Roasties voted favourite Christmas dinner food
There's just a few days to go before we'll be tucking into the turkey this Christmas, but despite being the main attraction it's not actually the turkey itself that is the favourite part of a festive feast.
Turns out the typically popular pigs in blankets aren't up there as the Christmas dinner item Brits are most excited about either.
In fact, roast potatoes have been revealed to be the nation's favourite part of the festive meal.
New research, carried out by food order app, Foodhub, of 2,000, found that crispy roast tatties are the UK's favourite part of Christmas dinner, clocking up a whopping 57% of the vote.
Coming in second spot with 39% was the turkey itself, while pigs in blankets scooped third place in the most popular festive food list.
Stuffing and Gravy made up the top five snatching 25% and 21% of the vote respectively.
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Unsurprisingly, the divisive Brussels sprouts proved less of a hit but still managed to secure sixth spot, while the least favourite element of the Christmas dinner spread proved to be carrots, which nabbed just 5% of the vote.
And while not a traditional element of the festive feast, Yorkshire puddings are still considered to be an essential aspect of the meal for 21% of Brits.
Despite roast potatoes scooping over half of the votes, turns out there's something of a regional divide in terms of our top Yule picks.
If you live in Kent, it is likely that you’ll eat far more pigs in blankets over the Christmas period than anything else - on average more than 20 will be consumed during from Christmas Day to New Year’s Eve as we look for quick-fix snacks during Twixmas.
It is the opposite story in East Anglia where people eat the least pigs in blankets during a typical Christmas break.
Turkey may be the UK’s number one Christmas meat, but it seems families are increasingly turning to alternative meat options for their festive spread.
Scots and those living in the North East are the most likely to switch turkey for beef, with almost a third opting for the alternative meat in the two locations.
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Meanwhile almost a third (31%) of those in Northern Ireland enjoy gammon or ham as the main meat on their Christmas dinner plate, and an experimental 12% of Londoners delight in duck for their Christmas roast.
Of course an increasing number of Brits will be shunning meat altogether and opting for a plant-based festive plate.
If you live in Wales you are among those most likely in the UK to be eating a vegan Christmas dinner this year, with 15% of Welsh people planning to enjoy a vegan feast come December 25.
While many see getting together for Christmas dinner as the most important part of the festive celebrations, there are some who don't actually enjoy the festive feast at all with 5% of the nation confessing to hating the traditional meal, and actually refusing to eat it.
Once the main event has passed, it's time for leftovers to take front and centre as the festivities continue, with with almost a third of those in Brighton (32%) preferring leftovers such as bubble and squeak to the real thing.
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While the large majority will be enjoying their Christmas Dinner at home with family and friends, some insist on hanging up their aprons and not cooking at all on Christmas Day.
Those in the West Midlands are the most likely to go out to eat on Christmas Day (15%) and Londoners are the most likely to order a takeaway (5%).
Commenting on the findings, Foodhub spokesperson, Ardian Mula, said: “Christmas is such an amazing time of the year and festive food is such a massive part of that!
“We all enjoy the amazing food and drink on offer at Christmas and it’s so interesting to see the breakdown in how different regions enjoy their Christmas dinner most.
"There are so many small differences in the regions between what we have, what we accompany it with and how much of it we enjoy when it comes to Christmas dinner.”
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UK's favourite part of Christmas dinner
1. Roast potatoes (57%)
2. Turkey (39%)
3. Pigs in blankets (35%)
4. Stuffing (25%)
5. Gravy (21%)
6. Yorkshire pudding (21%)
7. Sprouts (18%)
8. Parsnips (14%)
9. Cranberry sauce (8%)
10. Carrots (5%)
