With the UK bracing itself for the second heatwave of the summer, we decided to look at what Brits like eating and drinking when the temperature rises.
We analysed Google search trends data for hundreds of queries to identify the biggest movers during the July heatwave.
We’ve included a table of the most notable uplifts below, followed by in-depth charts for each item.
Let’s jump right in.
Key findings
- The biggest search uplift was seen for Gazpacho. People were searching for this cold soup 739% more than usual. In fact, searches were the highest they’ve been since records began (in 2004)!
- Britons went mad for ice lollies and Mr Whippy, with searches for these terms up a whopping 700% compared to average. Making your own ice cream was also on people’s agenda as searches increased threefold.
- Ever wondered what the most popular fruit is during a heatwave? Well now you know, it’s watermelon, specifically frozen watermelon, with searches up over 650% for the hydrating fruit. Frozen bananas are pretty popular too, with searches up 470% (check out my guide on storing and freezing half a banana here).
- Next on the menu are some cooling drinks. Homemade lemonade saw an uplift of 550%. And the UK’s favorite frozen tipple? Frose – which was searched nearly 5 times more than normal.
- Of course, coffee lovers couldn’t be without their fix. Searches for iced coffee were 4.5x higher than usual. Iced tea was popular too, recording a 320% increase in search volume.
- What do you do when the weather’s nice? Have a barbecue! But it seems there were plenty of novice barbecuers this year as searches spiked over 400% for ‘how to barbecue’. Searches for the classic barbecue sides of potato salad and pasta salad also skyrocketed.
- And if you aren’t having a barbecue for dinner, chances are you’re going to be having some sort of salad. Salad recipes were searched 342% more than usual.
results
| Search term | % Uplift |
| Gazpacho | 739% |
| Ice Lollies | 711% |
| Mr Whippy | 700% |
| Frozen watermelon | 645% |
| Homemade lemonade | 554% |
| Frose | 487% |
| Frozen bananas | 474% |
| Iced coffee | 449% |
| How to barbecue | 412% |
| Potato salad | 401% |
| Salad recipe | 342% |
| Pasta salad | 339% |
| How to make ice cream | 328% |
| Iced tea | 323% |
Gazpacho
Ice lollies
Mr Whippy
Frozen watermelon
Homemade lemonade
Frose
Frozen bananas
Iced coffee
How to barbecue
Potato salad
Salad recipe
Pasta salad
How to make ice cream
Iced tea
Methodology
We analyzed Google trends data to find out which food and drink items saw the biggest uplift in the UK during the last heatwave. Percentage uplifts shown are vs the preceding 12-month period.