Olive oil, granola, or even salt would delight a dinner party host

The days of impressing at a dinner party by arriving with an expensive wine are apparently fading fast – with guests now bringing olive oils, vinegars and, er, tins of fish.

Other chic pantry items – such as flavoured salts and artisanal granola – also seem to be becoming the middle-class gifts of choice.

For those throwing the dinner party, the fashion seems to be that items once confined to the cupboards should be proudly displayed in the kitchen as an exhibition of one's taste.

Beautifully decorated tins of gourmet tuna fillets, sardines and pilchards are among the products to give – and to show off.

Elinor Griffin, Waitrose's oils and vinegar buyer, said: 'Whether it's a gorgeous bottle of olive oil or raw apple cider vinegar, or artisanal flavoured salts, it's a great way to spark conversation and show off your chef credentials.'

The supermarket's Food and Drink Report insists premium oils, olives, nuts, honey, vinegar and salts are more refined and fashionable dinner party gift options than wine or bubbly.

Demand for such items has soared by as much as 79 per cent this year after House & Garden magazine asked if 'trendy olive oil is the new wine' and reported: 'A chic store cupboard has become a status symbol.'

Premium olive oil brand Graza told the magazine: 'We have heard from customers and investors that olive oil is very well received as a gift, especially because you can use it at dinner, and then still have some left over whereas a bottle of wine either disappears in ten minutes or collects dust.' 

American TV chef Ina Garten has also weighed in, suggesting that taking wine to a dinner party could be seen as rude.

She warned: '[The host] feel like they should serve it with the meal. I don't bring a particular course. 

'Like, I wouldn't bring cheese because they feel like they need to serve the cheese with the dinner.'

Waitrose claimed 'premium, ethical and, crucially, pretty' brands are de rigueur in well-to-do households.

The report said: 'We've seen a interest from food-loving customers in the provenance of store cupboard stalwarts while social media has made them more brand savvy.' 

It added that sales of environmentally friendly boxed wines have seen a 25 per cent rise year on year, while canned plonk is up 36 per cent.

Waitrose wine buyer Emma Penman said: 'We have had a lot of feedback about wanting to have the odd glass of wine after work without opening a bottle.'

Waitrose executive director James Bailey said the supermarket has noticed a 'shift' in shopping habits this year with many now willing to splash out on luxury essentials. 

He added: 'We are now seeing the beginning of a return to indulgence.'