Last Updated on January 8, 2025
Creating change by ditching aesthetic expectations, leaning into the foods that provide comfort, and taking a harder look at food education at home
At a time when aesthetics seem to hold the power, especially when entertaining at home, new data from ButcherBox, the leading direct-to-consumer meat and seafood brand, suggests focusing on the meal and connection around the table will be the focal point of entertaining in 2025. The data found 63 percent of home cooks sometimes or often feel pressure to make things look picture perfect when entertaining, but simultaneously a majority feel best connected to family and friends when sharing a meal around the table at home. In fact, 82 percent want to spend more time with family and friends – uncovering a troubling disconnect in the experience.
Therefore, ButcherBox is taking a different approach to looking ahead for home cooks, specifically around the tried-and-true dinner party.
“For 2025 we’re not focusing on fleeting moments and picture-perfect vignettes, but lasting memories,” said ButcherBox chef-in-residence Ashley Lonsdale. “We’re not predicting most popular foods, we’re listening to what folks collectively need and offering solutions. We’re manifesting a positive, healthy shift in the mindset around cooking and hosting at home.”
In addition to feeling the anxiety of producing an aesthetically pleasing dinner party, 44 percent also spend extra money on entertaining just for the sake of aesthetics. Largely for purposes of gathering likes and comments on social media, one might assume, but 60 percent rarely or never share pictures of their entertaining on social media, and an overwhelming 87 percent most remember what a meal tasted like, compared to less than ten percent who most remember what it looked like.
“Why the undue pressure and wasted money?” reflected Lonsdale. “Cooking and entertaining should be about joy – in sharing a meal with loved ones, in savoring flavors, in the satisfaction of creating a dish and dining experience that’s memorable. Let’s get back to the soul of the dinner party – good food, good friends, good times.”
And what’s often synonymous with joy? Comfort. Nearly half of people define comfort food as being nostalgic or invoking happy memories, and three quarters have a meal they make specifically for the happy memories of time with family. Entertaining has the potential to create that same sense of comfort, when priorities are in check. ButcherBox is urging home cooks to double down on what matters in 2025, from prioritizing joy and memories right down to the core of what they’re eating.
Among home cooks, ButcherBox found nearly 50 percent care more about the quality of their ingredients than they did five years ago, and a majority have a good understanding of terms like grass-fed, free-range, hormone-free, wild-caught and pasture-raised. This is encouraging, as education is the first step toward being a more empowered consumer, but further action must be taken for home cooks to feel more broadly comfortable with what’s in the food they’re eating – and serving.
“Maybe what we really need, collectively, is a shift in what quality means to us when it comes to our food,” considered Lonsdale. “We saw ‘best-tasting’ and ‘freshest’ rank highest among consumer considerations of ‘quality,’ but I would argue sustainability should top the list, as superior flavor comes naturally from responsible sourcing. Home cooks should also consider new perspectives on what ‘fresh’ is because, for example, meat that’s frozen at peak freshness can often be the highest-quality and freshest option.”
Despite widespread apprehension – half of respondents noted often feeling anxious, overwhelmed or unsure about entertaining – one third often feel energized. Whether it’s the thrill of a challenge or a pure love of welcoming loved ones into their home, one thing is clear: there is strong potential to make next year more down-to-earth and enriching.
“Rather than guess at what the new year will bring, we at ButcherBox want to create the change,” shared ButcherBox founder and CEO Mike Salguero. “We challenge home cooks to this in 2025: learn one thing each month from a reputable source about responsible food sourcing and the environment, chat about it with your friends. Invite your family over for dinner, cook something that brings you joy and don’t worry about how the table is set. And this time next year, I bet you’ll feel more at-ease, more educated and more motivated.”
ButcherBox stands by food education and sourcing resources like Global Animal Partnership, B Corp, Responsible Fisheries Management, Certified Humane, the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)’s Shop with Your Heart Grocery List and Food Tank.
Kerin Norton is the Head of PR and Content Strategy at ButcherBox.
