’t dampened our desire to lead more eco-friendly lives. As our research has shown, the demand for reusable, recyclable and sustainable products continues to grow.

It’s safe to say that we’re all ready to embrace a more positive 2021, with the well-being of ourselves, others and the planet remaining a top priority and a trend that will grow and continue well into next year, and hopefully beyond.

New Year, new you

Many people will be glad to say good riddance to 2020. But how many want to spend January 2021 hiding under the duvet, and how many want to embrace the New Year with gusto?

January in recent years ha increasingly become 31 days of making new commitments, be it Veganuary, Dry January, Red January or even #PumpUpYourJan. What with cutting out meat or booze, and hitting the local park with a pair of running trainers, it can be a challenging month. But how many people actually intend to take on one of these New Year’s resolutions?

The answer is – surprisingly – far more than last year. After a pretty tough 2020, people seem determined to get to grips with the next 12 months by trying to improve their finances, their health, and prepare for the year ahead by cleaning their home and batch cooking. However most consumers are not denying themselves a bit of pleasure. Only a relatively small number are taking on the challenge of either Dry January or Veganuary.

Whether anyone will be any wealthier, healthier, fitter or more organised at the start of February 2021 remains to be seen…

Which of the following will you be doing in January?

% change

Deep clean my home +300%

Batch cook +275%

Veganuary +150%

Comfort cook +128%

Organise my home +120%

Keep a keen eye on finances +106%

Get fit +92%

Dry January and stay at home +50%

Dry January but still go out and drink mocktails +33%

Products to look out for in 2021

Compostable Cling Film

Beeswax wraps and other eco-friendly alternatives have become increasingly popular over the last few years, but many people still love the convenience of classic cling film. That’s why we’re very excited to launch Compostable Cling Film. The first of its kind and exclusive to Lakeland, once used it can go on home compost heaps and will completely disappear in 12 months, causing zero damage to the environment.

H2O Cleaning System

With the continued interest in more eco-friendly cleaning solutions, not to mention the rapid rise in demand for sanitising sprays, we anticipate the H2O eActivator Cleaning System will be a winner with customers. The innovative technology allows you to make hypochlorous acid, a sanitiser which is proven to kill viruses including Coronavirus, with only water, salt and white vinegar. And as you use the same bottle each time you make the solution, there’s no plastic waste.

Bread-making

The bread-making market has boomed this year, with bread machines, yeast and flour selling

out during lockdown. And now that many people have become used to enjoying the superior taste and quality of tucking into a home-baked loaf – as well as the satisfaction of having made it themselves – we expect to see this trend continuing well into 2021.

Bamboo storage

Spring will bring with it another wave of decluttering and organisation, and as we expect to see continued demand for eco-friendly choices, we’re introducing our bamboo storage range. Not only is the range an attractive way to organise cluttered kitchens, bamboo is a more sustainable source of wood than most due to its rapid growth, making it a more planet-friendly choice.

Well-being

With 2020 being a challenging year in ways none of us could have anticipated, well-being and self-care is a trend we expect to continue and grow in 2021. Products that help us to relax and unwind, transforming our homes into a safe haven, are likely to do well, like aromatherapy oils, candles and SAD lamps.

Earth Pans

With the best eco-credentials of any pots and pans we’ve ever seen, Earth Pan’s innovative planet-friendly design lets you cook your food to perfection while helping the environment. From their made-from-plastic-bags handles to their made-from-recycled-metal bodies, 100% recyclable materials and compostable packaging, you can rest assured that when you buy any pan from this range, you won’t be damaging the environment. They’re even made using 50% fewer CO2 emissions than most other pans.