Brits only stick to stick to Christmas turkey out of tradition

With the festive season in full swing, the classic turkey Christmas dinner is set to be on its way out, according to the latest data from Pub & Grill, which reveals that over half of Brits (51%) feel obliged to eat turkey due to tradition.

If freed from this obligation, 65% of Brits would ditch turkey as the centrepiece of their Christmas table, with pies, burgers and steaks amongst the top alternative choices. More than one in 10 (12%) would even opt for a curry for their Christmas meal instead of turkey, if given the choice.

A freshly grilled steak, in particular, is the preferred dish of choice for as many as 46% of Brits, who claim it’s the single most luxurious meal around. Even though it’s the top choice for nearly half of us, one in five say it’s also the most difficult to cook ‘perfectly’.

According to the data, Brits are considering ditching a home cooked Christmas meal, with over half (53%) naming the stress of managing cooking times as the single biggest reason to give it a miss, followed closely by the post-dinner clean-up (50%), the pressure of making a mistake (31%) and cost of purchasing ingredients (28%) as other key factors.

As well as the culinary challenges faced by hosts, over one in five (27%) said that the pressure of entertaining would be the main reason behind them not wanting to have the festive feast at home, highlighting a lack of engagement (39%) and political disagreements (20%) as potential worries.

What’s more, when it comes to difficult dinner guests, Aunts and Uncles have been named as the least favourable relative to sit next to during a Christmas meal, with respondents claiming they had tendencies to ask annoying questions (44%), not provide engaging conversation (39%), and are generally uninteresting (35%).

On the other hand, when it comes to picking their favourite Christmas dinner companion, a third of Brits (29%) claim they’d most like to sit next their children, with over half (53%) saying kids are the most likely family member to make them laugh.

Carrie Nelmes, marketing manager at Pub & Grill said: “It’s clear that hosting a traditional Christmas dinner in your home can be challenging for all sorts of reasons. Given the year we’ve all had, it’s no surprise that Brits are in search of a fresh, tasty and stress-free meal for Christmas 2021, and we deserve it.

“If you’re craving a break from tradition and want to enjoy Christmas without the prep or clean-up afterwards, Pub & Grill has a wide selection of meat and vegetarian dishes, including our freshy grilled specialities, ideal for a festive celebration.”

To book a Christmas meal at your local Pub & Grill, please visit here.