Welcome from the editor: past, present and future

Welcome and thank you for joining me this weekend.

With Christmas less than a month away, I must admit I’m starting to feel rather festive.

This year I’m feeling particularly excited about Christmas and it’s not just because with lockdown last year’s holiday season was pretty much cancelled, but it’s because, if truth be told, I am always excited about Yule.

My slightly deranged love for everything festive comes from the Bottinelli family tradition of big, jolly Christmases, where the whole family and many of our friends, would gather for a two day celebration. These joyful memories still inform my Christmas every year, and whether I’m having a small or a big do, I still pull all the stops out. I have kept my family tradition alive in my present and I will certainly carry it in my future.

Author Carol Wilson looks at other eras in her feature A taste of Christmas past: festive British food traditions, so if you’ve ever wondered why mince pies don’t contain any ground beef, you absolutely must read her article.

Colin Dennis also looks at the past, present and future of food in our interview. Always with his finger on the pulse, the eminent professor shares his excitement about the progress being made in the food sector and all the possibilities it’s opening.

With 2022 upon us, I look at the food and drink trend predictions for next year, and get excited about new products to try.

In A checkout-free future? How Trigo’s AI technology is changing the way we shop, journalist Candice Krieger interviews Michael Gaby, co-founder of Trigo, the Israeli tech firm using AI to make shopping checkout-free, and delves into the future of retail.

Whilst living in the past is never a good idea, taking our most cherished traditions to inform our present and future certainly is.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

Stef