The potato has officially been hailed as the nation’s favourite vegetable, according to a new study. Researchers found the versatile root veg is loved by most British adults and children alike, and has become a meal-time staple.
Indeed, adults love potatoes in all variations – from eating it as a jacket spud, mash, roasties and even crisps and chips.
Surprisingly, broccoli is the second most loved vegetable – with mums finding the sprouting florets easy to cook and prepare in under six minutes.
In third place came garden peas, closely followed by mushrooms and carrots.
Reto Frei, CEO, from tibits vegetarian restaurant, which conducted the poll of 2,000 adults, said:
“While we would have assumed that potatoes would top this survey, there are some real surprises in the top 10.
“In particular, mushrooms appeared at number four in the list, and yet these vegetables are often loathed by many – in particular children – for their unusual texture and colour.
“Another surprise entry is broccoli at number two, as this is a vegetable which is often hard to get children and many adults to eat for its thick stems and occasionally bitter florets. You also find my people – even grown adults – avoiding any vegetables so green in colour!
“However, with all vegetables the art is often in the way they are prepared and cooked, as many adopt the taste and flavour of the accompanying sauce, herbs and spices. Both mushrooms and broccoli can be delicious if the chef or home cook knows how to cook them well.”
Other vegetables to appear in the top ten include sweetcorn, runner beans, onions, spinach and asparagus.
But the study shows that some Brits are still a little afraid of experimenting with vegetables, and don’t always eat them as often as they should.
A third of those polled don’t regularly eat the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetable a day, and a fifth wouldn’t consider snacking on either food group as an alternative to chocolate, biscuits or crisps.
When it comes to cooking with vegetables, 33% of people find butternut squash the hardest to prepare, while 14% have no idea how to cook a marrow and 11% don’t really know what to do with beetroot unless it is already cooked and pre-packed.
Other vegetables which can leave adults a bit baffled include swede (20%), turnip (15%) and asparagus (10%).
As a consequence, two thirds of people wouldn’t bother trying to cook a vegetable if they weren’t confident about how to prepare and serve it.
And some people even avoid eating vegetables if they don’t like the way they LOOK.
Incredibly, 69% of people refuse to cook up things like turnips, broad beans, courgettes and radishes simply because of their appearance.
TOP 20 FAVOURITE VEGETABLES
- Potato
- Broccoli
- Peas
- Mushrooms
- Carrots
- Sweetcorn
- Runner beans
- Onions
- Spinach
- Asparagus
- Corn on the cob
- Beetroot
- Broad beans
- Peppers
- Cabbage
- Butternut squash
- Leeks
- Chillies
- Cucumber
- Mange tout
