Lamb is now being replaced as the nation’s favourite roast

While 45% of the country are still unsure exactly how to spend the Easter bank holiday weekend, nearly a third (29%) of UK residents are set to enjoy a roast dinner. To celebrate, Tesco has launched the Roast Index, a survey** of 2,000 UK adults to reveal the ultimate guide to the nation’s favourite roast dinner.

According to the Tesco Roast Index, beef (26%) and chicken (24%) are the nation’s favourite roast centrepieces, revealing roast habits are changing even at Easter. In fact, only 20% of people surveyed selected traditional lamb as their meat of choice. The index also revealed that meat itself is no longer integral to a roast. Surprisingly, 66% of adults stated they’d be willing to try a non-meat main, with 41% citing they would try a vegan roast to give something different a go. Interestingly, only 24% of adults said they agree that “a roast should be eaten at lunchtime.”

When it comes to trimmings, roast potatoes (68%), Yorkshire puddings (45%) and roasted parsnips (25%) were crowned champions, with respondents naming them as must-haves for their ultimate roast.

Yorkshire Puddings are proven to be a firm favourite, but, controversially, they are more popular in the North East of England (66%) than in Yorkshire (60%) where they originated from

Whilst 80% of people feel that the crispier the potato the better, nearly half of people (42%) think mashed potatoes should be a staple of the roast instead.

Mashed potatoes were found to divide the nation, with adults in the north of England more likely to have them as part of a roast dinner in places such as Yorkshire (63%), compared to people in the south of England who agreed mashed potatoes should not be part of a roast, such as London (47%)

Dauphinoise potatoes came in at only 6%, whilst sweet potatoes scored a low 5% in the Tesco Roast Index.

Those in Scotland are more likely to have Brussel sprouts with their roast than anyone else in other parts of the UK (28%), highlighting that these divisive veggies are more than just a talking point at Christmas

24% of those surveyed believed stuffing should be present within their roast dinner.

Sage and Onion stuffing without meat is most popular in Brighton (24%) whereas meat stuffing was said to be most popular with roast dinners in Glasgow (16%)

A roast is never complete without sauces, and meat-based gravy has unsurprisingly been crowned the king of condiments (63%). However, despite a decline in the popularity of lamb as a roast centrepiece, mint sauce remains a firm roast staple. Welsh people are the biggest gravy lovers with 91% believing it is fundamental to their meal, with 57% of them feeling that gravy should be poured over the whole plate. Bread sauce (8%) and redcurrant jelly (5%) were the least popular condiments with 87% of respondents deciding they could give them a miss.

Interestingly, the Tesco Roast Index revealed that some aged 18 – 34 have baked beans with their roast dinner (3%) with London being the UK hotspot. Whilst 5% of people would even go as far as having ketchup with their roast, the 18 – 34 age group are also most likely to not want any trimmings at all (3%). Highlighting the changing eating habits of the modern diner, 13% of those surveyed said they would be open to have a roast any day of the week, whilst 1 in 5 Brits (21%) are open to the idea of BBQing their roast.