- New research has revealed the favourite cuisines of 15 UK cities.
- Chinese food is the overall UK favourite after being named the most popular cuisine in Glasgow, Newcastle, Belfast and Plymouth.
- 239,000 additional searches for Chinese food recipes in April 2020, as lockdown Brits cook their favourite meals at home.
A new study has revealed the favourite global cuisines in 15 major cities in the UK.
The research, conducted by meal kit delivery company HelloFresh, has looked at the search demand for different cuisines in cities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland across a 12 month period.
Of the 15 cities analysed, Chinese food is the most popular in four cities — Glasgow, Newcastle, Belfast and Plymouth — making it the UK’s overall favourite cuisine.
Keen to make their favourite meals at home, chow mein is one of Britain’s best-loved Chinese dishes. On average, there are 5,900 searches for chow mein recipes and 4,400 for chicken chow mein recipes each month.
Italian food is the favourite cuisine in Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield, securing second place in the overall rankings.
Lasagne is Britain’s best loved Italian dish, with 70,000 people searching for a recipe each month. Other classic Italian dishes followed in second and third place, with 54,000 searches for pizza dough recipes and 31,000 searches for spaghetti bolognese recipes.
Mexican, Indian and Japanese food were tied in third place, with each a favourite in two UK cities. Edinburgh and Bristol residents like Mexican food best, while Cardiff and Portsmouth prefer Indian cuisine. People in London and Manchester were found to favour Japanese food.
Mexican dips are the most popular to make at home; in an average month, 42,000 people browse for guacamole recipes online while 21,000 look for salsa recipes.
Chicken curry is the most searched for Indian dish at 23,000 times per month. With 9,700 searches, chicken tikka masala is the curry Brits crave most, while 10,000 people look for how to make a rice-based biryani dish each month.
Of the top three Japanese dishes that Brits want to make at home, 17,000 people search for ramen recipes each month, followed by 4,100 people looking for sushi recipes and 3,600 who want miso soup recipes.
The research also examined where different cuisines are most popular in the UK, including locations outside of the 15 major cities. The district of Hambleton in North Yorkshire likes Italian cuisine the most out of the whole of the UK, while the London Borough of Hounslow has the most fans of Indian cuisine.
With restaurants temporarily closing in lockdown, the number of Brits looking for recipes online skyrocketed in April 2020 compared to April 2019, as people attempted to make their favourite meals at home. In a single month, there were 239,000 additional searches for Chinese recipes, while Spanish recipes and Indian recipes were up 120,000 and 97,000 respectively.
Speaking of the data, HelloFresh commented: “It’s great to see that a range of global cuisines are so popular in the UK and that a growing number of Brits are cooking their favourite dishes at home.
“Lockdown changed the pace of life for many of us, giving us more time to explore our hobbies and interests. For some, this has meant spending more time in the kitchen, developing skills that we can benefit from long after the lockdown has ended.”
View the map in full and find more information about which recipes are most in-demand here.