Weekender: Britain’s Christmas dinner debate

The country is divided in its opinion on mashed potato at Christmas as stats reveal you’re much more likely to want mash on your Christmas dinner plate if you live in the North of Britain, compared to the South.

Those living in the North East are most likely to choose mashed potato, with three quarters of residents picking it as part of their perfect plate – and more than half of those living in the East Midlands (54 per cent) – while only one in five people living in the South East would consider it a crucial part of their Christmas dinner.

Looking to discover what the nation’s preferred Christmas dinner plate comprises of, Seasonal Spuds – an initiative backed by the UK’s leading potato producer Branston that looks to inspire the public to enjoy more potatoes – commissioned the online YouGov survey of more than 1,800 members of the public who celebrate Christmas across England, Scotland and Wales.

Jackie Baker, communications manager at Branston, said: “Admittedly, we were hoping to see spuds rank highly, but we were stunned to see such a north south divide on mash.”

The East Midlands’ favourite Christmas dinner plate has also been revealed; a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

ROAST POTATOES TOP THE LIST

Baker added: “There is one thing the nation can agree on however, and that’s our love of roast potatoes. Regardless of age, gender or location the survey placed roast potatoes at the top of people’s dinner wish list this Christmas.”

The stats revealed that on the average dream Christmas dinner plate, 92 per cent of people included roast potatoes. 94 per cent opted for either roasts or mash and 40 per cent were doubling up; choosing both options to create their perfect plate of festive food*.

Baker continued: “It just wouldn’t be Christmas without potatoes – and they’re so versatile you can cook them however you want to satisfy all your Christmas guests.”

So, it’s no wonder that demand soars for spuds during the run-up to Christmas. Sales of fresh potatoes and ready-prepared roasties experience a massive increase at this time of year.

“Our teams work around the clock to meet the demand for extra spuds in the final weeks of December. Production ramps up by over 80 per cent to make sure there are enough fresh potatoes in supermarkets**. And in our Prepared factory we produce an extra 115,000 packs of ready-to-roast potatoes through December.”

MATURING PALETTES

As well as showing differences in opinion depending on your location, the survey also showed clear differences in opinion depending on when you were born. Veering away from tradition, nearly three quarters of Gen Z, millennials and Gen X (18 to 44-year-olds) included Yorkshire puddings in their ideal Christmas dinner, compared to just half (51 per cent) of baby boomers (over 55s)*.

The survey also revealed that Brexit isn’t the only time Brussels is causing divided opinions between age groups.

“It looks like it really is true that you learn to love the taste of Brussels sprouts as you get older,” said Jackie.

“Less than half of 18 to 24-year-olds (48 per cent) wanted the green vegetable on their ideal Christmas dinner. Meanwhile, for more than three quarters of over 55s (78 per cent), Christmas isn’t complete without the traditional trimming.”

MAKE MINE MEAT FREE

Younger generations are also more likely to opt for meat-free gravy compared to their mature counterpart. Almost one in four 18 to 24-year-olds picked meat free gravy (24 per cent), whereas less than one in ten people (9 per cent) aged 55+ chose veggie gravy – similarly just 9% of over 55s would choose a nut roast.

Baker added: “There is no denying the huge debate about eating meat products and flexitarians, vegans, and vegetarians becoming more mainstream. This is known to be something that’s influencing younger generations and our stats back this up.”

From the options provided in the survey, 81 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds included a product containing meat*** – significantly lower than the national average, which is 89 per cent.

*Results calculated using variables combined in Crunch

**Figures supplied by Branston Ltd

***Product options containing meat included meat gravy, pigs in blankets, beef, gammon/ham, lamb, chicken, goose, turkey