Bovril dropped for balsamic as UK homes go gourmet: Couscous, harissa and coconut milk replace traditional staples like corned beef, condensed milk and spam
- Bovril and sardines, once common in U.K. cupboards, are falling out of fashion
- Baked beans, biscuits, tinned soup, and lentils remain popular after forty years
British cupboards are now home to staples few would have heard of in 1980 including couscous, harissa and coconut milk, according to a study.
Research among 2,000 adults found one in three homes now have a bottle of soy sauce available at all times, 10 per cent always have rice crackers and 25 per cent consider balsamic vinegar an essential ingredient.
However, corned beef, condensed milk and spam are only likely to be found in a parent’s or grandparent’s cupboard – along with tinned peaches (27 per cent), tinned sardines (21 per cent) and Bovril (21 per cent).
But some favourites have stood the test of time, with baked beans, biscuits, tinned soup, chopped tomatoes, tinned tuna, and lentils still commonplace after 40 years.
Almost a fifth (18 per cent) believe there are five to ten items at the back of their cupboards which are long past their use by date.
Couscous is among some of the ‘new’ ingredient staples found in British cupboards (file image)
Coconut milk is also among new products that have muscled their way onto British palates (file image)
Research has found one in three British households now have soy sauce on hand (file image)
And 61 per cent even think they’ve got spices, tins or bags with foodstuffs that are up to four years old.
Exactly one in ten respondents say they can’t remember the last time they had a proper sort-out of their kitchen cupboards, as 52 per cent admit they worry about throwing away and wasting staple foodstuffs.
Just over eight in ten (83 per cent) are likely to save cooked food and use them as leftovers, rather than throw them away.
Of these, 79 per cent hate to see food wasted, and 51 per cent fret about how much more expensive food is now, according to the OnePoll.com data.
To bulk out their meals, 48 per cent are adding more vegetables, and 32 per cent will include old leftovers in a new meal.
Around a fifth (19 per cent) will experiment with the items in their cupboards to enhance a meal they’re making and reduce waste.
When it comes to helping others, half of us (49 per cent) have donated to food banks and charities – with 19 per cent donating more to food bank in recent years to help with the cost-of-living crisis.
British classic Bovril is among the products to have become less popular over recent decades
Tinned sardines, once a staple in many U.K. larders, are now only found in 21 per cent of them
Research found that tinned tuna remained popular, coming in at the eighth most common cupboard staple
The study was commissioned by SPAR to launch its ‘Giving One Million Meals’ project with charity FareShare.
SPAR is donating £250,000, with contributions from Coco-Cola and Robinsons, and for every £1 given, FareShare can redistribute enough food for the equivalent of four meals to people in need across the UK.
Suzanne Dover from SPAR said: ‘We understand how important it is to have the cupboard essentials you need to hand and it’s really interesting to see how these essentials have changed over the years and which are still our firm favourites.’
Polly Bianchi, director of fundraising at FareShare, added: ‘The donation will make a significant contribution to our work getting good-to-eat food, which might otherwise go to waste, to people who need it.
‘As the winter months approach, our network of 8,500 charities across the UK will be working hard to provide hearty, nourishing meals for people in their communities.
‘Each group provides vital wraparound services to support people impacted by the cost of living crisis and the contribution made will go a long way to strengthening those communities.’
BRITS’ TOP 40 LARDER STAPLES
1. Pasta
2. Baked beans
3. Rice
4. Chopped tomatoes
5. Olive oil
6. Gravy
7. Biscuits
8. Tinned tuna
9. Jams and marmalades
10. Tinned soup
11. Porridge oats
12. Tomato puree
13. Pasta sauces
14. Soy sauce
15. Honey
16. Chocolate bars
17. Tinned sweetcorn
18. Kidney beans
19. Chickpeas
20. Balsamic Vinegar
21. Dried Fruit
22. Cereal Bars
23. Lentils
24. Sweet chilli sauce
25. Sweets
26. White wine vinegar
27. Pesto
28. Couscous
29. Coconut milk
30. Seeds
31. Rice Crackers
32. Noodles
33. Harissa paste
34. Teriyaki sauce
35. Quinoa
36. Bulgur Wheat
37. Orzo
38. Miso paste
39. Mirin
40. Matcha Tea
Source: OnePoll.com / SPAR
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