It's no secret that Brits rush to dust off the barbecue at the first sign of hot weather - and with temperatures higher than the Med in recent weeks, Sainsbury's reveals sales of Greek food have rocketed by more than 240% as the nation makes the most of the heatwave.
In the past few weeks, sales of ready-to-cook kebabs have made up more than half of Sainsbury's 'Taste of Summer' barbecue meat sales. Launching at the beginning of May, over 90,000 units of new kebabs were sold in their first week alone, outselling classics such as BBQ-glazed ribs and marinated steaks. Lamb, pork, chicken and beef kebabs all performed better than the next best-selling barbecue product - it seems skewer-style is the next big trend.
Lamb and mint - the ultimate Greek pairing - have proved to be the most popular flavours of the season, with sales of the by Sainsbury's Taste of Summer Lamb & Mint Kebabs up by 240% week-on-week. Beyond this classic combo, Brits are also trying more fusion flavours, with the by Sainsbury's Taste of Summer Sweet Chilli Beef Kebabs and by Sainsbury's Taste of Summer
Chicken Tikka Kebabs are also seeing strong sales as hot weather encourages the nation to kick their spice levels up a notch.
For those wanting more of a balanced barbie, halloumi has seen a surge in popularity thanks to the recent heatwaves, with sales up almost two thirds (62%) in the past month. Sainsbury's has just launched new by Sainsbury's Taste of Summer Halloumi & Vegetable Kebabs for meat-free customers embracing the kebab trend, as well as two flavoured feta bakes launching next month: Yamas Mediterranean Herb Feta Bake and Yamas Tomato & Basil Feta Bake.
Beyond the kebab, strong sales of summer dips such as houmous and tzatziki are also supporting the Greek trend, up by a third (34%) and by half (51%) respectively compared to last month. And no Greek picnic would be complete without olives, sales of which have also rocketed by almost 50% over the last month as the weather gets warmer.
It appears the Greek trend has been boosted by increased consumer interest in holidays to Eastern Mediterranean destinations, with several major travel companies reporting strong growth for bookings to both Greece and Turkey since the start of 2018 - up 84% year-on-year.
Katherine Hall, Product Development Manager at Sainsbury's, commented, 'With the gloriously warm weather recently it's no wonder our customers are casting their minds back to their favourite Mediterranean holidays and bringing a slice of Greece back home with them. We've developed our 'Taste of Summer' range to include a variety of different on-trend flavours for each type of meat, so we're confident there'll be something for everyone.'
On the back of the trend Sainsbury's has launched brand new by Sainsbury's Taste of Summer Slow Cooked British Pork with Greek Style Lemon & Garlic Sauce, which combines the succulence of slow-cooked British pork shoulder with the zingy flavours of classic Greek souvlaki.
The Sainsbury's 'Taste of Summer' range is available in store now, and contains over 40 different chicken, pork, beef and lamb products, starting from just £3.