Pandemic restrictions boosting quality family time around the dinner table

A new study has revealed that lockdown has sparked positive changes in family behaviour and habits in the kitchen, with mealtimes bringing UK families closer as they have bonded by spending more time together cooking and eating.

Proving that the kitchen really is the heart of the home, the research by Hotpoint as part of its Fresh Thinking For Forgotten Food campaign, reveals that over a third of Brits (38 per cent) have sat down to eat together more as a family during the pandemic than before lockdown. Two in five (40 per cent) said this led them to talking more with their family or partner at mealtimes than they did previously, with 35 percent saying they felt they have laughed more together at the dinner table than before.

During lockdown, over a third (38 per cent) of those surveyed said the amount they looked forward to mealtimes as a family increased, with two in five (41 per cent) Brits cooking more meals together as a family. Over a third (36 per cent) said they rediscovered their love of cooking during the pandemic.

Aston spoke to behavioural psychologist Jo Hemmings to talk about how the pandemic restrictions has meant that we’ve seen a return to the family mealtime ritual and families spending more quality time together.

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