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Waitrose has reported a surprise spike in sales of winter comfort foods from cottage pies to gratins and red wine despite the ongoing heatwaves across the UK.

The upmarket grocer said sales of cottage pies were up 110% while chicken and ham gratin and South African red wine were both up 68% over the last month.

Meanwhile, recipe searches on Waitrose.com for spaghetti bolognese, toad in the hole and mac ‘n’ cheese were up 91%, 67% and 57% respectively.

The supermarket said customers were showing clear signs of “feta fatigue”, bypassing traditional summer salads in favour of cold-weather comfort foods.

Stephen Parkins-Knight, senior innovation chef at Waitrose, said: “Forget the thermostat, when a heatwave goes on, raw salads and chilled plates can often lose their cool fast.

“What we’re seeing is a trend in ‘reverse comfort eating’ – after spending all day drained by the heat, people crave rich, grounding staples to recharge, pivoting back toward comfort and familiarity.

“Think flaky pies, slow-simmered chilli, soul-warming soups, and a bold glass of red.”