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Cheese toasties take top spot as UK’s favourite lunch with Brits eating 4.3 billion per year

Today is the launch of the first ever National Cheese Toastie Day here in the UK.

Emily Sergeant - 27th October 2020

A very special national day is being celebrated for the first time ever today.

Today is the launch of National Cheese Toastie day, as the mighty comfort food takes the crown as the UK’s tastiest lunch option with over a third of Brits picking it as their top spot.

It seems that the UK is a cheese toastie-loving nation as almost half of the country (47%) have admitted to eating toasties weekly, and 20% eating them more than once a week. In total, it’s been revealed – thanks to newly-conducted research by The Yorkshire Creamery – that the British public eat an average of 4.3 billion cheese toasties per year, with 3.3 million people eating a toastie every day, and 31.3 million eating at least one toastie a week.

That’s a lot of cheese.

When it comes to the cheese of choice for the toastie, the undeniable champion was found to be the mighty Cheddar – with two thirds of people choosing it over all other options – and Red Leicester was next on the list, with 13.7% of the vote.

Cheese and ham is the most popular flavour combination, with 30% of the vote, a classic cheese toastie on its own comes second (23%), and cheese and tomato takes third place (22%).

All in all, 37% of Brits say that a cheese toastie is the tastiest lunch option, and while the jacket potato (21%) and beans on toast (14%) took second and third place respectively, one in five people agreed that there is no better comfort food quite like a cheese toastie.

What about us Mancunians though?

• 43% of Mancunians eat a cheese toastie at least once a week.
• 62% agree that cheddar is the best cheese for a cheese toastie.
• 40% say the cheese toastie is tastiest lunch option around with – jacket potato 19%, and beans on toast 14% taking second and third spot.
• The favourite flavour combos are Ham and cheese 30%, Cheese and Tomato 22%, and Cheese and Onion 20%.

Each year on 27th October, the nation is invited to celebrate its love for the mighty cheese toastie on its own national day, so today you’re encouraged dust off your toastie machine, dig out your grill pan, or whip out your toastie bags and get ready to cook up the ultimate British comfort food.

Although, from looking at these new statistics, it seems like every day is cheese toastie day according to some three million Brits.

What’s the best way to make a cheese toastie though?

Top tips include 39% of people saying you should always use a toastie maker for the perfect cheese toastie, but 18% preferring the grill pan for their cheese toastie fix, and a third of people stating that buttering the outside of the bread is crucial.

One in five people also championed the need to toast the bread first.

Sandra Bell at The Yorkshire Creamery – who founded National Cheese Toastie Day – commented: “Since we launched our range of award-winning cheeses made with milk from local farms and using traditional techniques, we’ve been inviting the nation to toastie together with us and have been overwhelmed by the nation’s love for the mighty cheese toastie.

“The research just backs up what we already thought – that we’re a nation of cheese toastie lovers.

“On the back of this, we’ve decided to etch toasties into our history with a dedicated day to recognise this delicious cheesy delicacy every year. We want to celebrate one of the nation’s favourite comfort foods and bring people together to share recipes, inspiration and new insight on toastie trends.”

Well, we know what we’re having for lunch.