Diners turning their backs on Sunday roasts and fish Fridays

24 February 2017 by
Diners turning their backs on Sunday roasts and fish Fridays

Diners are turning their backs on classic British dining traditions such as the Sunday roast in favour of more contemporary options.

That's according to a quarterly dining trends report by online booking platform Bookatable, which found only one in five diners enjoy a roast every Sunday compared to 44% of diners 10 years ago.

The number of people opting for fish on Friday has decreased with only one in 10 upholding the weekly tradition, compared to nearly a quarter (23%) 10 years ago. And more than half of British diners (52%) never opt for a full English breakfast on Saturday, with some choosing instead to go for Saturday brunch, for which there has been an increase in bookings of over 102%.

The data revealed Sunday bookings for non-European cuisines has increased significantly; by 71% at Chinese restaurants in 2016 and 61% at Thai restaurants since 2015.

Of the 1,000 British adults surveyed, 30% said Sunday roasts have become more expensive. In 1997, 64% of people spent up to £10 on a roast with all the trimmings. In 2017 nearly one in five will spend between £16 and £20 on the traditional British meal. The research also shows that almost one in five consumers feel roasts have become more sophisticated and ‘trendy'.

Fish and chips was deemed the most ‘traditional' British meal (61%), followed by the Sunday roast (56%) and full English fry-up breakfast (32%).

Josephine Ellis, head of communications for Bookatable Europe, said: "Over the past 10 years, Britain has cemented itself as one of the food capitals of the world. While in the past, meals were often regimented around British ingredients, today, people are looking to be more adventurous with their food as they get out more and discover the range of food options on their doorstep. This is not to say that British cuisine is no longer a popular choice, just that people are looking to enjoy everything that the UK food scene has to offer."

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