Roast potatoes and gravy are the most ubiquitous items on the Christmas dinner, with only around half opting for turkey
In previous years, YouGov has asked Britons what their ideal Christmas Day dinner would feature, but this year new YouGov research explores what Britons actually have on their plate at Christmas.
The Great British Christmas dinner is… turkey and roast potatoes
For the main meat of the average British Christmas dinner, turkey (54%) is the clear favourite with a 44-percentage point lead on the second most popular meat, Chicken (10%). Previous YouGov research showed that turkey was the also the preferred meat of choice for 52% of Britons in their ideal Christmas dinner.
Vegetarian alternatives are the main for 8% of Christmas dinners, but are more popular among the young (13% of 18-24-year olds versus 7% of over 65s). Meat free substitutes are also more favoured by women (12%) than men (5%).
Other meats had at Christmas time but less popular include beef (7%), lamb (3%), pork (3%). The other birds come in last with goose and duck only featuring in 2% and 1% of Christmas meals respectively.
When it comes to sides, the humble yet crisp roast potato reigns supreme. Last year roast potatoes defeated pigs in blankets to be crowned the single best Christmas food in a knock-out style competition, unsurprising given that 88% of Britons will have them as part of their typical Christmas lunch, the most popular element overall.
Gravy is a close second, featuring on eight out of ten (80%) of Christmas dinners, vastly outcompeting other condiments such as cranberry sauce (41%), bread sauce (15%) and ketchup (2%).
Of the vegetables, carrots are the second most common sight on a Christmas dinner (74%) however, only 65% of Britons previously picked out carrots for their ideal Christmas dinner, meaning around 9% of the population could be begrudgingly eating carrots this year and dreaming of something else.
Despite their reputation, Brussels Sprout are the second most common vegetable, appearing on 66% of Britons Christmas dinners, followed by 59% who typically have parsnips.
Yorkshire puddings, despite being a traditional pairing for beef rather than turkey, are also a common choice (50%).
Less common sides at Christmas include broccoli (44%), peas (38%), the infamously non-traditional cauliflower (34%) and mashed potatoes (30%).
Traditional Christmas dinner features turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and vegetables. Other types of poultry, roast beef, or ham, are also used. Pumpkin or apple pie, raisin pudding, Christmas pudding, or fruitcake are staples for dessert.
Feasts were held to celebrate the pagan midwinter solstice, and archaeological digs have discovered that the most popular meats served up were pork and beef. Pork would be cooked over spits, while beef would be chopped up and used in hearty winter stews.
1. Turkey. Let's admit it, a whole turkey is the best and most traditional meat for Christmas dinners. Originally gracing our plates in the 16th century, popular history tells of King Henry VIII being the first English monarch to have turkey for Christmas.
A twelve-dish Christmas Eve supper is traditionally prepared to commemorate Jesus' twelve disciples in Central, Northern and Eastern European cultures, especially those that were formerly part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and neighbouring countries.
There was gender bias to the survey, showing that men preferred to devour their festive feast at the later hour of 3pm and women opted for slightly earlier at 2pm. The turkey might be the star of the show when it comes to a traditional.
Introduction: My name is Jeremiah Abshire, I am a outstanding, kind, clever, hilarious, curious, hilarious, outstanding person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
Other meats had at Christmas time but less popular include beef (7%), lamb (3%), pork (3%). The other birds come in last with goose and duck only featuring in 2% and 1% of Christmas meals respectively.
