Seaside blue, sage green, speed, sharing, sustainability and spinning teapots are amongst trends at FEA’s latest LET bash – and that’s before we get to the rest of the alphabet!
FEA’s 2025 Light Equipment and Tableware (LET) Forum saw record numbers and its new venue, the Oxford Belfry, was a hit with attendees. It attracted 18 exhibitors and over 80 delegates representing 25 organisations, including the UK’s leading national and regional LET distributors. They came to look at the latest concepts in tableware and light equipment, with new launches ranging from soft serve ice cream machines and hot chocolate makers to upmarket cutlery, colourful crockery and practical cookware.
Despite economic challenges the event had a distinctly positive air.
“It’s been a tough start to the year, but things are looking up,”
was the comment from Zodiac’s Jim Ellis, and he wasn’t alone. Several companies reported Q1 had been busy with quotes, rather than orders – but this was changing. The consensus from the Forum floor was that the adjustments in national insurance and the minimum wage had led to foodservice operators being more cautious during spring (‘awful April’ as one delegate described it), but as summer approaches, and they get used to the new economic conditions, business is, if not booming, then certainly better.
Paula Sherlock is chair of the FEA’s LET Group and managing director of Signature.
“The 2025 Forum is the biggest and perhaps the best yet,” she said. “So many brilliant new products and a really engaged audience. Huge thanks to the suppliers and delegates for creating such a buzz!”
Finding out the latest trends is always a big attraction for attendees at the Forum. Pastels are this year’s top colours, with particular emphasis on light (or ‘seaside’) blue and sage green. Sustainability is increasingly one of the industry’s top buying criteria, and there were plenty of products on show to emphasise this, especially in terms of those being made from recycled materials. Lots of ideas for hot beverage service included a teapot with an infuser that spins to mash the leaves. Speed was another trend: while foodservice operators are taking longer to make decisions, once made they want the product tomorrow – so companies are having to look into ways to speed up responses in areas like stock and logistics. Remember sharing? Post-Covid it’s back with a bang and the Forum saw a big choice of sharing plates and platters.
This was Ashley Cooke of Amefa’s first Forum. He described it as ‘fantastic’, adding, “It’s so time efficient. The organisation is well structured yet the event has a great, laid back vibe.”
Sarah Overton from Alliance Disposable said, “This is my fourth Forum and they get better every year. The array of suppliers is brilliant. It’s really, really well organised and it’s a great new venue.”
The LET Forum Awards dinner on May 20th raised over £1,500 for Hospitality Action, with guests later being entertained by tribute band Take @ That.
The LET Forum is organised by the Foodservice Equipment Association (FEA), the independent, authoritative voice of the foodservice equipment industry. The association’s LET Group also publishes a regular newsletter, Tabletop Trends, which is available free via email. For more about the Forum or Tabletop Trends contact FEA through fea.org.uk or #FEAuk.
FEA represents nearly 200 companies who supply, service and maintain all types of commercial catering equipment – from utensils to full kitchen schemes. For more information on FEA visit www.fea.org.uk
