Britons are grocery shopping at least twice as often as they were five years ago, according to a report by Waitrose.

So-called "time poor" shoppers are increasingly switching to buying little and often, with spending up in convenience stores and a quarter of consumers visiting one every day, statistics compiled by the supermarket reveal.

The convenience factor has stretched as far as preparing a drink, with the retailer's sales of ready-to-drink alcohol such as gin and tonic in a can up 40% on last year.

Sales of Mexican meal kits are up 20%, Thai meal kits have jumped 15% and on-the-go breakfast products have seen a 10% increase on last year.

But the report claims that the increase in shoppers buying little and often has resulted in a 21% drop in the amount of food thrown out over the past seven years.

The supermarket has responded to the change in shopping habits with plans to have opened 21 Little Waitrose convenience stores across the UK by the end of the year, including eight in London.

Waitrose managing director Mark Price said: "The twin pillars of convenience and technology mean that people shop more often, and in ways that suit them."

Among other big sellers over the past year are the Italian aperitif Aperol, which has seen sales up 800% on last year, while sales of English wine are up 100% over the same period.

Meanwhile, sales of honey overtook jam for the first time and consumers developed a taste for Austrian wine (up 25%), premium tequila (up 100%) and alcoholic ice tea.

Food trends saw sales of flower sprouts - a cross between Brussels sprouts and kale - take off, while venison and bone marrow both increased in popularity, till figures show.

Consumers are now four times as likely to buy a katsu curry kit as they are tikka masala, the report reveals.

Sales of Tunnock's tea cakes increased by 62% after they featured in the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, and sales of South American wines were up 50% during the World Cup in Brazil.

Alcoholic gifts for the teacher appear to have soared, with sales of Champagne up 26% and bottle gift bags up 44% at the end of term in July.

Looking ahead to next year, the supermarket has predicted consumers will continue to move on from drinking tequila slammers to "savouring and appreciating" the spirit, and will branch out to try Japanese whisky.

It is also tipping Peruvian food as a new trend, while snacks and drinks will go "upmarket" in the form of new ready-to-drink cocktails with premium ingredients and doughnuts with alternative shapes and fillings.

And seventies dinner party classics such as beef bourguignon will reappear but with lighter ingredients such as vegetable stock.

A survey found four in 10 people now say that the weekend has become more of an "event" in terms of what they eat, while a fifth of households are cooking for friends at weekends more often than they were a year ago.

Mr Price said: "We have seen that Britain has become a lot thriftier, probably for the better. Shoppers have refused to let go of the shopping habits they adopted during the recession.

"But, despite this, three things remain constant: Britons' culinary curiosity, their love of good food and their desire to eat healthily.

"We are fast becoming a nation of foodies. Increasing numbers of people have moved from seeing eating as functional to seeing it as an experience to be relished and enjoyed.

"Today, more than ever before, people see food and cooking as a hobby. All these factors feed into how we eat in 2014."

:: OnePoll surveyed 1,000 UK adults on August 27-28.