Bacon Butty Best of British

The bacon sandwich is what people adore most about Britain a survey revealed yesterday.

The good old Bacon butty came in at number one, whilst the traditional roast dinner was the runner up in the fifty things we love about Britain.

And nothing washes down a meal better than a lovely cup of tea - in at number 3 in the study of 60,000 Brits, proving the way to an Englishman's heart really is through his stomach.

The research, which was commissioned by T-Mobile, found that when we're not thinking of our taste buds, we're a proud nation - the country's history is the fourth biggest reason to love Britain.

With the BBC in fifth, our national institutions still hold a special place, while many would be lost without our landmarks - Big Ben and Buckingham Palace coming in at 6th and 7th place respectively.

The love for our rolling hills will never dwindle as the beautiful English countryside made 8th spot.

Clearly food is on the nation's mind at all times though as both fish and chips and the humble Yorkshire Pudding round out the top 10, just pipping the fry up to the post at number 11.

T-Mobile commissioned the research to coincide with the launch of their new advert which celebrates everything that is great about Britain, including our love of a bargain.

The ad will air on TV this Saturday night during ITV1's 'Take Me Out' and Channel 4's Million Pound Drop.

Spencer McHugh, Director of Brand at Everything Everywhere said: ''When it comes to our great loves food is clearly on top and whether it's a butty, bun or sanger the trusty bacon sandwich is a worthy winner of the top spot.''

Perhaps most incredibly of all though, cheese has been revealed as more of a national treasure than even our own monarch, with cheddar coming in at 13th on the list whilst Her Majesty trailed behind in 15th.

For an example of style, class and British engineering, the Aston Martin roars into seventeenth,

It's clear that Brits love bagging a bargain, which comes in at 30th on the list.

James Bond triumphed over Harry Potter as the nation's best-loved fictional character.

And proving the quirkiness us Brits are known for is alive and well, that most alternative of British 'sports' - cheese rolling - made the last spot.

While perhaps when it comes to love, the debate is over, as Marmite finished narrowly outside the top 50.

Spencer McHugh added:  ''Whether we're eating it between bread or rolling it down a hill it's obvious that we are a nation of food lovers.

''It's clear that the traditional British icons are alive and well, but it's also great to see the more quirky side of the British character coming through.

''It's why we've tried to capture it all in our latest TV ad - to celebrate all the wonderful things that make Britain great.''

TOP 50 BRITISH LOVES

1. Bacon sandwiches
2. Roast dinners
3. Cup of tea
4. British history
5. BBC
6. Big Ben
7. Buckingham Palace
8. Countryside
9. Fish & Chips
10. Yorkshire Pudding
11. English fry up
12. British sense of humour
13. Cheese
14. Lake District
15. The Queen
16. Sunday lunch
17. Aston Martin
18. Cornish pasties
19. Stonehenge
20. National Heritage
21. Pubs
22. The Tower of London
23. Wimbledon
24. Baking
25. Strawberries and cream
26. The Pound
27. Black cabs
28. The Beatles
29. The coastline
30. Bargains
31. Shakespeare
32. James Bond
33. Red phone boxes
34. Football
35. Crumpets
36. The Houses of Parliament
37. Red buses
38. Harry Potter
39. Ice cream vans
40. The Red Arrows
41. Driving on the left
42. Cricket
43. Concorde
44. Real ale
45. The Royal Family
46. The Queen's English
47. Festivals
48. Stephen Fry
49. Harrods
50. Cheese Rolling