Some trends can change so quickly that, by the time you set yourself up to embrace the latest fashion must-have or technological gadget, the hype has passed.

On the other hand, there are trends that stick and won’t budge, no matter how much we dislike them!

Food trends are no different; I am still mourning the downturn in macarons and I believe once McCafé started selling these delectable morsels it was the beginning of the end. They will always be popular thanks to Adriano Zumbo, but I think popularity will decline elsewhere.

Australia is unique in that our food history is non-existent, apart from lamingtons, pavlova and the vanilla slice. This is a good thing. As pastry chefs and bakers, this gives us the opportunity to be more flexible and open to new concepts and trends.

In places like Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Germany, patisserie products are steeped in tradition, with many consumers not willing to accept new concepts.

We had some growing trends last year; some will linger, some will become staples in our patisseries and, unfortunately, some will have just been a passing phase.

The hot trends of 2014 were:

• Choux pastry: This trend will carry across to 2015 with éclairs and particularly choux puffs increasing in popularity.

• Doughnuts: Doughnuts have started to increase in popularity late last year and this will continue to grow in 2015.

• Cronuts as originally created by Dominique Ansel: Dominique himself can only use the term cronuts – a croissant-doughnut hybrid, as he has a patent on the name. However, zonuts and flaky donuts have now become a staple in our patisseries.

• Tarts: Tarts have flourished in 2014 and I predict this is just the tip of the iceberg.

What will be hot in 2015:

• Panning: Panned products have been in Australia for a long time in the form of Smarties, scorched almonds and chocolate coated macadamias. Artisan patissiers and chocolatiers are now picking up this unique craft with distinctive, modern twists, and good quality fillings and finishes.

• Swiss Rolls: The swiss roll is a classic, but I believe it is going to make a comeback with innovative finishes and fillings.

• Tarts: Tarts, like last year, will be very popular again. But we will see more unstructured tarts with a flat base, no sides and a precise but cluttered finish.

• Croissants and artisan danish: These pastry products will be made with the highest quality fragmented butter and modern fillings. We will also see the emergence of the ‘cruffin’, a combination of a croissant and muffin.

• Gateaux and petit gateaux will continue their popularity, but focus more on fewer flavours, no more than four or five, and with more about variance in texture. Texture is also important on the exterior of cakes, to have a combination of matte and shine.

Savour has released a whole range of new classes incorporating new recipes, trends and concepts in 2015. Being a small, private school gives us the ability to make changes and incorporate new trends as they happen and even create a few of our own.

At a marketing seminar I attended last year, it was stated if a food businesses didn’t change at least 5 per cent of their products each year, across five years they would see a 20 per cent decline in business.

This is why it is so important for those in the food industry to keep up with the latest trends, whether it is through attending classes, reading magazines, or following the best chefs around the world on Facebook and Instagram.