Families uninspired by TV chefs

We may buy their books in the thousands, but the dizzying array of TV chefs on offer in Britain appears to have had little effect on the average family meal. A new survey out this week shows that despite being inundated with ideas for new meals, families prefer to cook the old favourites.

More than 1400 families were polled by a company called What's for Dinner which found that roast chicken was the most popular family dish being cooked by 30% of families on a regular basis. Next up was spaghetti bolognaise (27 per cent) and stir fry (12 per cent).

When the respondents were asked why their repertoire varied so little, more than a third said they were afraid their families wouldn't like to try new dishes. And a further 31% said that they honestly couldn't be bothered trying something new.

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