More than half of Brits are ‘stuck in a rut’ when it comes to mealtimes – eating just six different meals on a loop.
A study of 2,000 adults found 59 per cent tend to cook the same dishes and rotate them throughout the week.
And 46 per cent even stick to the repetitive foods on specific days.
The most common teatime treats include spaghetti Bolognese, fish and chips and curry.
More than a quarter admitted they’d like to reshape their mealtime habits in 2021, but barriers include a lack of time (29 per cent), budget (23 per cent) and low cooking skills (22 per cent).
Simon Langley at KitchenAid UK & Ireland, which commissioned the research, said: “It’s easy to get stuck into a simple routine when it comes to food and it can be difficult to find inspiration or motivation to mix things up.
“It’s encouraging to see people want to reshape their habits and what better time than in a new year?
“Eating more creative, healthy and flavoursome dishes doesn’t have to be complex or time consuming.
“A little determination, some basic tips and the right appliances can help develop better eating habits and create nutritious and delicious meals.”
The study also found a roast dinner, pizza and stir fry are popular go-to dishes.
On average, an evening meal takes 40 minutes to cook and 59 per cent said what they choose to eat is often dictated by how much time they have.
Brits typically describe their current diet as repetitive (30 per cent), basic (28 per cent) and unimaginative (13 per cent).
The 30 most common dinners
1. Spaghetti Bolognese
2. Pizza
3. Pasta with a sauce
4. Roast dinner
5. Fish and chips
6. Curry
7. Jacket potato
8. Stir fry
9. Sausage and mash
10. Shepherd’s pie
11. Lasagne
12. Soup
13. Chili con carne
14. Chicken and rice
15. Burgers / veggie burgers
16. Casserole
17. Omelette
18. Stew
19. Steak
20. Salmon
21. Meatballs
22. Pork chops
23. Breaded chicken
24. Beans on toast
25. Pasta bake
26. Pie
27. Salad
28. Fajitas
29. Fishcakes
30. Macaroni cheese
But instead, they would prefer it to be healthier (43 per cent), flavoursome (31 per cent) and exciting (25 per cent).
More than two thirds also admitted their typical food shop consists of the same ingredients week in week out, with 17 per cent finding it difficult to change their mealtime habits.
Despite this, a quarter would like their mealtimes to be more rewarding and 30 per cent are also keen to improve their cooking skills in order to reshape their diet.
And a tenth of those polled via OnePoll are more likely to stick to a new eating plan if it is ‘easy’.
Of those who have tried a new year’s diet in the past, more than half were unsuccessful and put this down to struggling to know what to cook (32 per cent), not having the time to fully commit (29 per cent) and simply finding it ‘boring’ (34 per cent).
KitchenAid teamed up with chef and food writer, John Gregory Smith, to create some exciting spins on two of the top 10 meals Brits cook on rotation – a roast dinner and fish and chips.
John said: “It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut when cooking and if you want to get something on the table quickly you’re just going to do what you know.
“Time is one of the key constraints when it comes to cooking, we all lead busy lives and sometimes food can be bottom of the pile – but you can always make something amazing in minutes.”
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