Easy Baked Portobello Mushrooms (Metric Conversion)

• New lesson editor
• Sex and relationship education
• Lower Secondary (Key Stage 3)

Social Media Food Trends - Would you have this for lunch?

Lesson Objective

At the end of the lesson you will be able to recreate and trial two viral trend dishes Lettuce salad and spicy cucumber salad alongside a healthy vegetarian main - cheesy stuffed portobello mushrooms.

The latest food trend taking over social media

It's the latest food craze that has got social media buzzing. With hundreds of thousands of views across TikTok, the strawberries and creme sandwich from M&S has sparked a lot of chat since it launched earlier this week.

There have also been more than 50,000 searches on Google for the unusual new treat, with it featuring in the top ten trends and more than 37,000 likes in 48 hours on the store's original Instagram post.

You may also have noticed that different news sites have featured reviews of the sandwich, where one of their reporters will try it on camera. This often happens when a new product becomes popular, as readers will be curious about it and want to know more for themselves. But what is it about food posts on socials in particular that make them so appealing?

Why does some food and drink go viral on TikTok?

That's the big question. From bars of chocolate made in Dubai, to Dua Lipa’s mix of pop, pickle juice and peppers, we just can’t seem to get enough of sharing food and drink trends on social media.

If an influencer with a huge following posts about a new product, this can help it go viral. In the case of the Dubai chocolate bar, food influencer Maria Vehera filmed herself trying it for the first time in a post that now has more than 130 MILLION views and just over seven million likes. In the case of Dua Lipa, the singer - who has been playing sell-out stadium gigs across the UK this summer - has more than 11m followers and her fans are more likely to share content that she posts, which helps it to go viral.

As for sandwiches and strawberries, these are both foods that people can relate to. This unusual combination could make people feel a strong emotional reaction - especially in the UK where we don’t associate sandwiches with desserts. It’s these reactions which can make people share posts about them - which is how trends begin.

We can also relate to eating sandwiches, so if something is familiar to us, we’re also more likely to share it, based on a 2020 study by the University of Leeds. It also helps that this is a time when strawberries and cream will be on people’s minds more than usual as we hit Wimbledon season and this food combination is closely connected with the tennis championships.

A sweet recipe for viral videos

Emotional Appeal – Emotions play a big part in making videos go viral. Videos that make the viewer feel a strong emotion are more likely to be shared. And who doesn’t feel happy or get enjoyment from watching videos about delicious food?

Relatability – If the topic of the video is something lots of people are familiar with and can relate to, this will help the clip go viral too. And the taste of sweets and snacks is something most of us are more than familiar with.

Shareability – Having a video that people want to share with their friends, will go a long way to making it go viral. And so an eye-catching, engaging video of someone eating a colourful sando, ticks the box.

You can find out more about food and drinks trends that have got people talking on social media in this Other Side of the Story collection.

Bitesize News Article 2026

What is the latest food trend on social media?

A

Spicy fruit salad

B

Chocolate covered avocado

C

Savory ice cream cones

D

Strawberries and creme sandwich from M&S

How many searches were there for the treat?

A

10,000 searches

B

More than 50,000 searches

C

25,000 searches

D

Over 100,000 searches

What can help food trends go viral?

A

Random chance of popularity

B

Influencer posts about new products

Which food combination is mentioned?

A

Chocolate and banana

B

Sandwiches and strawberries

Who has a large following on social media?

A

Dua Lipa

B

Maria Vehera

What plays a big part in viral videos?

A

Relatability

B

Technical skills

C

Duration of video

D

Emotions

Which type of content is relatable to many?

A

Foreign dishes

B

Sweets and snacks

C

Everyday cooking

D

Complex recipes

What enhances a video's shareability?

A

Eye-catching visuals

B

Engaging content

C

Longer duration

D

Boring themes

Lettuce salad -

The Secret Formula

Step-by-Step Hack

1. Prep the Greens: Chopped lettuce thinly and wash well in cold water, then dry thoroughly using a salad spinner. Dry leaves prevent the dressing from diluting.

2. Emulsify the Dressing: In the bottom of your serving bowl, whisk the lemon juice, vinegar, grated garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil together until it slightly thickens.

3. The Toss: Add your dry, crisp lettuce to the bowl and toss thoroughly using clean hands or tongs. Massage the dressing into the leaves so the garlic flavor coats every bite.

4. Finish: Serve immediately for the best crunch.

Ingredients

• The Greens: 1 head of iceberg lettuce, washed, dried, and torn

• The Garlic: 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced or microplaned

• The Acid: Juice of 1 fresh lemon + a splash of white or red wine vinegar

• The Oil: 1–2 tablespoons of high-quality extra virgin olive oil

• The Seasoning: 1/2 teaspoon salt, and1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Spicy Cucumber salad

Step-by-Step Hack

1. Smash and Slice: Place your cucumber in a plastic bag or on a board and gently smash it with the flat side of a knife or a rolling pin until it splits open. Cut diagonally into bite-sized pieces. (Smashing creates jagged edges that soak up the sauce beautifully).

2. The Salt "Sweat": Toss the cucumber pieces with salt in a colander over a bowl. Let it sit for 10–15 minutes.

3. Drain and Rinse: Drain the bitter water, rinse briefly with cold water, and dry well.

4. Toss: Whisk the soy sauce, sesame oil, chili crisp, garlic, vinegar, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the cucumbers and toss to coat.

5. Garnish: Top with toasted sesame seeds and enjoy

Ingredients & Measurements (Per 1-2 Cucumbers)

• Cucumbers: 1 large English cucumber

• Salt: 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt (for sweating)

• Soy Sauce: 1–1.5 tablespoons light soy sauce

• Sesame Oil: 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

• Sesame Seeds: 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

• Spicy Element: 1–2 teaspoons chilli flakes

• The "Hack" Boosters: 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar.

Easy Baked Portobello Mushrooms

• 2 Portobello mushrooms

• 1/2 garlic clove, minced

• 1 tspn olive oil

• Salt and pepper

• 2.5ml dried thyme

• 1tspn butter

Sprinkle of mozzarella

Cream cheese/ Breadcrumbs - Optional

Clean mushrooms and remove their stems.

Finely mince 1 garlic clove. Preheat your oven to 200°C.

Lightly oil a baking tray. Place the mushrooms upside down in a single layer, with the open side facing up.#

Mix olive oil, minced garlic, 2.5ml dried thyme, salt, and pepper. Drizzle evenly inside each mushroom.

Bake at 200°C for 15 minutes.

Mix cream cheese, mozarella in a small bowl with herbs.

Sprinkle/spoon on baked mushrooms and add breadcrumbs ontop and return to oven for 5 minutes until golden.

Evaluation - What went well

Evaluation - Even better if:

Evaluation - Health and safety points