Trend spotlight: gourmet dips

Basic hummus has also had an upgrade: at Bubala in London, silky soft hummus is topped with either pools of burnt butter or a scoop of fiery apricot harissa – they shared the signature Bubala hummus recipe with us to recreate at home. Elevate your favourite dips with gourmet toppings – try this baharat-spiced lamb topped hummus recipe,

If you're not all about the toppings, you can jump on the trend by giving familiar dips a new twist (such as our hemp oil pesto recipe) or digging into the storecupboard to try new ideas, such as our preserved lemon and pea dip.

We've headed to OMA to try the gourmet dips on the menu, plus found three more places serving up must-try dips. To recreate the trend at home, we've chosen some of our favourite recipes including a Mexican dish loaded with cheese and a Levantine dip piled with toppings.

For more trends inspiration, check out our trends spotlight on unusual ice cream flavours and matcha.

Trying the trend: gourmet dips

We headed to OMA, a Greek restaurant in Borough Market, to try some gourmet dips for ourselves. The menu has a selection of spreads to choose from, including baba ghanoush and tahini with Jerusalem artichoke crisps, or tarama topped with pickled cucumber, carob rusks. Don't miss the hot crisps and fluffy bread for dunking.

Eating out: where to try gourmet dips

Yasmin

Head to the recently-opened Yasmin in Piccadilly Circus for rooftop dining with a Middle Eastern flavour. Kick off a meal of sharing plates with a serving of charred flatbread. Dunk this into whipped sheep's cheese topped with hot honey and isot biber, a dried chilli pepper. Silky hummus also gets a lift from a chewy and crunchy raisin and peanut dressing. yasminsoho.com

Bavette Bistro

In Leeds, Bavette Bistro serves a French-inspired menu. The crunchy baguettes served with house butter mixed with basil, confit garlic and lemon is already an ideal way to start a meal, but the restaurant is also serving cervelle de canut – a fresh cheese dip that is a speciality of Lyon, France, served with crudités, crostini and nutty walnut oil. bavettebistro.com

The Laundry

The Laundry is a neighbourhood bistro and wine shop in the heart of Brixton. It's known for it's decadent brunches and Sunday roast, but the all-day menu also has interesting dips on offer. The baguette and whipped butter is a classic that is hard to resist, but also order the seasonal crudités which come with beetroot pesto – a vibrant pink, veggie filled twist on the familiar dip. thelaundrybrixton.com

Eating in: our best gourmet dip recipes

Queso fundido

Layers of melting cheese and spicy chorizo make up this seriously OTT hot Mexican dip. Watch our how-to video and be prepared to fight over this one.

Hummus labneh

Two great dips combine in this clever hummus labneh mash up. Topped with roasted juicy tomatoes, crunchy pine nuts and lots of fresh herbs, it's an easy veggie lunch to serve this summer.

Muhammara with herby grain salad

Muhammara is a classic Levantine dip made with walnuts, red peppers and pomegranate, similar to romesco sauce. It makes a vibrant addition to your table. Here, it's topped with a salad of freekeh and leafy herbs and served with flatbread.

Spotted on social

Instagram - whipped tofu with beetroot, pomegranate and hazelnuts

Whipped tofu is the plant-based take on the whipped feta dip trend. In this stunning recipe it's combined with lemon juice and miso to make a creamy base to top with crunchy toasted hazelnuts, vibrant beetroot, pomegranate molasses and slivered sugar snap peas.

TikTok - feta and çılbır-inspired dip

Turkish eggs (minus the eggs) meets feta in this creamy dip made with pan-fried green chillies and topped with a flavour-supercharged fried spring onion and herb oil. If you're feeling extra fancy then serve it with your own homemade tortilla chips too.

Pinterest - smoked salmon bagel dip

All the flavours of the iconic bagel filling – smoked salmon, cream cheese, sliced red onion, capers and dill – in dip form. Dunk into it with crisp breads or crudités. We also loved the sound of this whipped ricotta and crispy hot honey mortadella dip. For even more inspiration discover our gourmet dips board on Pinterest.