I’ve recently been added to a fun new WhatsApp group. No conversation takes place, it is merely a collection of passionate people who would like to drink one million pints, collectively. Participants simply post a photo of their latest pint together with its corresponding number. At the time of writing, that number is nearing 6,000. There’s a long way to go.
I’ve decided to make my first entry into the group a pint of Beamish, which is starting to take off in the UK over 230 years since its invention in Cork in 1792. There are now 12 pubs in London with Beamish on, and other cities will follow suit in 2026 thanks to a new deal struck between the brewery and the importer Cave Direct. I had my first pint at Daffodil Mulligan, Richard Corrigan’s place in Shoreditch, with a bowl of roast butternut squash and chilli soup.
My other predictions for stuff we’ll be eating and drinking in 2026 are…
Mince on toast: I grew up eating this, but I know not many people did. There was a big fuss in 2017 when the now-defunct Eater London website called the dish a “quintessential British classic”. Even if it wasn’t one then, I think it will become one next year as we all make a concerted effort to be frugal and homely. Word to the wise: mince on toast is easily pimped and made more indulgent with Bovril and milk, the latter being a necessity with traditional bolognese.
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Thick burgers: Smashburgers went wild in 2025. They’re New York’s thinner, crispier variety of burgers. The Parisian restaurant Dumbo launched its first site in the UK, as did Junk. My favourite of them all, Gasoline, even popped up from Denmark at the Standard hotel in King’s Cross. But the return of the thick, pub-style burger is coming. In the provinces, they never really went away – big baps, cheddar, tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, probably with a skewer of onion rings – but I think they’ll be the foremost style of 2026, as greater emphasis is placed on good beef.
Schiacciata: It’s been all about focaccia since lockdown, when restaurants sold high-end sandwiches as a means to get by. Mortadella and stracciatella in oily focaccia is a noble thing. But focaccia, really, is not always best used for sandwiches. Schiacciata, a lesser-known bread from Tuscany, is a thinner and lighter option, with a more delicate texture. It’s still airy and seasoned with olive oil, salt, and herbs such as rosemary and sage, but it’s less chewy and a little more sturdy, and so is able to carry fillings less chaotically. The launch of the Florentine sandwich chain All’Antico in Soho sparked lengthy queues last month. Dal Fiorentino, long established in Britain, is the better option.
Cosmopolitans: I don’t rate cosmos particularly but I increasingly feel like I’m in the minority. I get it: vodka, Cointreau, lime and cranberry juice – what’s not to like? Perhaps it’s the allure of a martini glass and a degree of sophistication with the tempering qualities of fruit juice. They seem less hazardous even though they’re fairly strong. I’m ready to learn to love them in 2026, and I’d better, as bars across the country are starting to put them back on the menu.
Josh Barrie is a food writer and journalist
