British tops list of UK diners’ favourite foods
The majority of respondents to the survey said they picked restaurants serving British food over other cuisines when eating out.
Heather Rogers, general manager of Travelzoo’s UK restaurant deal business said: “British consumers like to think of themselves as adventurous in their dining habits, but we have found there is still a real affection for traditional British food.
“When you consider the incredible success of programmes such as The Great British Bake Off, as well as the general evolution of the British restaurant scene, it’s not that surprising that as a nation we are proud to support British restaurants.
“Thankfully things have changed dramatically since the days when scampi and chips was the most exotic thing on the menu in UK pubs and restaurants!”
Regional differences
British cuisine beat Indian, Italian and Chinese food in the national ranking, with regional differences. For example, Italian came first in Brighton, while Scotland, London and Manchester crowned Indian cuisine as their favourite.
Travelzoo then looked at how British food is represented abroad, unearthing specialities such as Marmite pizza in New Zealand, bangers and mash on a US breakfast menu, black pudding with mushrooms, bacon and mango chutney in Spain, Scotch egg and avocado salad in Hong Kong and a bacon and black pudding in Australia.
Eating out habits
Additionally, 70 per cent of respondents said they have a favourite local restaurant they visit regularly.
In terms of frequency, 30 per cent of 18-24-year-olds said they dine out several times a month, compared to 16 per cent of those aged 45-54.
The younger age group also seems to like American food more than others, with about 10 per cent claiming this as their favourite type of cuisine, while just 14 per cent picked British food.
The majority of respondents prefer to travel less than 20 minutes to dine out, though 64 per cent of Londoners are happy to travel longer.
Top 10 favourite cuisines
- British
- Indian
- Italian
- Chinese
- Gastro pub
- Thai
- American
- Mexican
- French
- Sushi/Japanese
