The nation is divided in its opinion on mashed potato at Christmas, as Scots would prefer roast potatoes on their plates.
Looking to discover what the nation’s preferred Christmas dinner plate comprises of, Seasonal Spuds – an initiative backed by the UK’s leading potato producer Branston that looks to inspire the public to enjoy more potatoes – commissioned the online YouGov survey of more than 1,800 members of the public who celebrate Christmas across England, Scotland and Wales.
And it concludes that Christmas dinner plates in Scotland differ to those in England.
Over half of those asked in Scotland would say yes to mash (53%) and just under half of those in Wales (47%). Those living in the north east of England are most likely to choose mashed potato, with three-quarters of residents picking it as part of their perfect plate, while only one in five people living in the south east would consider it a crucial part of their Christmas dinner.
Jackie Baker, communications manager at Branston said: ‘Admittedly, we were hoping to see spuds rank highly, but we were stunned to see such a north south divide on mash.’
Scotland’s favourite Christmas dinner plate has also been revealed and it’s a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings.
The survey has also revealed that those asked in Scotland have deviated in their Christmas dinner tastes, as Scotland’s top three items differ to the rest of Great Britain’s – meat gravy sneaks in at number three as for people in Scotland, stuffing, which is Great Britain’s second favourite item, is a much less popular choice.
Less than half of those in Scotland opted for Yorkshire puddings (46%), compared to 66% of those in England. Cauliflower cheese is also not considered a Christmas delicacy in Scotland, with just over one in five choosing it (21%). Peas are also a lot less popular at Christmas than in the rest of Great Britain.
The stats revealed that on the average dream Christmas dinner plate, 92% of people included roast potatoes. 94% opted for either roasts or mash and 40% were doubling up; choosing both options to create their perfect plate of festive food.
Jackie continued: ‘There is one thing the nation can agree on however, and that’s our love of roast potatoes. Regardless of age, gender or location the survey placed roast potatoes at the top of people’s dinner wish list this Christmas.
‘“It just wouldn’t be Christmas without potatoes – and they’re so versatile you can cook them however you want to satisfy all your Christmas guests.’
Demand soars for spuds during the run-up to Christmas. Sales of fresh potatoes and ready-prepared roasties experience a massive increase at this time of year.
Jackie added: ‘Our teams work around the clock to meet the demand for extra spuds in the final weeks of December. Production ramps up by over 80% to make sure there are enough fresh potatoes in supermarkets. And in our Prepared factory we produce an extra 115,000 packs of ready-to-roast potatoes through December.’
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