Gen Z are giving the Sunday roast ‘a makeover’… and replacing traditional trimmings with kimchi and avocado
A new survey has found that Gen Z diners are reshaping the traditional Sunday roast, swapping staples such as roast potatoes, gravy and Yorkshire puddings for additions like ketchup, chilli oil, kimchi and avocado. Researchers behind the study say those aged 18 to 29 are altering the meal's conventions more than any other age group, reflecting a wider trend of younger diners bringing global flavours to classic British dishes while still valuing comfort and nostalgia.
The poll of 2,000 people, carried out by Lightspeed, found 39 per cent of Gen Z respondents add ketchup to their roast, 26 per cent add mayonnaise and 23 per cent opt for hot sauce, with smaller shares using chilli oil, hot honey, kimchi, avocado or sriracha; 12 per cent have dropped Yorkshire puddings and 14 per cent have swapped roasties for mash. Despite this experimentation, most Britons remain protective of the classics, with 68 per cent saying roast potatoes should never be dropped, and beef remaining the nation's favourite roast meat (32 per cent). Chef Sally Abé said diners have become more adventurous over the past decade but still crave dishes that evoke childhood and traditional British cooking, provided they are made with quality ingredients.
- Gen Z are adding kimchi, avocado and hot sauce to Sunday roasts
- Survey of 2,000 finds younger Britons changing roast traditions most
- Most Britons still say roast potatoes and gravy are untouchable
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Gen Z are the generation born roughly between the late 1990s and early 2010s, meaning most in this survey – aged 18 to 29 – grew up with a much wider range of cuisines and food influences than earlier generations. A Sunday roast is a traditional British meal, typically consisting of roasted meat, potatoes, vegetables, gravy and Yorkshire puddings, usually eaten as a family gathering. The story concerns new research into how younger diners are adapting this meal with condiments and ingredients drawn from other cuisines.
The findings come from a survey of 2,000 people commissioned by Lightspeed, a market research firm, which looked at attitudes to the Sunday roast across age groups. It found that younger respondents were more likely than older ones to add things like ketchup, hot sauce or kimchi to their roast, or to swap out elements such as roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings altogether.
This matters because food habits are often used as a marker of wider generational and cultural change, and the Sunday roast holds a particular place in British tradition. The research also found that most Britons still favour keeping the classic dish largely unchanged, so the story sits within an ongoing conversation about how far traditional foods are, or should be, evolving alongside more diverse tastes.