Nadiya Hussain launches new recipe kit

In the shifting sands of modern life, the humble ritual of the evening meal is under inspection. A newly published survey asks people how many days in a typical week they sit down for dinner – a question that hovers between the poles of not dining at all to partaking every day. The data traces the mealtime patterns of our society, as it also inquires about the hour at which these midweek dinners typically occur, offering a time frame from the early bird choice of before 5pm to the night owl selection of after 9pm.

The investigation from Schwartz delves deeper, asking respondents how many times in a week they cook their own dinners, revealing the balance between homemade meals and takeaway dinners. The survey also measures the point at which people decide their dinner menu for the night, from the forethought of choosing the previous day, to the spontaneity of decision after 6pm.

To understand where the inspiration for these meals comes from, participants were asked to choose among several options. They ranged from planning at the start of the week, getting inspiration while shopping for ingredients, turning to online recipes or books, to simply having a chat with someone they live with.

Aston spoke 2015 Great British Bake Off winner and TV chef Nadiya Hussain.

Photo by Alyson McPhee on Unsplash