Pizza, ice cream and roast dinners put Brits in the mood for love making
### Strictly Embargoed Until 00:01 on 04/02/2022 ### *** FREE FOR EDITORIAL USE *** Shelly and Oliver Ward try the foods available in the new ‘Mood Food’ aisle at Iceland, which has been launched ahead of Valentine’s Day and features the top ten foods that have been voted by Brits most likely to get them in the mood for love, which include ice cream, pizza and roast dinner. The aisle has been created following research by Iceland, which revealed that 6 in 10 people find traditional aphrodisiacs such as oysters are in fact a turn off for them, with 8 in 10 saying that comfort foods are more likely to affect their romantic feelings.
Comfort foods like pizza and ice cream put Brits in the mood for love making over traditional aphrodisiacs like oysters, according to new research released today.
High in zinc and a favourite with legendary lothario Casanova, oysters have, for hundreds of years, been considered a natural aphrodisiac to boost sex drive and desire. But six in 10 Brits (63%) say oysters are a turn off and 43% have never tried one.
Only 14% of those surveyed said that slimy, raw molluscs make them feel frisky, with the slippery suckers proving to be a bigger turn on for men (19%) than women (9%).
The new study of 2,000 British adults, specially commissioned by supermarket Iceland, reveals eight in 10 (80%) of those surveyed say comfort foods like pizza, ice cream and a roast dinner are more likely to put them in the mood for love this Valentine’s Day.
Equally unpopular turn-offs are other traditional aphrodisiacs like caviar (40%), lobster (29%), salmon (22%) and figs (27%).
A third of those polled (34%) said they had felt embarrassed in the past trying to eat oysters on a date and 28% said they were bamboozled when it came to tucking into lobster.
And one in 10 (14%) admitted they had pretended to like oysters just to woo a prospective lover.
The new research identifies that Brits are more likely to serve curry over caviar, and burgers over oysters when it comes to seducing the opposite sex.
Chocolate (79%) topped the poll of foods most likely to get Brits feeling frisky, followed closely by ice cream (73%), cake (57%) and pizza (46%).
Sunday roast staples like roast beef with Yorkshire puddings and all the trimmings (36%) also made the top ten list, ahead of spaghetti (33%), curry (27%) and lasagne (26%).
The top ten foods that put the nation in the mood for love making, as voted for by Brits:
1. Chocolate – 79%
2. Ice cream – 73%
3. Cake – 57%
4. Pizza – 46%
5. Roast beef with Yorkshire puddings and all the trimmings – 36%
6. Spaghetti Bolognese – 33%
7. Curry – 27%
8. Stir-fry – 27%
9. Lasagne – 26%
10. Burgers- 26%
The new research by Iceland has led the supermarket to launch a new ‘Mood Food Aisle’, boasting the top ten new aphrodisiacs. Customers can also bundle buy the whole range ahead of Valentine’s Day on Iceland’s website www.iceland.co.uk/valentines-day/mood-food
The supermarket has teamed up with food psychologist Lucy Beresford to analyse the data. Beresford says; “eating is about more than just nourishment. From birth, being fed is our first tangible experience of love and typically takes place in the context of a cuddle or embrace.
“Valentine’s Day is therefore the perfect opportunity to show someone you love and care for them. And, because feeling heard or seen is very important in relationships, choosing food your partner loves or that you know you both enjoy is more important than simply buying the food you are told must be served on Valentine’s Day.
“So, if a roast dinner is your partner’s favourite meal or a pizza reminds you of your first date, going to the trouble of recreating that meal will be much sexier. Ultimately, Valentine’s Day is about pleasure and enjoyment, so lean in to serving food that makes you both feel happy and special such as chocolate or ice cream.”
A quarter of Brits (26%) say they like to cook food together and 54% say a romantic home cooked meal is the best preparation for passion.
Other popular pre-love making rituals include sharing a bath (39%), watching a romcom (36%), lighting candles (31%) and dancing (18%).
Over half of those polled (55%) said pizza was the food that sparked their favourite romantic memories.
Chocolate emerged as the top sexy snack (66%) that Brits were most likely to chow down on in the bedroom, followed by ice cream (54%).
The survey also found that three in 10 men prefer to tuck into a pizza on the couch ahead of a night of passion, compared to women who prefer to enjoy sharing dessert with their lover on the floor (35%).
Ice cream (65%) sparked men’s favourite romantic memories followed by steak and chips (54%) and pizza (53%), whilst women had a much sweeter tooth when it came to raunchy memories triggering thoughts of chocolate (80%), ice cream (77%) and cake (66%).
Pizza (48%) also proved a popular choice amongt 18 – 24 year olds when getting frisky, compared to chocolate which got a unanimous thumbs up across all other generations.
But Gen Z’s love of carbs didn’t leave them bloated when it came to their love for romance, with three in 10 of them starting their Valentines day meal preparations 2 – 3 hours beforehand, compared to one in 10 millennials and baby boomers.
The battle of the regions also revealed that Wales rated pizza (40%) and stir fry (35%) in its top five sexiest dishes over the popular food of love spaghetti, much to the dismay of Scotland who ranked it 4th (43%) in its top romantic dishes ahead of cake (54%), ice cream (69%) and chocolate (79%).
Steak and Chips (49%) was the preferred choice when being seduced for a night of passion in Northern Ireland, whilst us Brits opted for nimbling on chocolate (40%) to help us get in the mood for a night under the sheets.
A spokesperson for Iceland said: “We all love being treated to a romantic home cooked meal for Valentine’s Day, and even better if it results in a few sparks in the bedroom. But contrary to popular belief, it isn’t traditional aphrodisiacs like oysters that set our pulses racing, our research shows pizza, ice cream and roast dinners with all the trimmings are more likely to get Brits in the mood for love.
“We’re hoping our new ‘Mood Food Aisle’ will help fuel the nation’s appetite for love this Valentine’s Day.”
To celebrate the launch of their Mood Food aisle, Iceland created an edible bouquet, comprising of heart shaped Yorkshire puddings and roast beef roses. The Mood Food bouquet, which Iceland will gift to some of Britain’s most popular pairings this Valentine’s period, serves as a delicious reminder of the romance of food.
