NEWS COPY- By Rich Jenkins
It might be a traditional American dish but the humble Apple pie has been named Britain’s favourite pie of all, new research reveals.
The study of 2,000 people saw apple pie voted the favourite ahead of British classics like Shepherd’s pie, steak and ale or chicken and mushroom.
Lemon meringue and the seasonal mince pie were the only other two sweet pies to finish inside the prestigious top 10.
While a traditional pork pie and old-fashioned meat and potato mix have also stood the test of time.
While further proof of Britain’s sweet tooth was found with the presence of cherry, apple and blackberry and banoffee all finishing inside the top 20.
The research, which was commissioned by online market research company, OnePoll, saw fish pie surprisingly fail to place inside the top 20 – coming in at number 23.
Kevin Smith, Panel Director for OnePoll, which conducted the story said: "The extensive list shows the versatility of the pie and what a big feature it is when it comes to the British diet.
"Whether sweet or savoury, pie passion is clearly high and a hard-fought contest sees apple pie narrowly take the top spot."
In the savoury stakes, the classic shepherd’s pie comes out on top, with four out of ten selecting it above all else, closely followed by steak and ale and then cottage – with steak and kidney languishing.
Each month, Brits tuck into an average of 2.2 pies, with six per cent admitting to scoffing up to six and one percent going crust-crazy and eating over 10.
While the average person will eat over 1500 pies in their adult lifetime, results showed.
It was too difficult for most respondents to decide whether they prefer sweet or savoury pies, with half the nation declining to make the distinction. 38 per cent picked savoury, with just 12 per cent saying they preferred their pies sweet.
That may be another round in the battle of the sexes, as the overall favourite pie differed between men and women, with the ladies plumping for apple, and men overwhelmingly voting in favour of steak and ale.
Pies are one of the ultimate comfort foods, with 84 per cent of the population describing them as one of the best comfort foods, and the same amount saying they’re ideal for feeding a family.
Even though it’s believed that pie pastry was invented by the ancient Greeks thousands of years ago, a huge 94 per cent of Brits think that the pie is a traditional Great British dish.
Most people prefer buying their own, with just 23 per cent saying they’d rather eat a ready-made pie, and 40 per cent opting for a mixture of both.
Apple pie is what people most remember from their childhood, with 57 per cent of people saying they remember their mum dishing one up – no doubt these fond memories are what propelled apple pie to top spot in OnePoll’s survey.
And apple pie is what a third of adults say they now make with their own family, more than any other kind, so it seems that the perennial favourite won’t be going away any time soon.
Intriguingly, apple pie is least popular in the 25-34-year-old bracket, with 28 per cent picking it top, as opposed to 47 per cent of the over 55s.
For these millennials, steak and ale pie is the one to beat them all with 35 per cent of the vote. After Brexit, this is truly the biggest indicator of the generation divide.
OnePoll’s Kevin Smith added: "Many of our favourite foods are things we enjoyed as children and carry with them a strong sense of nostalgia. Perhaps early childhood memories of eating apple pie helped it reach top spot on this occasion."
BRITAIN’S BEST-LOVED PIES
1. Apple 39.55%
2. Shepherd's pie 39.25%
3. Steak and ale 39.15%
4. Cottage pie 35.95%
5. Steak & kidney 34.20%
6. Lemon meringue 31.80%
7. Chicken and mushroom 30.85%
8. Pork Pie 29.35%
9. Mince pie 27.25%
10. Meat and potato 26.60%
11. Chicken 25.50%
12. Cheese and onion 25.35%
13. Apple and blackberry 23.80%
14. Minced beef 22.60%
15. Chicken and gravy 22.05%
16. Chicken and bacon 21.45%
17. Chicken and leek 20.45%
18. Cherry 20.35%
19. Beef and beer 20.10%
20. Banoffee 20.05%
WHO ATE ALL THE PIES?
The average adult eats 2.2 pies a month, which equates to:
26.4 pies a year
1663.2 pies in an adult lifetime
ENDS
