• Dive into the culinary journey of the past quarter-century with Waitrose Food's milestone 25th anniversary issue, hitting shelves in May 2024!
• The anniversary issue focuses on the evolution of British cuisine over the past quarter-century and how food trends have shaped our culinary landscape.
• Stunning cover, exclusively designed by top illustrator Eleanor Shakespeare.

Today, Waitrose Food’s 25th anniversary issue launches, packed with features celebrating Britain’s changing eating habits over the last 25 years, a look to the future and an exclusive menu by Yotam Ottolenghi. 

Waitrose Food started in 1999 as Waitrose Food Illustrated, with powerful journalism and beautiful design at the heart of the magazine. Today, Waitrose Food is the most widely read food publication in the UK with a readership of nearly 3 million, more than all the other leading food magazines combined.

Nathan Ansell, Director of Customer at Waitrose says: “Celebrating 25 years of Waitrose Food is a huge achievement. Our customers are food lovers and we have been offering them an inspirational free magazine* consistently for a quarter of a century! Our magazine has a loyal and very engaged audience, with a monthly reach of more than 2.8 million readers - it just goes to show that in an ever evolving digital world there is a place for print.” 

Jessica Gunn, Waitrose Food Editor says; “Since its launch as Waitrose Food Illustrated in 1999, the magazine has set the agenda for what matters in the food world. We’ve talked to the biggest names and uncovered the stars of the future; we’ve addressed the issues that matter and created the recipes - all triple-tested so you know they work - that real people want to cook and eat. Plus - we’ve made sure no other magazine comes close when it comes to beautiful food photography and illustration, year in and year out.”  

Key Features

Those were the days 
The past quarter of a century has been a momentous one for the nation’s plates. From The Great British Bake Off to spiralisers and the recipes that took social media by storm, we look back on 25 years that transformed British food. 

Watch this space... 
Algae, berry-picking robots, psychobiotics and biotech... Discover how we’re going to be eating, shopping and growing in the very near future – and how tech is already changing everything we know

Ottolenghify 
The culinary superstar reflects on revolutionising the way we cook (hooray for tahini!) – plus a spread of exclusive recipes

Whole Wine World
When the magazine launched in 1999, the wine aisle was a very different place. (For starters, it was BP – Before Prosecco!). Wine expert, Helen McGinn charts 25 years of wine revolution and shares bottles that showcase the best of what to drink right now.

Notes:
*Free for myWaitrose card members

Waitrose Food is available free to all myWaitrose members in all Waitrose shops, online at Waitrose.com and to read free online. The May 2024 issue is out on 25th April.

The anniversary issue cover has been designed by renowned illustrator Eleanor Shakespeare whose work comprises bold colour palettes, handmade textures and mark making. Her work has been commissioned by The Guardian, New York Times and Wall Street Journal. 

For more information please contact:
Claire Earley - [email protected]

About the John Lewis Partnership
The John Lewis Partnership owns and operates two of Britain's best-loved retail brands - John Lewis and Waitrose. Started as a radical experiment over a century ago, the Partnership is now the largest employee-owned business in the UK, with over 74,000 employees who are all Partners in the business. The Partnership is purpose-driven, existing to create a fairer and more sustainable future for our Partners, customers, suppliers and communities. Our Purpose not only inspires our principles, drives our decisions and acts as our guide to be a force for good, it steers us to do things differently and better - all in service of creating a happier world for everyone and everything we touch.

Waitrose
Waitrose & Partners has 329 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, including 59 convenience branches, 27 shops at Welcome Break locations, and Waitrose.com - its fast-growing online shopping business, consistently rated highly by independent research. The retailer combines the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop - dedicated to offering quality food that has been responsibly sourced, combined with high standards of customer service. As part of an employee-owned business, all Partners have a say in how the business is run.