Spaghetti and macaroni lost their air of Continental exoticism around 1970. Yet the choice of pasta - available in every conceivable shape, size and texture back in Italy - barely seems to have changed in UK supermarkets since then. Until now.

Volume sales of spaghetti have fallen 0.2% [Kantar] in the past year, while other forms, defined by Kantar as ‘other dry pasta’, have enjoyed volume growth of 25.8%. So which pastas are rising in popularity?

“People are seeing different pastas on TV and it’s helping them move away from macaroni or spaghetti to other shapes,” says Mal Pullan, MD of Garofalo UK. “We’re doing well with fusilli lunghi, lumaconi and bigger shapes like rigatoni. We’ve been banging on for years that pasta is not just pasta and people are now realising you can make a difference by only spending an extra 50p a week.”

It’s not just the shape of pasta that’s changing. Sainsbury’s has added orzo and wholewheat spelt spaghetti to its own-label range, and even premium bronze die pasta in “artisan” paper packaging to its Taste the Difference range. The retailer is also expanding its range of high-fibre white pasta to appeal to the health-conscious.

Napolina has been looking at specialist areas as well. “We’ve focused on strengthening our premium pasta ranges, such as our bronze die pasta and egg pasta,” says marketing director Dean Towey. “They offer both choice and quality to shoppers looking to create Italian-inspired meals at home.”

Fresh ideas are also being applied to fresh pasta, with some saying this sector gives more scope to play with ingredients. For example, Waitrose has launched 650g packs of open ravioli in Pea & Asparagus and Sausage Ragu flavours (both rsp: £5.49) as part of its autumn and winter seasonal range. It’s also listing Dell’Ugo’s new range of limited edition pastas.