- Waitrose is the first retailer to offer sustainably sourced mussels only from the Shetland Islands
- Searches on Waitrose.com for mussels are up 120% compared to this time last year
- Sales of mussels on instore fish counters are up 5% compared to this time last year
While oysters have been traditionally known as the ‘food of love’, Waitrose has seen growing demand for mussels in the run up to Valentine’s Day. Once overlooked in favour of premium seafood, mussels are now a sought-after choice for home cooks and chefs alike, with many embracing the shellfish as an easy, healthy and sustainable choice to alternative seafood favorites.
Compared to this time last year, searches on Waitrose.com:
The surge is also reflected on social media, where searches for ‘mussels recipes’; ‘how to cook mussels’ and ‘garlic mussels’ on TikTok have soared over 1000% in the last week alone.
Zoe Simons, Waitrose Senior Brand Development Chef said: “With French-inspired cuisine gaining popularity and eco-conscious eating on the rise, mussels are fast becoming the go-to choice for both romantic meals and everyday cooking. If oysters are the old-school symbol of love, mussels might just be their modern rival.”
Waitrose is the first retailer to offer sustainably sourced mussels only from the Shetland Island Mussels. Available pre-packed and included in the Valentine’s Day Dine In offer as a brilliant starter option. Grown on ropes suspended in the sea, in the pristine waters of Scotland, they feed on the natural supply of plankton, growing at their own pace while helping marine life thrive.
Katie Keay, Senior Sustainability & Ethics Manager at Waitrose, said: “To meet this demand, Waitrose has launched the No.1 Moules Marinière as part of its Valentine’s dine-in range. The dish features Shetland Island mussels in a chardonnay, wild garlic, double cream, and fire-roasted leek sauce—a decadent yet sustainable choice for couples looking to elevate their date-night dining.”
“We’re seeing growing enthusiasm for mussels, not just for their taste but for their minimal environmental impact. Scottish rope grown mussels have an extremely low carbon footprint. They are grown on ropes suspended from floats in the sea and feed naturally off plankton in the rich tidal flows that ensures the growth of succulent and sweet tasting mussels.”
Waitrose also sells mussels on all fish counters in-store. Compared to this time last year, sales of mussels on the fish counters has increased 5%, and searches for ‘fresh mussels’ are up 385%, with this versatile and affordable shellfish option continuing to grow in popularity.
Contact Details:
For more information please contact:
Charlie Rushforth - [email protected]
Notes to editors:
- The No.1 Moules Mariniere with Wild Garlic £5 - available also as part of our £20 Valentine’s Day Dine In for 2, running from 7-16th February, which includes a starter, main, side and desserts, plus a fine wine, cocktail, beer or non-alcoholic drink
- Waitrose MSC certified mussels are certified sustainable - good for the sea and great on the plate
- Over the past 30 days, recipe searches on Waitrose.com for ‘Mussel recipes’ up 20%
About the John Lewis Partnership
The John Lewis Partnership owns and operates two of Britain's best-loved retail brands - John Lewis and Waitrose. Started as a radical experiment over a century ago, the Partnership is now the largest employee-owned business in the UK, with over 74,000 employees who are all Partners in the business. The Partnership is purpose-driven, existing to create a fairer and more sustainable future for our Partners, customers, suppliers and communities. Our Purpose not only inspires our principles, drives our decisions and acts as our guide to be a force for good, it steers us to do things differently and better - all in service of creating a happier world for everyone and everything we touch.
Waitrose
Run by over 45,000 passionate Partners, Waitrose has been serving customers for 120 years and offers extraordinary products in our 315 shops and on Waitrose.com. Inspiring food discovery, our expert Partners run almost 800 specialist food service counters in store, where customers can shop a variety of the best quality meat, fresh fish, dry aged beef, sushi, as well as cheese. Our Beer, Wine and Spirits team features the largest number of Masters of Wine of any UK supermarket and we sell nearly 3,000 different wines, beers, ciders, spirits as well as no and low drinks in our shops, on Waitrose.com and Waitrose Cellar. We are committed to selling products which have been responsibly sourced, grown using the very best sustainable farming methods, some of which are grown or trialled on our very own farm, the Leckford Estate. In 2024, Waitrose was granted the Royal Warrant of Appointment to be Grocers and Wine & Spirits Merchant to His Majesty King Charles III.
