Nigella Lawson says this will be the next big food trend

When it was claimed that avocado was overcado, we all laughed.

Yes, this was mostly because ‘overcado’ isn’t a word and that sentence sounds ridiculous, but also because there’s no way we thought the avocado trend would die, regardless of what people claim about its impact on the property market.

Well, the joke’s on us, because Nigella Lawson – yes, famous chef and finger-on-the-pulse author and presenter Nigella Lawson – suggests another green food is set for its time in the spotlight. Is the avocado latte to blame for the changing tide? It’s impossible to say.

That’s right, those photos of avocado on toast, drizzled with oil and topped with a smattering of chili flakes and pumpkin seeds and with the yolk of a freshly poached egg spilling out onto… where was I?

Oh, right, yeah that avocado on toast is set to disappear from your Instagram feed just as quickly as the fruit itself goes from rock hard to overripe. But its replacement might not be what you’d expect.

According to Lawson, we should all be preparing to flood our Instagram feed with pandan, an East Asian plant whose essence gives foods a vivid green colour.

She described it as “the new matcha”, The Times reports, in reference to the green Japanese tea which has proved popular in the UK of late.

A sweet leaf (we’re not kidding, it is literally known as ‘sweet plant’ in Chinese), pandan has been used to flavour (and colour) pancakes, ice cream and drinks, among other things.

Look how green it is, you guys.

While pandan’s availability in the UK might be relatively limited (for now), the opposite is true in the United States.

“It’s not in Waitrose. I don’t know where it is in this country yet,” Lawson added.

“But I notice more and more people in America baking with pandan essence. Which comes from that leaf.”

So, if you’re one of those people who needs to be first to everything, now’s the time to start sourcing pandan essence, cooking with it, and eating it wherever you get the chance.

(Images: iStock)