Roast beef, roast chicken, and roast turkey are the top meals Brits like to enjoy gravy on – but one in ten love the brown sauce so much that they claim to put it on “everything”, a study has found. Some of the more unusual foods Brits will pour gravy over include cake, rice, and burgers – while 11 per cent have it on a pizza, and one in ten even top pasta with it.
A poll of 2,000 adults revealed almost half (42 per cent) consider gravy to be a British staple – with 11 per cent drinking it from a flask, and 13 per cent consuming it in the car. Nearly three-quarters of Brits (73 per cent) say they are fans of the brown stuff, and typically enjoy it three times a week.
In fact, one in three (32 per cent) claim they would rather have gravy than a pint of beer, while 29 per cent would opt for it over a glass of wine, and one in five would choose it instead of chocolate. Other unusual applications include pouring it over pancakes (six per cent), cereal (five per cent), jacket potatoes (nine per cent), hash browns (seven per cent), and rice (seven per cent).
The research, commissioned by Schwartz to celebrate the launch of its new Signature Gravy, also found the top dishes to enjoy with gravy are roast meats – with almost half pouring it over beef (48 per cent), chicken (48 per cent) and turkey (45 per cent).
These are followed by Yorkshire pudding, and sausage or pie with mash. One in five adults are in team “chips with gravy”, while 12 per cent enjoy it with fried chicken.
A spokesman from Schwartz said: “The extent of the nation’s love of gravy goes far beyond traditional combinations, with people enjoying gravy with salad, mac and cheese, and even cereal. Regionally there have always been differences when it comes to gravy preferences, and chips and gravy is one of the biggest food debates. But clearly, one thing everyone agrees on is that you can’t have a roast dinner, mashed potato, or Yorkshire pud, without a splash of gravy.”
Going against the longstanding assumption that northerners are the biggest gravy advocates, Oxford was revealed as the UK’s gravy capital, with 41 per cent of residents claiming to “love” it. In fact, Oxonians love gravy so much that 26 per cent tuck into meals with gravy more than 10 times per week.
Manchester residents (40 per cent) are the UK’s second biggest gravy lovers, followed by Londoners (39 per cent). The research also found 27 per cent of all adults have been known to ask for extra gravy when dining out – while one in five (21 per cent) have eaten it with a spoon, and 14 per cent have even taken their own mix on holiday.
Leftover sauce on a plate is likely to be wiped up with bread by 37 per cent – but a quarter (23 per cent) will simply tip their plate and slurp up the rest to avoid waste. It also emerged a third of Brits (34 per cent) consider gravy a comfort food, and for 28 per cent, one of their favourite things about the colder season is having meals with gravy – with the sauce making people feel homely (42 per cent), comfortable (42 per cent), and warm (39 per cent).
The study, carried out via OnePoll, also found 29 per cent of those polled claim they can confidently tell the difference in tastes between various gravy brands.
TOP 40 FOODS BRITS ENJOY WITH GRAVY:
- Roast beef
- Roast chicken
- Roast turkey
- Yorkshire pudding
- Sausage and mash
- Pie and mash
- Roast lamb
- Roast pork
- Toad in the hole
- Cottage pie
- Lamb chops
- Beef brisket
- Pork chops
- Casserole
- Roast duck
- Chips
- Steak
- Meatballs
- Pulled pork
- Nut roast
- Beef stroganoff
- Fried chicken
- Jacket potato
- Onion rings
- Sliced white bread
- Hash browns
- Pizza
- Poutine
- Rice
- Burgers
- Curry
- Pancakes
- Salad
- Mac and cheese
- Sandwiches
- Breadsticks
- Pasta
- Biscuits
- Cereal
- Cake
