Sheffield Is Home To The Dullest Dinners In The Country, According To Research

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Sheffield is home to the dullest dinners in the country, according to research.

A poll of 2,000 adults across 12 major cities found 52 per cent of residents in the Yorkshire city felt their meals lacked adventure and invention.

Spaghetti Bolognese, jacket potatoes and curry were among the most commonly cooked evening meals, while 33 per cent said they usually stuck to what they knew.

Some 46 per cent admitted they were stuck in a rut when it came to deciding what to cook for dinner, and 22 per cent described their meals as not very flavourful or not flavourful at all.

However, 28 per cent were willing to try jerk chicken from the Caribbean for the first time, and 22 per cent were open to trying jollof rice from West Africa.

Interestingly, 31 per cent would try unfamiliar fruits and vegetables such as jackfruit, while 26 per cent were open to trying seafood they had never eaten before.

The findings suggest a gap between wanting to try new flavours and experimenting with them at home, as 43 per cent were more adventurous with their food choices when eating out.

While only eight per cent actively experimented with new flavours and ingredients at home.

Additionally 21 per cent said they lacked confidence in the kitchen, while lack of time (38 per cent), the cost of ingredients (31 per cent) and lack of inspiration (22 per cent) were cited as barriers to making evening meals more exciting.

When asked which meal they would choose if they could eat only one for the rest of their lives, respondents named roast dinner, fish and chips, and pizza as their top choices.

The research was commissioned by world food brand Tropical Sun Foods [] to mark its 30th anniversary.

Emma Macorison, from the brand, said: "We Brits have a reputation for bland food, and the poll suggests many of us are playing it safe, relying on the same meals and ingredients on rotation.

"But you don't have to reinvent the wheel.

"A sprinkling of seasoning or a dollop of sauce can be all it takes to make your dinner sing.

"We want to help people bring flavours from around the world into their everyday cooking."

The study also found, when it came to the spice rack, salt (80 per cent) and pepper (73 per cent) were the most popular seasonings in people's cupboards, followed by paprika (63 per cent).

Chinese five spice (30 per cent), jerk seasoning (15 per cent) and harissa (15 per cent) were less common.

The research, carried out via OnePoll, also discovered 37 per cent felt they were more adventurous with food than when they were younger.

Meanwhile, 30 per cent said they cooked a meal from a cuisine they had not eaten as children a few times a month, showing how dinners have evolved over the past 30 years.

Emma Macorison from Tropical Sun Foods added: "I remember trying spaghetti Bolognese for the first time in the 1990s.

“Now it's one of the dinners people cook most often.

"As the brand celebrates 30 years, we want to keep that sense of discovery alive, whether that means cooking jollof rice for the first time or trying a new seasoning in an old favourite."

TOP 20 MOST POPULAR DINNERS BRITS REGULARLY COOK:

1. Spaghetti Bolognese

2. Jacket potato

3. Curry

4. Pizza

5. Stir-fry

6. Salad

7. Sausage and mash

8. Pasta bake

9. Fish and chips

10. Shepherd's pie/cottage pie

11. Lasagne

12. Chilli con carne

13. Chicken and chips

14. Soup

15. Noodles

16. Beans on toast

17. Pie and chips

18. Omelette

19. Steak and chips

20. Fajitas

TOP 10 FOODS AND FLAVOURS BRITS WOULD BE WILLING TO TRY FOR THE FIRST TIME:

1. Unfamiliar fruits and vegetables, such as jackfruit

2. Jerk chicken

3. International seasonings and spice blends, such as za'atar

4. Seafood they have never tried before

5. Jollof rice

6. Adobo chicken

7. Plant-based alternatives

8. Nasi Goreng

9. Pad Kra Pao

10. Fermented foods

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