Celebrating 50 years of manufacturing at its King’s Lynn site, Mars Food UK has released a new study, polling almost 2,000 Brits, that explores the dining behaviours of the British public.
The research into what we’re eating, when and how, shows that although we are holding on to some of our traditional eating habits, many of our behaviours have changed, and no doubt will interest our high street restaurant chains for the light it may shed on how menus are also changing.
Highlights:
- Traditional roast dinner and Spaghetti Bolognese voted most popular meals
- Two fifths of households eat together every day – with East Anglians the most social diners, and Londoners the loneliest
- We’re also sharing our meals with online friends – 20% of us share pictures of our food with friends on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, with half of all 18-24 year olds and 6% of over 65s
- 65% of people describe cooking as a hobby rather than a chore
- Best thing since sliced bread – one quarter of us can’t live without cooking sauces, just behind the humble loaf
Sunday Roast rules
Classic British favourite, the Sunday roast, has regained its crown as the UK’s most popular meal – two thirds of us regularly reach for the roasting tray, a figure that rises to nearly 80% in the North East. While curry has often been considered Britain’s top-dish, it was beaten by Spaghetti Bolognese and roast dinners to third place and was closely followed by another British classic, bangers and mash.
Multi-tasking at the dinner table
Although almost 40% of us are eating our evening meal together every single day, what we are doing at home whilst we are eating has evolved – as it has in restaurants!
More than a quarter of Brits (26%) are reading whilst they eat, which include the use of electronic devices such as kindles and iPads and a quarter are checking their phones. While we’re sharing our mealtimes with those physically around us, one in five of us also upload pictures of our food to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter; with half of 18-24s posting pictures and 6% of over 65s now whipping out their smartphones to take a snap of the dinner plate and share with friends online.
Men seek their cooking inspiration from external influences
Men seek their cooking inspiration from recipes in cookery books, one in five taking mealtime inspiration from travelling abroad and almost one fifth (17%) bravely emulating dishes they’ve tried in restaurants.
Positive attitude to cooking
We are also seeing a positive attitude to cooking, with 65% of us enjoying preparing food and considering it a hobby rather than a chore. The older and younger generations are the most enthusiastic when it comes to home cooking, with almost three quarters considering it an enjoyable pastime.
Caroline Yeldham, Food Historian comments: “As a nation, we’ve embraced cooking as a hobby – having fun, sharing food and turning a meal into a social occasion; a younger ‘Come Dine With Me’ generation has developed, and supper clubs where people pay to ‘go out to dine in’ at someone’s home have emerged.”
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