Baking bread, stocking up on harissa and cooking quail – these are just a few of the things Britain’s foodies are doing on a regular basis. Since the start of the year we’ve been asking our readers what they like to cook, how they like to cook it and what inspires them. Over 5,000 self-confessed foodies shared their cooking and eating habits, and the results proved that we truly are a food-obsessed nation.
While the average Brit tends to cook the same seven dishes week-in, week-out, self-confessed foodies regularly cook an incredible forty-four and have close to 100 dishes in their repertoire. Almost all – 91% to be exact – are happy to eat anything and everything, with a surprising number of home cooks tackling exotic meats like ostrich, suckling pig and even crocodile.
Perhaps the most important results of the survey shed light on what we have in our fridges and cupboards, showing that international influences have truly shaped how we cook and eat at home. Today, foodies are more likely to own a bottle of Thai fish sauce than brown sauce, over half always have harissa on standby and over a fifth stock up on dried seaweed. Perhaps this is why foodies are regularly cooking dishes like tagine and Thai green curry or giving more advanced techniques a go by making their own dim sum, sushi and kimchi. With all these ingredients to hand, it’s no wonder that 85% cook from scratch when they need to rustle up a quick meal, rather than reaching for a ready meal or takeaway menu.