What are Britain's Breakfast Habits?

1 in 5 people skip breakfast
1 in 10 spend between £11-£20 on breakfast a week
Eggs are the nation’s favourite breakfast food, fried being the most preferred way of eating them

Breakfast: the most important meal of the day or a time-consuming ritual that can be sacrificed for a longer lie in? With our lifestyles changing, the average Brit’s breakfast habits have changed too; with buying breakfast and eating it outside of the home becoming the norm.

In a recent study, Currys PC World surveyed 2003 people across the nation to reveal the breakfast habits of Britain. The fact that 46% of people still eat breakfast at home isn’t ground-breaking, but it’s intriguing to see what the other half are doing (or not doing) for breakfast.

1 in 5 Brits are skipping breakfast

A lack of time is the leading reason why people are choosing to skip brekkie. Mornings are hard enough as it is but for 20% of the UK population, the idea of breakfast isn’t enough to boost their spirits. With that said, research has suggested skipping breakfast can be detrimental to your health, which means the younger generations could be in trouble. 35-44-year olds are most likely to skip brekkie because it doesn’t fit into their diet and 21% (double the national average) of 16-24-year olds are skipping breakfast because it doesn’t fit into their schedule. In contrast, just under half (45%) of 55+ year olds never skip breakfast because it is a regimented part of their routine.

Although many people are skipping breakfast in the morning, this doesn’t mean they’re opposed to eating breakfast foods for dinner. 1 in 10 Brits love breakfast food so much, they frequently have it for their evening meal. Over 1 in 4 people skip breakfast because they don’t have the time.

Men are more likely to skip breakfast because it doesn’t fit in with their diet plan
Gen Z is 22% more likely to skip breakfast than Baby Boomers
33% of Cardiff residents are most likely to skip breakfast while the people of Norwich are the least likely to skip it (7%)

Eggs beat bacon for the nation’s favourite breakfast food

People are no longer as concerned about bringing home the bacon, as the data suggests they are now eating and enjoying eggs the most. Vegetarianism could have driven the rise of the egg, but their popularity is also probably due to their versatility. You can fry them (the nation’s preferred way to eat them, with 23% selecting this as their favourite option); you can scramble them (coming in second with 21% in favour of their eggs this way); and you can poach them (ranking third with 17% selecting this as their top choice). Unsurprisingly, Instagram trends don’t seem to be sticking around in the long run as ‘coddled eggs’ came last with less than 1% choosing it as their favourite way to eat their eggs and ‘cloud eggs’ received just over 1% of people’s votes.

While 39% of baby boomers still love bacon, more millennials are snubbing the brekkie classic, indicated by only 28% choosing it as their favourite breakfast item. The younger generations are opting for hash browns instead (22% of 25-34-year olds chose them, compared to only 9% of 55+ year olds).

2 out 5 people love eggs for breakfast, making them the nation’s favourite breakfast food
Ranked in order, the nation’s favourite breakfast foods are eggs (39%), toast (38%), bacon (35%), cereal (33%) and sausages (25%)
23% of people prefer their eggs fried, followed by 21% choosing scrambled, 17% choosing poached and 8% enjoying them as an omelette

U.S.A. vs the UK

Our national legal drinking age may differ – as does the way we spell ‘doughnut’ – but it seems our taste in breakfast is very similar to our American friends across the pond. Both breakfasts look relatively similar; Americans like eggs for breakfast just as much as we do. However, there are some notable differences:

Eggs are the favourite part of breakfast for 65% of Americans
More Brits (34%) prefer English Breakfast tea as their breakfast drink of choice, whereas 58% of Americans are reaching for coffee
Bacon, toast and cereal are in both countries’ top 5 breakfast foods
We opt for sausages (25%) while America is reaching for breakfast sandwiches (46%)