Brits turn their back on soggy sarnies as quiche dominates the British lunchbox
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The traditional lunchbox as we know it is changing, as Brits are choosing to wolf down more savoury pastry than ever before, with popular treats such as quiche, pork pies and pasties replacing lunchtime staples such as sandwiches and salad.
Over the last 12 months, savoury pastry in-home lunch occasions rose by 33% and were eaten at over a million more mid-week lunches vs 2019 – contributing to 3 x the additional spend usually put towards savoury pastry as an evening meal. *
What’s more, as office workers return to work, this trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Us Brits are continuing to spend 32% more on savoury pastry meals than we do on an average meal deal, in a bid to save the pennies and recreate out of home experiences within our office packed lunches. **
Quiche, traditionally a dish served at picnics, is now one of the most popular lunch choices accounting for a third of savoury pastry lunchtime occasions. The UK bought a whopping £188.5M worth of quiche last year, up 8%. Higgidy has also seen strong sales so far this year too, with £8.3M worth being bought this year****.
Most popular flavours amongst Brits include Quiche Lorraine, accounting for 28.0% of value share, and Cheddar & Onion accounting for 20.0%*. The most popular days to eat quiche fall on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday where it now accounts for over 1 in 6 meal occasions. ***
Rachel Kelley CEO of Higgidy comments: “We’ve seen huge growth within the savoury pastry category as consumers turn to classic foods that they know, trust and enjoy – particularly during times of recession when we know comfort is a key purchase driver. Over the last 12 months, Higgidy has seen growth of 24.47%, of which £22.8m has come from quiche sales as a result of people trading up and treating themselves to more premium meal options. We’ve had to expand our production facilities to accommodate the demand, which we anticipate will continue once people return to the office.”
