Your kitchen storecupboard today probably looks quite different from the 1980s, when tinned meat, packet noodles and powdered desserts were indispensable, and the microwave transitioned from a luxury item to a household essential.
According to new research from Waitrose, the taste of the 80s is growing in popularity– nearly half of UK adults (48%) say 1980s dishes are making a comeback as they seek a return to practical, nostalgic ingredients. Lizzie Haywood, Senior Trend Innovation Manager at Waitrose, says: “The 80s were a bold, expressive era for food, and we’re seeing that sense of fun come back in a big way."
Waitrose has also seen a rising trend for quick, no-fuss nostalgic convenience foods, reflected in sales data: Princes Corned Beef (340g) is up 32% YoY. Together with the second series of Rivals coming out on Disney+ this week, it's clear to see the 1980s are back in vogue.
For a good old nostalgia hit, we asked people who lived through this inventive decade for their favourite kitchen staples – read on to discover which ones fell out of fashion and which ones we still eat today.
1. Spam
A staple of the British wartime diet and post-war rationing, Spam was the long-lasting luncheon meat which filled up cupboards across the UK. Reliable and easy to store, this convenience food was prized as budget-friendly comfort food, and chances are your grandparents hoarded it as if it were still the war. "As a child, any time we went to my nan's for a picky bits tea, she knew how much I loved Spam and put a special Tupperware full of spam next to my plate. I'd eat the whole lot every time," says Fiona.
Whilst it peaked in the post-war era, Spam was still uniting the generations by the 80s. Lara says, "My great uncle had a caravan filled with hoards of Spam (he loved it from his time in the Navy). My little brother discovered he quite liked it, so over the course of the three-week holiday, he ate a whole box of spam (I think it was 50 tins)!'
The tins managed to cross cultural borders too. "My Italian housemate at university thought Spam was hilarious because his early impression of the UK came from watching Monty Python sketches. He loved Spam so much that he Blu-tacked a tin of it to his bedroom wall," says Ollie.
2. OXO Cubes
The undisputed champion of 80's cooking, this concentrated, solid stock was essential for stews, pies or even for making a hot savoury drink, and remains a must-have in British kitchens, despite competition from fresh stock alternatives. An 80s video of the late Cilla Black went viral in 2020 when she described her favourite snack of a slice of orange, dusted with crumbled OXO cubes. An early adopter of the 'swavoury' trend sweeping food in 2026, perhaps.
Cilla is not the only one snacking on the coveted cubes. "My nan cooks a beef dish which she created herself, and it includes two OXO cubes. I used to ask to crumble them so I could lick my fingers afterwards," says Sam.
3. Heinz salad cream
Forget about mayonnaise and balsamic glaze – in the 80s, Heinz salad cream was the mandatory dressing for sarnies, salads and everything in between. In 2018, a Heinz proposal to rebrand it as "Sandwich Cream" sparked a huge public outcry, with the maker ultimately reversing the decision. This was despite the fact that, according to Heinz, only 14% of those who buy the sauce use it on salads.
"Any time one of the 'older lot' in my family would take out the salad cream, they would say: 'Anything tastes supreme with salad cream'" says Lara, referencing Heinz's iconic advertising campaign from the 1990s.
4. Instant mash (Smash)
The idea of instant, whipped potatoes without the peeling had a huge appeal in the decade of convenience cooking, with the brand 'Smash' marketing their product as 'space-age' luxury. Instant mash remains on the shelves but isn't quite the storecupboard staple it used to be in busy kitchens: 'my Mum cooked most things from scratch, with the occasional instant mash', says Gabby.
Some couldn't even tell the difference..."My mum always used to get annoyed when I asked why her mash wasn’t as nice as my aunt’s. Then one day she snapped, ‘HERS IS FROM A PACKET!’ But, being Parisian, it probably wasn’t the packet mash I preferred so much as the obscene amount of butter she added to it it," says Barney.
5. Lyle's golden syrup
This iconic green-and-gold tin was a pantry fixture in British households – it's sticky, caramel-like flavour provided sweetness in steamed syrup puddings or drizzled over fruit salads and pancakes. The Lyle's tin has virtually remained the same since the original 1883 packaging, though the handy squeezy bottles are more widespread today due to their easy, less-sticky application.
"After a Sunday roast, I used to fill any leftover Yorkshire puddings with golden syrup while no one was looking and shove it straight down the hatch like an oyster," says Freddie.
Honorary mention goes to Heinz treacle sponge pudding, a once-popular tinned steamed dessert which layered a light sponge cake with a golden syrup topping: "You would boil this in the tin for an hour or so to cook it. It was notorious for exploding if the water was allowed to boil dry or if you hadn’t pierced the tin first. Which is probably why they discontinued it!" says Gabby.
6. Angel Delight
Quick, easy and sweet comfort food defined the 1980s, and this was perfectly demonstrated with Angel Delight sachets. This instant, no-cook British dessert was a childhood favourite, where the powdered mix transformed into a light, airy, whipped mousse when whisked with fresh milk. Strawberry and butterscotch were the two defining flavours.
The no-cook instructions weren't always followed accurately, however..."I once put Angel Delight in the microwave (yes, we had a state-of-the-art 1980s Panasonic microwave) to warm it for my dollies dinner, and ended up blowing the door off the microwave as I must have set it for 30 minutes and forgot about it. Everyone was OK, no one was injured..." says Gabby.
It's maintained a strong nostalgic appeal and is still sold today, but has re-branded slightly, whereby packets either contain no added sugar, no artificial flavours or colours.
7. Vesta ready meals
Ready meals skyrocketed in the 1980s thanks to the microwave's ubiquity, with brands like Vesta filling supermarket shelves with dry-packed, shortcut dinners. Vesta beef risotto, chow mein and chicken supreme are to name but a few – these were considered a treat compared to traditional 'meat and two veg' dinners, and made the perfect dish to eat in front of the TV.
"We used to love the Vesta meals when we were little – especially the little packet of crispy noodles that you deep fried and put on top of the chow mein. Apparently they’ve changed the recipe of the noodles and there’s whole Facebook groups dedicated to bringing the old ones back!" says Janine.
8. Corned beef
Another pink-hued meat which lined supermarket shelves was corned beef, a salt-cured beef product which formed the base of meaty hash or pies, often requiring a key to open the tin.
"My dad’s pub nickname is ‘Corno’. Mainly because 'corned beef' is Mancunian rhyming slang for Keith, but also for his love of the fatty tinned stuff and his fantastic corned beef hash – one of the only things he could cook. He’d slide it out of the tin and tumble it into a frying pan with onions, par-boiled potatoes and loads of white pepper. It was amazing,' says Keith. But don't underestimate the dangers of the quirky tin: 'I wanted to try it myself once, but nearly sliced off my finger trying to open the tin with the metal key."
Janine, also from Manchester, echoes the sentiment. "My grandma used to make the best corned beef and potato pie – a flat one using a dinner plate as the pie dish. I don’t know if it’s a northern thing, but you will still find that pie on any beige buffet spread in the North East today," says Janine.
Both the reputations of Spam and corned beef have since suffered as fresh meat became more available and diets changed, but they're still looked back on fondly (or amusingly).
9. Heinz Sandwich Spread
Heinz had something of a stronghold over families in the 80s, with comfort food products like spreads, baked beans and even puddings keeping families satisfied. A quick-fix lunch staple, Heinz Sandwich Spread was a tangy mixture of cream, relish and crunchy vegetables including cabbage, carrots and gherkins. "My pink My Little Pony lunchbox was filled with Sandwich spread sandwiches every day!" says Gabby.
This chunky spread was most commonly used as a convenient lunchbox sandwich filling, alongside baked potatoes or at picnics. Heinz Sandwich Spread is still available, but is considered more of a niche product.
10. Packet noodles
This dry-packed item remains a perennial favourite today, but Pot Noodle first established itself in British culture when it took off in the 80s. Hailed as a quick, convenient and affordable option, it's often remembered as costing around 25p around the time of launch in the late 70s.
"When I was a kid, two-minute noodles were a staple. My parents used to know when I was home after a night out on the town because they'd hear me boiling the kettle for a late-night pot of them," Josephine adds.
Packet noodles have had a bit of a glow-up since the eighties, and are now favoured by foodies for making gourmet homemade ramen.
source https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/80s-storecupboard-essentials
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