The eight old-fashioned British dishes enjoying a comeback

When it comes to food trends, the focus is frequently on the next best thing, but these days nostalgia and comfort are driving a comeback for the dishes of yesteryear. From baked Alaska to beef Wellington, “grandma food” is back in vogue on restaurant menus and on social media, where old-school dishes are racking up millions of views.

In December, chef Tommy Banks dedicated an entire collaboration menu with Uber Eats to classic dishes such as prawn cocktail and Glamorgan sausage, while Great British Bake Off star Briony May Williams’s debut cookbook, The Retro Recipe Society, champions timeless recipes including sticky toffee pudding and toad-in-the-hole. “Food has the power to take us back to simpler times,” she says, “and I think that appeals to people at the moment when the world is so complicated”.

Here are seven old-fashioned British dishes enjoying a culinary comeback.

Pineapple upside-down cake

Popularised in the 1920s when a recipe competition run by Dole (of pineapple ring fame) prompted plenty of entries for an upside-down cake using the fruit. It became an American favourite, thanks to its simplicity, only to be replaced by more elaborate sweet treats – but its Instagrammable appeal and affordability have helped it make a comeback. In December, popular food blogger In Jamie’s Kitchen declared a recipe for it her most-viewed of 2025, thanks to the fact it’s “easy, delicious, and brings ALL the nostalgia”. Pineapple upside-down cake is all over social media, as well as on James Martin’s Saturday Kitchen, thanks to chef Ronnie Murray’s “retro classic”.