A new poll has ranked the top 10 blandest foods Brits eat – from plain pasta to boiled rice – as millions say they want more exciting flavours in their modern British meals
More than 15 million Brits admit their usual meals are bland, with nearly a quarter eating uninspiring dishes several times a week.
A survey of 2,000 adults revealed that plain pasta, boiled rice and rice cakes top the list of Britain’s blandest foods, despite their widespread popularity. Tofu, couscous and boiled potatoes also made the top 10, alongside the traditional jacket potato.
Some 54% said they wished their everyday meals felt more exciting, while 31% confessed they want to be more adventurous with flavour but are unsure how to begin. Meanwhile, 69% reported that having a new or exciting meal to look forward to lifts their mood.
The research was commissioned by Lurpak, which discovered that 66% of Gen Z spend more time consuming food content than any other generation, yet they bookmark recipes from social media without ever making them – with 45% admitting they don’t know where to begin.
There’s a clear appetite for culinary inspiration among Gen Z, with 70% said they find trying new flavours inspiring and 72% consider themselves experimental when it comes to cooking, the highest of any age group.
Lurpak has teamed up with food scientist Natalie Alibrandi to recognise ‘bland’ as a sixth distinct flavour state, alongside sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami.
Natalie Alibrandi said: “Bland food is not always food with no taste, often, it is food where there is no flavour strong enough to take the lead.
“A lot of everyday meals are perfectly good starting points, they may just need one flavour moment to bring them to life, for example, that could be aroma, heat or texture.
“Flavour is functional – it helps to tell the brain what has been eaten, signals that a meal is complete, and triggers the reward response that makes food feel satisfying.”
“Bland’ is more than just boring – it’s a real flavour experience when food is low on the things that make eating enjoyable like aroma, richness, texture and depth,” Natalie adds.
“That means meals can leave people feeling less rewarded and less satisfied.”
The study also revealed 28% feel less enthusiastic about eating when meals are repetitive or lacking in taste. By contrast, 67% of Brits said that flavour-rich meals generate stronger or more vivid memories.
Additionally, 56% claimed that satisfying, tasty food curbs cravings and makes the dining experience more memorable.
Catriona Mantle, a spokesperson for Lurpak, which has marked the launch of its new Chilli & Garlic flavoured butter with the ‘Haus of Flavour’, an immersive experience in Kingsland Road on the 27th May, said: “Let’s face it, everyday meals are often built around the same familiar favourites.
“There is nothing wrong with that – but sometimes the food we rely on most could do with a little more flavour.
“The answer to bland food is not always more effort, sometimes it is about choosing one ingredient that can do more of the heavy lifting.
“With the launch of our new butter, we want to help people bring more richness, heat and savoury depth to the meals they already make, without needing to completely rethink how they cook.
“Because everyday food should not just fill you up, it should be something you really look forward to eating.”
TOP 10 BLANDEST FOOD ACCORDING TO BRITS:
1. Plain pasta
2. Boiled rice
3. Rice cakes
4. Plain oats
5. Plain tofu
6. Plain couscous
7. Boiled potatoes
8. Jacket potato (no butter or filling)
9. Boiled lentils
10. Plain quinoa
