The humble roast potato is the best part of a Christmas dinner, research has revealed.
The poll of 2,000 adults saw roasties take the top spot, closely followed by turkey and pigs in blankets.
But Yorkshire puddings, the beloved roast dinner accompaniment, are not the most popular item in the region they come from, with the North East taking the crown for enjoying them most.
The least favoured choices include mint sauce, roast carrots and pork and apple stuffing.
Although, controversially, seven per cent of Londoners claim peas are their favourite part of the entire Christmas meal.
The research was commissioned by Lottoland, in conjunction with their new offer on three festive lottos [https://www.lottoland.co.uk].
CEO, Nigel Birrell, said: “There is a lot to look forward to when it comes to Christmas day eating.
“Whether you’re roasting them in goose fat or trying them in the air fryer, roast potatoes are one of the best things about Christmas and I’m glad to see them taking pride of place this year.”
When it comes to meat, turkey could be on its way out with 18- 24-year-olds confessing they were most likely to favour roast chicken and beef over the traditional turkey.
Conversely, the over 65s were overwhelmingly in favour of the traditional bird, with 39 per cent voting it the top performer.
Older respondents were also most likely to stick behind Brussel sprouts, with more than one in five (21 per cent) crowning them the winner, compared to just five per cent of the 25- 34-year-olds.
Regardless of what’s on the plate, it appears that Christmas day lunch outshines all competition when it comes to festive foods.
The main event was closely followed by mince pies, Christmas pudding and cheese boards for yuletide favourites.
And more than one in 10 (11 per cent) of the 35- to 44-year-olds claimed mulled wine was the best festive treat.
The research also shows that our penchant for sugar wanes as we get older as the 18- 24-year-olds prefer Celebrations, gingerbread and hot chocolate over a Christmas roast.
While the over 65s were the least likely to favour the chocolate treats.
Although Quality Street were the only chocolates to make it into the top 10 festive foods list.
And it saw Terry’s Chocolate Orange coming in at number 11 and Cadbury’s Roses taking just four per cent of the votes.
Surprisingly, one in five (21 per cent) people aged 25 to 34 said they didn’t have any festive favourites at all.
And for those in London, mince pies were a preference over the traditional roast.
Those living in the capital were also most likely to favour Christmas cake, closely followed by mulled wine, according to the figures by OnePoll.
Nigel added: “It’s interesting to see the only chocolate making the top 10 Christmas food list this year are Quality Street, which goes to show that whether or not there are Bounty bars in the Celebrations tin, they still have fierce competition from Nestle.
“The research does show our tastes differ when it comes to age and gender, but I think it’s safe to say, there is no better time than Christmas for great food – it’s hard to narrow it down to a top 10.
“We’ve got our own Christmas Top Three happening this year, with special offers on the big three festive lottos – El Gordo, El Nino and Mega 2023."
THE NATION’S TOP 10 CHRISTMAS DINNER ITEMS
1. Roast potatoes
2. Roast turkey
3. Pigs in blankets
4. Yorkshire puddings
5. Brussel sprouts
6. Sage and onion stuffing
7. Roast parsnips
8. Gravy
9. Roast chicken
10. Roast beef
BRITS’ TOP 10 FESTIVE FOOD AND DRINK:
1. Christmas day lunch
2. Mince pies
3. Pigs in blankets
4. Christmas pudding
5. Christmas cake
6. Cheese boards
7. Mulled wine
8. Baileys
9. Yule log
10. Quality Street
