As the big day approaches, many will be starting to think about what their Christmas will entail. A recent study by Currys asked 2000 UK residents to share the essential components of their Christmas dinner.
The study revealed that in Belfast, a significant 69% of residents insist on the traditional roast turkey as a vital part of their Christmas celebration, with gravy being the most popular accompanying element, favoured by 60% and unsurprisingly, 24% of Belfast residents prefer to enhance their turkey with a touch of cranberry sauce.
When it comes to the rest of the trimmings, whether loved or hated, Belfast residents insist on having a side of Brussels sprouts, accounting for 16% of preferences. However, they are undecided about their preferred type of stuffing, as sage and onion stuffing and sausage stuffing were both picked by at 9% of respondents.
How does this compare to the rest of the UK?
The study found that for the UK, as a whole, the traditional roast Turkey still reigns as the favourite Christmas centrepiece with over half (54%) of respondents claiming this is the main that will be featuring on the most dinner plate’s this festive season. Following far behind in joint second place, 22% of Brits opt for roast beef or roast chicken as their Christmas plate main instead.
When it comes to the Christmas trimmings, the humble potato takes the lead with nearly a quarter (24%) of all respondents saying roast potatoes are a non-negotiable at Christmas. These are followed by pigs in blankets (20%) while, perhaps unexpectedly, Brussels sprouts came third as the most wanted Christmas dinner trimming by 1 in 10 Brits.
As for condiments, the classic complimentary sauce for turkey will still feature on the plate for the majority with 28% choosing cranberry sauce, however 16% will be having mint sauce instead, despite roast lamb not being named as a top meat choice.
Surprisingly though for what is essentially a British roast, only 44% of respondents said they will be having gravy with their meal, meaning over half will be eating their Christmas dinner without this roast meal staple.