A new poll has revealed the most unusual food items that Brits include on their Christmas dinner plate, with 2 million people admitting to eating onion rings alongside their turkey and sprouts.
The poll, by retailer Next, asked 2,000 Brits about their Christmas dining and tableware habits – and uncovered that millions of people stray off the beaten track when it comes to the biggest meal of the year.
Further to those who put onion rings on their roast, 5% – or 3.4 million – Brits admitted they include seafood on their Christmas plate, followed by 4% – or 2.7 million – who add ketchup.
Mac and Cheese, chips and sweetcorn also made the top 10 list – with a whopping 1.4 million respondents even saying that they wouldn’t consider Christmas lunch without the addition of baked beans.
The full list is as follows:
| The UK’s top non-traditional Christmas food items | |||
| Rank | Item | % of people who include this on their Christmas plate | Equivalent number of people based on latest ONS statistics* |
| 1 | Yorkshire puddings | 19% | 12.7 million |
| 2 | Bread sauce | 5% | 3.4 million |
| 3 | Seafood | 5% | 3.4 million |
| 4 | Ketchup | 4% | 2.7 million |
| 5 | Mac and Cheese | 3% | 2 million |
| 6 | Onion rings | 3% | 2 million |
| 7 | Chips | 2% | 1.3 million |
| 8 | Bread | 2% | 1.3 million |
| 9 | Sweetcorn | 2% | 1.3 million |
| 10 | Beans | 2% | 1.3 million |
No matter how dressed up your table is, everyone’s focus is always going to be that delicious Christmas dinner. The turkey, the stuffing, the vegetables, the gravy, and who could forget the pigs in blankets?
But, while previous research has shown that the most common items on a British Christmas dinner are roast potatoes and gravy, these stats reveal that there are some people out there who like to go a little bit off the beaten track. Ultimately, Christmas is about family tradition and doing things your way – so we’re here to celebrate every kind of Christmas dinner, whatever it looks or tastes like.
