SPAG BOL IS OFFICIALLY THE NATION’S FAVOURITE DINNER

Picture this: a bustling kitchen filled with laughter and the comforting aroma of a Sunday roast wafting through the air. In our British household, favorite family meals aren’t just about filling our bellies; they’re about creating unforgettable moments together. Whether it’s the sizzle of a Friday night fish and chips extravaganza or the warmth of a home-cooked shepherd’s pie, these meals are more than just food—they’re the threads that weave our family stories. From countryside cottages to urban flats, the joy of sharing a plate is a universal language that brings us closer, turning ordinary dinners into extraordinary memories. In our culinary adventure, each family has its secret recipe, a delicious heritage that transcends generations, making every bite a taste of home and togetherness.

A new study has revealed as many as seven in ten (72 percent) parents are being thriftier with their cooking, due to the increased cost of living, while 74 percent are cooking more meals from scratch. And according to the poll, the top fail-safe family dinner is a classic spag bol (49 percent) followed by roast chicken (45 percent), omelette (43 percent) and a baked potato with cheese and beans (41 percent).

Simple suppers such as scrambled eggs on toast (40 percent), mac and cheese (21 percent) and toad in the hole (19 percent) are back on British dinner tables, as parents tighten their purse strings. Cottage pie (35 percent), chilli (29 percent), ham, egg and chips (29 percent), pasta carbonara (28 percent) and sausage casserole (26 percent) also made the final top 20.

Almost half (47 percent) are buying more staple ingredients such as eggs, pasta and rice, with 52 percent buying more own brand products, according to the research from British Lion eggs.

Four in ten (42 percent) are cooking with more frozen ingredients, while a third (36 percent) say they are buying less pre-prepared food (36 percent). One in four (26 percent) have even reduced portion sizes to cut costs.

Seven in ten (72 percent) families in the UK say they have a go-to range of cost-saving meals that they regularly cook, with the average family having four in their own personal arsenal.

However, this doesn’t stop seven in ten (79 percent) saying they regularly struggle to decide what to cook for dinner, with the average family debating for 39 minutes a day about what to eat for their evening meal.

A regular star of the dinner table, egg-based meals appear nine times in the list with 87 percent of the 2,000 parents interviewed saying that they are their go-to ingredient for a family dinner

Being easy (70 percent) and quick to cook (65 percent), good value (60 percent), tasty (59 percent) and versatile (57 percent) are the main reasons for the popularity of eggs as an essential ingredient.

On average, families across the country consume ten protein packed eggs a week, an increase on three years ago for almost half (47 percent).

Gary Ford, from British Lion eggs, says: “It’s clear from the research that the way families are cooking has changed over the last few years, with three quarters of us cooking more meals from scratch in a bid to save money.

Over half of us are turning to staple ingredients to create cost saving but delicious family meals. Eggs are not just affordable, they are also nutritious, quick, versatile and filling – ticking lots of boxes for families making meals day in day out on tighter budgets.”

Two thirds (68 percent) admit that they are sitting down and eating together as a family more in a bid to save money, with the priorities when planning what to cook for the family being everyone likes it (60 percent), it’s healthy (54 percent), filling (53 percent), full of nutrients (37 percent), freezable (28 percent) and high in protein (28 percent).

86 percent of Brits are eating fewer takeaways as a result of prices going up, with a further 71 percent regularly eating leftovers for lunch the next day.

In fact, 59 percent admit that the increasing cost of food has actually helped them make healthier, home cooked choices.

TOP 20 FAIL-SAFE FAMILY DINNERS, ACCORDING TO BRITISH MUMS AND DADS..

 

1. Spaghetti Bolognese – 49%
2. Roast chicken – 45%
3. Omelette – 43%
4. Baked potato with cheese and beans – 41%
5. Scrambled eggs on toast – 40%
6. Cottage pie – 35%
7. Chilli – 29%
8. Ham, egg and chips – 29%
9. Pasta carbonara – 28%
10. Sausage casserole – 26%
11. Homemade vegetable soup – 23%
12. Mac and cheese – 21%
13. Homemade pizza – 21%
14. Stew and dumplings – 21%
15. Toad in the hole – 19%
16. Egg fried rice – 18%
17. Pork chops – 17%
18. Roast pork – 16%
19. Bubble and squeak – 16%
20. Dippy eggs and soldiers – 15%