Britain’s love of curry!

We’re a nation that loves our curries, with new research revealing that the Chicken Tikka (25%) has stood the test of time, ranking as the top curry choice followed by Chicken Korma (20%) and a Lamb Rogan Josh (12%).  

Indian varieties are the popular option, with over half (51%) of those surveyed saying it’s their most frequented type of curry, with dishes from Thailand (12%) coming in second. Pilau rice (47%), poppadoms (46%) and a garlic naan (40%) were the favourite curry accompaniments as well as over 1 in 4 (29%) UK adults preferring to have a pint of beer as their drink accompaniment to their curry.

The new spicy survey also found that some really do like it hot…very hot…with 28% saying the hotter the better when it comes to a curry, although the same number (29%) admit they prefer their dishes on the milder side. 

The research by Co-op reveals that the average Brit enjoys a curry (4 per month) once a week. In fact, almost a third (30%) would describe themselves as curry lovers, with 37% saying they love to try different types of curry and 35% saying they are becoming increasingly adventurous when it comes to flavor (35%).

However, it’s the men of the UK that come out on top again in the spicy battle of the sexes, 14% of men tuck into a potential mouth-blistering curry, but only 4% of women will dare take their taste buds that far, preferring medium (51%) and mild (34%) heat.

However we enjoy our curry, the findings also confirmed that when it comes to convenient and an easy mid-week meal, curry is king! A third (33%) are likely to choose a curry as an easy meal after work whilst 36% see it as the perfect mid-week treat.

To reveal more about the nation’s favourite curries and why they are one of the nation’s favourite convenience foods, Aston spoke to Dan Toombs, The Curry Guy and Kevin Sargent who is a Curry Developer from Co-op: