Brits spend more time cooking from scratch than the French, Spanish and Portuguese according to new research.
Over half of the UK, 54 per cent, cook from scratch at least four times a week according to Waitrose, with cook times averaging 30 minutes.
Main meals are getting simpler too with shoppers opting for lighter or healthier cooking methods, while also cutting down their meat consumption.
Shoppers are also becoming more adventurous, using recipes from other international cuisines. Searches for tonkatsu sauce have risen by 71 per cent says Waitrose, while Pad Thai meal kit searches have soared by 178 per cent.
The news bodes well for fresh produce, as shoppers turn to wholehead or prepared fruit and vegetable bases for their dishes, with scratch cooking promoting a rise in general vegetable purchasing across Britain.
Martin George, customer director at Waitrose & Partners, said: “It’s clear we’ve become a food loving nation but shoppers want to make meals in a way that’s practical for everyday life, even when they’re cooking from scratch. So recipes must be inspiring but simple and it’s got to be super-easy to find all the ingredients.”
Other findings from Waitrose show that nearly three quarters, 74 per cent, say they want to cook different dishes but find new recipes too complicated or time consuming.
Many also find using shortcuts helps them to cook from scratch, with half saying they do this for weekday meals. What people perceived to be an acceptable shortcut includes using pre-chopped, frozen or tinned vegetables.
In response, Waitrose says it is launching a new Beautifully Simple range of meal kits to inspire customers to cook every day meals with a small number of fresh ingredients.
The new Beautifully Simple campaign launched yesterday with a series of new TV adverts featuring two new recipes starting with Beautifully Simple Cajun chicken with mango & quinoa.
