Whatever floats your boat: Why Britons can’t agree on the perfect recipe for gravy
A poll suggests gravy is a surprisingly common source of disagreement at British dinner tables, with 35 per cent of respondents saying they had argued about its thickness, colour or preparation. The findings highlight how preferences vary by age and region, even though a medium-brown, medium-thick beef gravy made with granules emerged as the national favourite.
Aldi surveyed 2,000 people and estimated that Britons consume 11 million litres of gravy each week, while the company sells 13 million units a year. Gen Z respondents were more likely than over-65s to have argued about gravy (56 per cent versus 17 per cent); one in three said their mother’s gravy was best, and gravy was named the meal item people most disliked running out of.
- 35 per cent have argued about gravy.
- Medium-brown, medium-thick beef gravy is the national favourite.
- Britons consume an estimated 11 million litres weekly.
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Gravy is a sauce usually served with roast dinners, made from meat juices or stock and often thickened with flour or granules. People differ over how dark or thick it should be, what it should be made from and which foods it belongs with.
British food habits can vary between regions and generations, and family recipes often carry strong associations with home cooking. Gravy is a regular part of many meals, so preferences about it can become a point of disagreement as well as a matter of taste.