Foodies aren’t big fans of convenience foods, with 62% saying they would rarely or never order a takeaway, whilst 71% would rarely or never buy a ready meal, according to a national survey of over 5,000 British foodies conducted by Great British Chefs, the online food publisher.
The survey, which is part of the Great British Foodie White Paper and was carried out by 5,361 UK-based people who agreed with the statement “would you describe yourself as a foodie?”, found that British foodies have an insatiable appetite when it comes to being adventurous with food.
It found that British foodies are regularly cooking 44 different dishes and have close to 100 dishes in their repertoire. Far from sticking to chicken and salmon, they are cooking 31 different meats, fish, shellfish and game.
Comparing the sexes, the survey revealed that while all foodies love cooking, male foodies are even more experimental than female foodies, cooking double the number of exotic animals like kangaroo and crocodile and 20% more offal.
While many might have assumed that foodie TV is just for entertainment, over 95% of foodies admitted to cooking a dish that they had seen on a television programme.
The research shows that Brits are wildly experimental when it comes to their food, with a 91% of those surveyed admitting they eat almost everything and anything. It also found we are getting adventurous with our roasts, with almost half of those surveyed having cooked goose (47%), quail (40%) and many having tackled a suckling pig at home (18%).
A snoop inside the store cupboard reveals a truly global approach to cooking, with food lovers more likely to own Thai fish (63%) sauce than brown sauce (62%). Their go-to ingredients range far beyond stock cubes and tinned tomatoes, with soy sauce (92%), coconut milk (74%), harissa (51%), tahini (45%) and dried seaweed (22%) all featuring heavily in the foodie larder.
While foodies are still regularly cooking classics such as roast chicken (74%) and spaghetti bolognese (62%), they are also regularly making risotto (47%), fish pie (42%) Thai green curry (35%), chilli prawns (33%), tagine (21%) and paella (25%). Over a quarter have made dim sum (31%) or sushi (30%) at home and 14% have had a go at kimchi, a fermented vegetable dish from Korea.
Not content with cooking 44 dishes on regular rotation, UK foodies regularly bake their own bread (82%), make pickles (40%), brew beer (13%) and some even cure salami (5%). To do all this they’ve got a kitchen to rival the professionals as they own ice cream makers (36%), juicers (35%), smokers (12%) and sous vide machines (8%). They are preparing their produce with an army of traditional and technical gadgets, from sugar thermometers (48%) and mandolins (44%) to pizza stones (29%) and microplanes (33%).
The vast majority (82%) of foodies believe they are far better cooks than their parents, and they’re seeking inspiration from a huge variety of sources. When they are looking for a recipe they turn to their cook books (88%) or go online (85%). Their foodie inspiration comes from holidays abroad (76%), what they have eaten in UK restaurants (85%) or things they have seen on TV (83%). They are less likely to be inspired by what their friends and family have cooked for them (53%).
“Britain is one of the most multicultural places in the world, and our hunger for new ingredients, cuisines and techniques completely reflects this,” says Ollie Lloyd, chief executive of Great British Chefs. “Food in the UK today is influenced and inspired by travel, migration and the growing availability of a global store cupboard – it’s no surprise that we’re cooking with more diversity than ever before. It’s phenomenally exciting.”
