What you told us: The cooking habits of the nation

Popular belief seems to suggest we've all given up cooking at home to sit in front of the TV, ready-meals on our laps in lonely isolation. With books like ‘Delia Smith's How to Cheat at Cooking' encouraging us to stop preparing fresh ingredients and simply open a tin, it looks like the nation's culinary skills are in dire straits.

 

Wrong! A recent All About You survey, in association with Philadelphia, showed that the complete opposite is true. People are returning to the kitchen in increasing numbers and eating home-cooked meals with family and friends is popular again.

 

Home cooking on the up

 

Over half of you cook a main meal at home every single day, while a further third cook four to six times per week. And a whopping 71% of respondents to the All About You survey have a light meal every day. And we are eating together in greater numbers, with 82% cooking for two to four people. Meanwhile 83% cook for friends and extended family, albeit only occasionally.

 

What are we eating?

 

Tried and tested recipes are popular and over 40% of you have between five and nine dishes in your repertoire. Most people cook with fruit and vegetables on a regular basis, and we're healthy in our meat choices as well, with the majority preferring white meat to red. We are a nation with a sweet tooth however! Over three quarters of us will have a dessert three times a week or less - with only 5% never eating dessert.

 

Trying something new

 

Who says we're in a rut in the kitchen?! Most people (71%) try a new recipe at least once a month. However in our stretched-for-time society, we don't really plan ahead - with most of us planning our meals on the same day or the day before. The most important factor influencing our choice of what to cook is the ingredients we have at home - time of course is also an influential factor.

 

More good news

 

But the good news is that we like to eat food in season and healthy eating is very important. Great news for a country that is being falsely sold as nation of couch potatoes! So with all this in mind, we've teamed up with Philadelphia, and put together a whole feast of inspirational and exciting recipes. We'll be sharing them with you over the next few months - so keep checking back!

For more recipes and tips on how to get inspired in the kitchen go to www.philadelphia.co.uk, or click here for your chance to win a break for two at a top cookery school.