Gone are the days when a summer barbeque meant standard-issue sausages and burgers, as consumers are looking for ever more unusual dishes to prepare over the coals.
And it seems that calamari is likely to be one of this summer's most popular delicacies, with supermarkets reporting a significant increase in sales.
Media reports suggest that some stores have witnessed up to a 230 per cent rise in demand for squid, while restaurants are also cashing in on the trend.
John Adams, from the National Federation of Fishmongers, told the Daily Telegraph: "Up until a few years ago, the catering industry never touched squid. But you have to follow trends and people's tastes. You have to follow the whims of the customer."
Much of squid's current appeal is thought to be the popularity of the much-feted Mediterranean diet and the recent interest in the Dukan diet.
The traditional Mediterranean diet is thought to be a good diet plan to follow for overall health.
Followers of this diet eat primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts, along with healthy fats such as olive oil, plenty of fish and poultry, and only a small amount of red meat.
A number of studies have provided evidence for the diet's benefits for health, with a recent study by scientists at the Universities of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Navarra suggesting it may boost both physical and mental health.
If you're looking for tips for a healthy summer and want a balanced diet plan that is advocated by many scientists and dieticians, then the Mediterranean diet could be the one for you.
The Dukan diet, on the other hand, is currently one of the most popular diet plans in France and is attracting an increasingly large group of followers on this side of the channel.
This diet provides a list of around 100 permissible foods - including squid - and part of its popularity stems from the fact that it addresses the post-weight loss phase, when dieters often pile on the pounds again.
To do this, it promotes four phases: attack, cruise, consolidation and stabilisation.
This enables dieters to go through an initial burst of rapid weight loss to kick-start their metabolism, followed by a period of more gradual weight loss, a phase designed to help prevent future weight gain, and a final set of rules designed to be followed for the rest of their lifetime.
