Home-cooked meals, baking, slow cooking, food on the go, entertaining at home...all big trends sparked by recession - and all trends that the housewares industry can benefit from, delegates to this week's Housewares Conference learned.
Inevitably, many of the day's eight speakers, including Mintel senior retail analyst Richard Caines, Waitrose central buyer for seasonal and home Christian Haas, and associate publisher of Delicious magazine Adrienne Moyce, touched on the tough economic climate - but then went on to tell the packed audience how they can capitalise on the new cooking-from-scratch phenomenon, selling everything from egg poachers to bread makers.

The audience, comprising cookshops, multiples and suppliers, was also fascinated by the talks from Bruce Crane, who described how he had created the successful cookshop Loose's of Norwich, and Sir Terence Conran, who gave an insight into the influence he has had on the housewares market, from the founding of Habitat to the numerous designs he has created for the kitchenware market.

Rounding off the business sessions, HousewaresLive.net and Housewares Magazine publisher Colin Petty made his predictions of the retailers most likely to change the housewares market in the years ahead.

Delegates also had fun watching TV cook Rosemary Shrager perform a lively cookery demo, and listening to food writer and columnist Charles Campion reel off his "rules to cook, shop and dine by".

Kitchen Kapers director Gary Gardon expertly directed the proceedings as conference chairman, and the conference sponsors - Pyrex, Dust Pic, Grunwerg, Top Drawer London, Home & Gift Harrogate, ACP Books, In Store Video Solutions, Amefa, Jura and Salter - all helped ensure the success of the day.