Food & Drink Trends Scavenger Hunt Tasks - 03 July 2026

Supermarket shelves, coffee shop menus, and restaurant queues tell the story of what the UK is eating and drinking right now. Spot a ‘Food’s Not Rubbish’ message on a public bin sticker, street poster, or council noticeboard and record the exact slogan you see, Locate a shop or café that’s put out a countertop container for food scraps (a small caddy/tub) and note what customers are asked to put in it, and more are among this week's 30 food and drink scavenger hunt tasks.

Each task is tied to a real story, trend, or cultural moment from this week. Grab your phone, head outside, and see how many you can tick off.

This Week's Tasks

1. Spot a ‘Food’s Not Rubbish’ message on a public bin sticker, street poster, or council noticeboard and record the exact slogan you see.

* London boroughs have launched the ‘Food’s Not Rubbish’ campaign this week, so the messaging should be appearing in public spaces.

2. Locate a shop or café that’s put out a countertop container for food scraps (a small caddy/tub) and note what customers are asked to put in it.

* Multiple councils are rolling out weekly food waste services and caddy deliveries, making food-scrap prompts more visible this week.

3. Find a council leaflet or poster in a community venue (library, leisure centre, town hall foyer) explaining weekly food waste collections and photograph the collection day info.

* Preston City Council has launched a new weekly food waste recycling service, prompting fresh local communications this week.

4. Spot a freshly delivered kitchen caddy (small food-waste bin) in a hardware/home aisle or at a council pick-up point and note whether it includes a liner/roll.

* Tamworth has begun food waste caddy deliveries ahead of a new weekly service, making these caddies a timely real-world sight.

5. Find a supermarket shelf-edge label or in-store sign that uses the phrase ‘food waste’ and capture what action it’s encouraging (recycling, freezing, leftovers, etc.).

* This week’s council-led food waste campaigns and weekly collection rollouts are pushing food-waste messaging into everyday retail language.

6. Track down Heinz ‘Marry Me’ pasta sauce in a supermarket and photograph the front label showing the product name.

* Heinz has tapped the viral ‘Marry Me’ recipe trend with a dedicated pasta sauce, reported this week.

7. Buy (or inspect) Heinz ‘Marry Me’ pasta sauce and note one key flavour cue from the on-pack description (e.g., tomato, cheese, herbs, chilli).

* The ‘Marry Me’ sauce launch is explicitly tied to a viral recipe trend making it a timely, in-aisle talking point this week.

8. Locate a Maggi ready meal that’s labelled as newly launched and record its exact product name (as printed on the pack).

* FoodNavigator highlighted ‘just launched’ Maggi ready meals this week, so new lines may be hitting shelves now.

9. Find a Quorn product with a ‘New’ flash or ‘New recipe’ callout on the packaging and snap the callout clearly.

* This week’s ‘just launched’ roundup includes Quorn, making ‘new’ pack callouts especially relevant right now.

10. Browse the baby food aisle and spot an Ella’s Kitchen item with a visible ‘new’ or promotional burst; record the flavour name exactly.

* Ella’s Kitchen is included in this week’s ‘just launched’ product coverage, so promotional bursts may be prominent in-store.

11. Seek out a bakery/café selling a ‘dot cake’ (polka-dot or colourful dotted sponge) and photograph the slice or whole cake on display.

* Good Housekeeping says the colourful viral dot cake recipe is the one everyone will be baking this weekend, making it likely to show up in local bakeries.

12. Buy a small pack of colourful sweets or sprinkles and create a quick ‘dot cake’ inspired dotted pattern on a biscuit or cupcake, then photograph your result.

* The viral dot cake look is being pushed this week as a weekend baking trend, so recreations are timely right now.

13. Order eggs in a café and ask for them ‘frambled’ (fried + scrambled style); photograph the plate when it arrives.

* HuffPost UK highlighted ‘frambled eggs’ as a viral lunch idea this week, making it a current menu/request trend.

14. Find a deli, café, or food hall selling a ‘meat sheet’ style homemade kebab (thin layered slices) and photograph the serving description on the menu/label.

* Good Housekeeping reports the internet is obsessed with a homemade kebab using the ‘meat sheet’ method this week.

15. Spot ‘dumpling lasagne’ mentioned on a café/restaurant specials board (or as a ready-to-heat deli dish) and record the exact wording used.

* The Independent says dumpling lasagne is everywhere on TikTok this week, so places may riff on it as a special.

16. Locate a can of Pringles and a chocolate bar in a shop, then photograph them together as a ‘do not try this at home’ nod to the viral Pringles chocolate block idea.

* Manchester Evening News covered the viral Pringles chocolate block recipe this week, keeping the combo in conversation.

17. Find a café or takeaway offering a ‘school dinner’ themed item (e.g., jam sponge & custard, cornflake tart, or similar) and photograph the menu line.

* BBC reports school dinner recipes are going viral online this week, prompting nostalgia-led menu callouts.

18. Buy a classic ‘school pudding’ style dessert (like jam sponge & custard) from a supermarket chiller or café and rate it out of 10 in your notes.

* Viral school dinner recipes are a big UK talking point this week, making old-school puddings feel newly trendy.

19. Visit a fried chicken takeaway and photograph the sauce options board—making sure at least one dipping sauce is clearly listed.

* Raising Cane’s (a sauce-famous US fried chicken chain) is opening its first UK restaurant in London’s West End, putting chicken-and-sauce chat in focus this week.

20. Seek out a ‘coming soon’ or recruitment notice for a new fried chicken restaurant opening locally and capture the brand name on the notice.

* This week includes multiple reports of fried chicken chains expanding/opening in the UK, so openings and hiring notices may be visible on high streets.

21. Find a fish-and-chips shop or seafood takeaway in Kent and photograph a sign that shows it’s newly opened or a ‘second location’ announcement.

* Captain D’s announced accelerated UK growth with a second restaurant opening in Kent this week, making local signage timely.

22. Visit Turnham Green Terrace and photograph the exterior sign of Mirtala showing it has opened.

* A Mexican-inspired restaurant, Mirtala, has opened on Turnham Green Terrace this week.

23. At Mirtala, photograph one menu item name that clearly signals ‘Mexican-inspired’ (from a menu in the window, a board, or a takeaway leaflet).

* The opening has been covered this week, so the menu language is part of the moment people are noticing locally.

24. Find a newly opened Italian restaurant in your town centre and photograph the ‘Now Open’ (or equivalent) sign with the restaurant name visible.

* A new Italian restaurant opening in a town centre was reported this week, reflecting the ongoing wave of new openings people are noticing on high streets.

25. Visit a restaurant listed in ‘Restaurant radar: July 2026’ (or spot its signage) and photograph the opening-month cue (e.g., ‘July’, ‘new’, ‘opening’).

* RestaurantOnline’s July 2026 ‘restaurant radar’ highlights key openings this week, making ‘new opening’ signage especially timely.

26. In a supermarket, identify a ‘New in’ or ‘Just launched’ end-cap that includes at least one ready meal, and photograph the end-cap header.

* This week’s trade coverage focuses on newly launched packaged foods, which often get ‘New in’ retail displays.

27. Spot a click-and-collect or delivery promo in a grocery/convenience shop that references ordering food via an app/online, and capture the service name shown.

* Retail Week reports a Chinese e-commerce giant setting a launch date for a ‘food to phones’ UK retail site, keeping app-first food shopping in the spotlight this week.

28. Find a café that has a ‘healthy swap’ or ‘better-for-you’ add-on on its menu (e.g., extra veg, wholegrain, protein add-on) and photograph the exact line.

* The UK’s Food as Health Alliance has launched officially this week, keeping ‘food as health’ language prominent in public conversation and menus.

29. Locate a supermarket product that explicitly uses the word ‘sustainably’ or ‘sustainability’ on-pack (food or drink) and photograph the claim.

* This week’s AgriFoodTech roundup includes Mars launching a ‘sustainability fund’, keeping sustainability claims top-of-mind in food retail.

30. Identify a restaurant or café that’s advertising a ‘July 2026’ special (or seasonal July menu) and photograph the date reference.

* ‘Restaurant radar: July 2026’ coverage this week spotlights July openings and seasonal pushes, making ‘July’ menu signage especially timely.

How to Play

These tasks are designed for BucketRace, the UK's favourite scavenger hunt platform. You can play solo or in teams, and each task is meant to be completed in the real world. Snap a photo as proof, share it with your group, and see who can complete the most.

New tasks are published every week based on what is actually happening in the UK, so no two weeks are ever the same. Follow us for next week's challenges.