A new study has revealed the weird and wonderful habits of Britain’s gravy lovers, and it’s lifted the lid on just how much we actually love the stuff.
With autumn apparently marking the start of what is unofficially known as ‘gravy season’ across the UK, a new study by Schwartz – the world’s largest producer of herbs, spices, and seasonings – has revealed that the average Brit makes their way through three gravy-doused meals each week, which apparently adds up to a whopping 156 meals with gravy over the course of the year.
Almost a third (30%) of Brits consume gravy the most between September and November, with this figure then rising to 58% in winter – which is probably where the ‘gravy season’ title comes from.
A staggering 73% of Brits would consider themselves a fan of the brown stuff, according to the new survey, and 39% even proclaim to ‘love’ it.
A new study has revealed the weird and wonderful habits of Britain’s gravy lovers / Credit: The Manc Group
But for many, gravy doesn’t solely need to be consumed at home or in front of the table, as shockingly, the survey has revealed that 13% of Brits love gravy so much that they’ve eaten it in the car, 11% claim to have carried it around with them in a flask, and a sixth (14%) have even taken it on holiday with them to make sure they get their fix.
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So strong is the nation’s love of the sauce that a third (32%) claim they’d rather have gravy than a pint of beer, while 29% would opt for it over a glass of wine, and one in five (20%) would even choose it over chocolate.
Thought those were some crazy stats? It only gets more bizarre, as the survey has revealed that one in ten (10%) Brits claim to put gravy on ‘everything”, with 11% claiming to prefer it poured on a pizza than a roast, and 10% preferring to pour it over pasta.
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Some Brits even like to kick-off their day with the brown stuff, and enjoy it poured over pancakes (6%), and even over cereal (5%).
73% of Brits would consider themselves a fan of the brown stuff / Credit: The Manc Group
It’s not all obscurities though, as when it comes to more traditional pairings, roast beef was named the dish most frequently paired with gravy (48%), closely followed by roast chicken (48%), and roast turkey (45%), with Yorkshire puddings (45%), and sausages and mash (44%) then rounding out the top five.
Unsurprisingly Sunday was revealed as the nation’s favourite ‘gravy day’ – with 47% of people citing it as the day they’re most likely to enjoy it.
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What is pretty surprising though, is that going against the long-standing assumption that northerners are the UK’s biggest gravy advocates, Oxford was actually revealed to be the UK’s so-called ‘gravy capital’ – with 41% of residents claiming to ‘love’ gravy.
In fact, people from Oxford apparently love gravy so much that a quarter (26%) of them tuck into meals with gravy more than 10 times a week.
The average Brit apparently makes their way through three gravy-doused meals each week / Credit: The Manc Group
The survey also revealed quite a lot of regional differences when it comes to gravy pairings, with us Mancs apparently opting for a classic portion of chips as our preferred way to soak up the gravy goodness.
You can win two VIP tickets to a Co-op Live show as part of a heartwarming Manc charity raffle
Danny Jones
Fancy bagging yourself the posh treatment at the biggest indoor gig and live entertainment venue in the city? Well, you can do just that by entering the latest Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity raffle, which is offering a pair of VIP tickets to a Co-op Live show.
All you have to do is simply do your bit for a crucial local cause.
It’s one that we’ve worked closely with in the past on many occasions: the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, which helps house rough sleepers across the region.
Teaming up with The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness – which was created specifically to generate funds for this ongoing crisis – as well as an upcoming community social, all you have to do to be in with a chance is put your name down for a cheap raffle ticket.
Writing in the caption of the post, the Mayor’s Charity has revealed that “Cross Club Social and The Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness are teaming up to raffle off 2x VIP Co-op Live tickets to a show of your choosing.”
That’s right, not just any random show – you get to pick which one you fancy going along to in style.
With the 2026 edition of the annual fundraising relay event, on behalf of Greater Manchester’s homeless community, taking place this November (find out more on the GMMC website and keep up to date with us here at The Manc for the latest) they’re hoping to get the donations going nice and early.
For anyone unaware, the Cross Club Social, or ‘XCS’, has been going for a few years now; it brings together runners from all over the 10 boroughs for a big post-race party, all whilst raising money for charitable organisations.
DJs, karaoke, quizzing, three full rooms, an entire beer garden to themselves, and MUCH more. 👀
The next edition will be taking place this Friday, 19 June, over at the award-winning Fairfield Social Club, where an all-day party will run, pardon the pun, well into the night.
Better still, entrants into the raffle don’t have to wait long to find out if they’re a winner, as the lucky recipient is set to be announced the following Saturday (20 Jun) after the big shindig over on the XCS Instagram page.
The Mayor’s Charity team signed off by adding, “Good luck and together, we will end homelessness” – a mission that many Manc groups, especially, have been working so hard to make possible in recent times.
For instance, last year alone, the aforementioned 24 Hour Run, whose team will be in attendance and taking donations for at XCS 2026, generated a whopping £70k, and the total tally has now reached truly life-changing sums.
As for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity raffle, you can grab a ticket HERE for just a fiver to secure your chance to go along to a VIP night at Co-op Live. Fingers crossed!
‘Powerful’ firearms found in Stockport suburb as police search for answers
Danny Jones
Concerning news coming out of Stockport after two “incredibly powerful and dangerous” firearms were found in the Brinnington area of the town.
The weapons have been secured by Greater Manchester Police (GMP), but the nature of their discovery has drummed up plenty of questions among local authorities.
Stumbled upon this past Friday, 12 June, officers in Stockport found both a handgun and, even more shockingly, a submachine gun in simple rubbish bags.
The high calibre and fire rate of the respective weapons, specifically, have understandably added to the level of worry among police and residents alike.
As per an official GMP release, an MP5 model SMG and a ‘Grand Power’ handgun were uncovered, although the exact location of the ordnance has not yet been disclosed.
Troubling stuff, to say the least.
However, at present, they believe the attempt to conceal and/or dispose of the weapons is likely a reaction to their ongoing efforts to disrupt criminal activity and remove dangerous weapons from the streets across the region.
Stopfordian sectors of the city-region are among many across the surrounding 10 boroughs, with Brinnington in particular seeing a more ramped-up level of searches.
Detective Inspector Mark Graham, leader of the SK Challenger Team, said: “We have done some fantastic work in recovering firearms in Greater Manchester – between April 2024 and April 2026 – GMP took 150 firearms off our streets.”
#Brinnington neighbourhood intensification operation sees multiple arrests and seizures
In the 2 weeks since our work began, we have secured 15 arrests for offences including possession with intent to supply, failing to appear at court, dangerous driving, & weapons offences. pic.twitter.com/zJS9QIYJTD
Nevertheless, he goes on to say that “Friday’s discovery has prevented potentially serious harm to those who work and live in the area”, adding in the full statement: “These types of weapons have no place on our streets and are incredibly powerful and dangerous.
“Our investigation is progressing, and we are following numerous lines of enquiry in relation to who these belong to and how they ended up where they did.”
As always, they are urging anyone with information about illegal firearms or suspicious activity in and around the Stockport region to contact police ASAP, either over the usual 101 number or by dialling 999 immediately in emergency situations.
If you would rather get in touch online, you can report potentially useful info via the live chat function on the GMP website, or alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Emily Sergeant -
25th November 2022 
