This year, coming to a table near you!

Even if you don't eat out much, these trends can still become part of your daily cooking habits.

If it's not already a trend where you live, you can start one!

1. Go grains (and seeds)! Freekah, quinoa, amaranth, chia. They're good Scrabble words, and even better nutrition.

• freekah - smoked green wheat, delicious in a pilaf or a salad, or instead of rice.
• quinoa - pronounced KEEN-wah, this ancient South American grass was sacred to the Incas. Prepare it like rice and use it as a breakfast cereal, or in place of rice.
• amaranth - grown in Asia and the Americas, this superfood is more a seed than a grain and ideal for people intolerant to gluten.
• chia seeds - another Aztec wonder-food, these seeds are the newest kids on the culinary block. Packed with nutrients - just stir into water and let thicken naturally.
• also try buckwheat (said to be useful for vascular health and a good alternative to oatmeal when cooked as a kasha porridge), black rice (once only allowed for an Emperor's table), spelt (an ancient form of wheat - the flour is a great addition to bread or biscuits) and barley (an oldie, but a goodie - great in soups)

2. Lose the silver and the chairs. Break the family dining mould.

• pack a picnic - eat in a park, the beach or your garden
• go casual - invite friends, but ask them to bring a course, or become progressive and have one course at your place, then the next one at theirs.

3. Stretch your dining boundaries - other cuisines. Even if you can't travel overseas find a restaurant serving a cuisine you have never eaten and make a booking. Try:

• pho - a Vietnamese soup bursting with herbs and vegetables and fragrant flavours.
• parradilla - Argentinean grilled meats that come to the table on massive skewers.
• ceviche - a South American seafood dish where the fish is 'cooked' with lemon or lime juice. 
• buy an app for your phone or computer to discover new restaurants and cafes. 

4. Colour is king. Antioxidants are more essential than ever and it's easy to know where to get them.

• Go for colour - red, green, blue, yellow. Eat the rainbow and you can't go far wrong.

5. Toast the roast and use those ovens. Grills are going, frying has almost vanished.

• roast meats of course, but now it's fish, fruit, vegetables too.
• accent flavours with spices and herbs while baking
•  finish with a splash of balsamic vinegar, verjuice, lemon juice or a little more extra virgin olive oil and a grinding of black pepper

6. Grow your own. All the best chefs have their own kitchen gardens. Some have farms. No matter how small your plot try:

• herbs and cherry tomatoes in planter boxes on the balcony or near the back door to snip when needed (or herbs on the windowsill)
• even a square metre of garden can deliver some of your vegetables.
•  start a community garden with your friends and neighbours - (with permission) on a vacant block, the footpath, your apartment building rooftop.

7. Back to basics. Take a class, use the internet, or open your cookbooks. Learn the basic skills to:

• roast chicken
• cook perfect fish
• make pastry, hummus, pesto
• or stage a return to the 70s! Grow your own sprouts, or make cottage cheese and bread.

8. Kids in the kitchen! Involve the children. TV shows such as Junior MasterChef have shown us how skilled children can become at a very early age.

• start simple - boiled eggs, salad, toasted sandwiches
• teach hygiene and safety
• make sure they clean up!
• and praise their efforts! (that won't be hard to do).

9. Retro rocks! Return to some ingredient golden oldies such as:

• quince - baked, grilled, sweet or savoury
• rhubarb - try it roasted instead of stewed. Serve it with meats for a taste-thrill
• sago - forget boarding school horrors. Use it Asian-style to accompany tropical fruits and drizzle with coconut cream.

10. Meet the maker. Shop at your local farmer's market then:

• cook a 'farmer's dinner' with the produce you have bought
• become a locavore and eat only the produce which grows within 160 kilometres (100 miles) of your front door
• join your local food co-op
• have fruit and vegetables (organic, too, if you like) delivered

11. Go on - take a giant leap and be adventurous.

• try a new herb or spice each week
• dig into the second drawer and use a different gadget
• adopt any of these ten other trends and have a

HAVE A WONDERFUL YEAR OF FOOD!!