How British food tastes have evolved over the Queen's rule
With the whole of the UK set to throw a nationwide party to fete the queen's 60 years on the throne, a market research firm has found that British food trends have changed markedly over the years, including the waning popularity of the classic British fry-up.
Forty years ago, when Mintel came out with its first consumer trends report, nearly 30 percent of Brits said they started their day off with an egg. Today, that statistic has dropped to 12 percent.
The same goes for bacon, the other classic accompaniment in a traditional morning fry-up: while one in five Brits started their day with a rasher or two of bacon, that figure has dropped to 7 percent 40 years on.
While Mintel analysts explain the declining popularity of the British breakfast to a shortage of time and growing health concerns, another survey they published earlier this year found that French pastries have become increasingly popular among busy Brits who've been swapping out English muffins with brioche and pain au chocolat.
Another report by cereal maker Kellogg's even went so far as to predict that increasingly multicultural influences may mean that Brits start their day off with hot and savory dishes like crab porridge with seaweed or potted herring and sardines in lieu of sausage in the future.
Other shifting food trends among Brits over the years:
In 1972, 64 percent of Brits said they had tucked into fish and chips in the last month. Chinese takeaway was also popular, at 17 percent. Today, however, the takeaway market is divided between fish and chips (39 percent), Chinese (33 percent) and Indian (26 percent).
And while olive oil was considered "exotic" 40 years ago, today more than half of British consumers say they purchase the pantry staple regularly. Garlic and tomato puree may likewise have been used sparsely in 1972, but both are used in nearly half of all British households today.
