Fish and chips is the great British meal that home-bound families have missed the most during two-months of home isolation (27%) – and tea bags is one of the top items (22%) that people have been stockpiling in their food cupboards, according to new research by the leading food manufacturer Bakkavor.

At a time when millions of families have been staying at home in an attempt to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, Bakkavor asked a nationally representative sample of 2,135 homebound Brits which dishes they had missed the most. Fish and chips came top of the list (27%), followed by McDonalds (19%), Indian curry (18%), a full English (16%), steak and chips (14%) and stone baked pizza (12%).

Set against the inability to go out to eat, a number of younger people (under 35) were buying cookery books online (19%) to get some home inspiration on family meals they could rustle up that would help to make mealtimes more of an exciting family occasion.

Mike Edwards, Chief Operating Officer, UK, commented: “In recent months, families across the UK have adjusted to the new era of home isolation. Initially there were concerns about foot shortages and then, for many, it was a case of adjusting to the food items that were available. Overall the country has done a fine job supporting the NHS by staying indoors but people have their bucket list of the meals they miss and for many it’s the once staples that have now become treats – pizzas, curries and fish and chips.”

“As one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of fresh prepared food with 25 factories across the UK, we have pulled together all our skills, experience and resources during the lockdown period to support the country at a time of critical need. We have worked around the clock and adjusted our business operations to focus more effort producing the food items that the public has needed – and as people gradually return to work in the months ahead, we expect people to start buying back into our ranges of fresh meals, salads, desserts and pizzas.