How ‘picky bits’ are supercharging the aisle: deli trends 2026

Deli pickles meats charcuterie GettyImages-1565534485

The appetite for ‘picky bits’ has pushed value sales of deli items up 6.7% to just shy of £3bn in the past year

The M&S deli section may seem the unlikely subject of a song. Yet last summer, X Factor alumnus Diana Vickers took social media by storm with a ditty about the retailer’s “picky bits”.

“It’s not dinner but it’s not lunch – some nibbles in the sun,” she warbled. “We are talking three-for-two and two-for-one, Marks & Spencer has a deal on some picky bits.”

 

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