Trending
This girl’s amazing costume has won World Book Day
Emily Sergeant -
5th March 2020
Emily Sergeant -
5th March 2020 Trending
New survey reveals Britain’s ULTIMATE Christmas dinner combo – including ‘surprising’ sides
Emily Sergeant
A new survey of the British public has revealed what our ultimate Christmas dinner combination is, including some very surprising sides.
With December now well underway and the festive feasting season already thriving, it won’t be long until the big day is here and lots of Brits sit down to tuck into the heartiest meal they’ll likely have all year – their Christmas dinner, of course.
But do we all like to eat the same things? Apparently not.
You may remember that a survey conducted a couple of years back found that a good chunk of Brits would prefer to eat a curry over a traditional Christmas dinner, but now, a big new survey by YouGov has revealed what the nation’s ultimate Christmas dinner combination would be in the year 2025 – all the way from mains, to sides, to dessert.
When it comes to mains, it’s no surprise (or maybe it is?) that turkey still rules the roost at the Christmas dinner table, with 57% of Brits having it as part of their main meal.
ADVERTISEMENT
On the other hand though, chicken or beef are not uncommon, with just under a quarter (24%) having either as part of their Christmas dinner, while one in seven(15%) tuck into some Christmas ham, and 10% of festive dinner tables feature other joints of pork.
Vegetarian or vegan alternatives, such as the ever-popular nut roasts, were found to feature on the Christmas dinner table for 13% of Brits.
ADVERTISEMENT
When it comes to sides, it really is no surprise this time that roast potatoes and gravy take the crown, with around eight in 10 Brits (79-81%) accompanying their roasts with the duo.
Everything from mains, to sides, to desserts are on the menu / Credit: Realmac Software (via Unsplash)
Carrots will be on the table at 76% of Christmas dinners, while just over two thirds (70%) will feature stuffing, pigs in blankets, or Brussels sprouts, 62% typically have parsnips, and half (49%) add Yorkshire puddings to their plate.
Roughly four in 10 (40-42%) include cranberry sauce or broccoli, and 51% of us lot in the North will include mashed potatoes in the mix too.
Surprisingly, 16% add bread sauce to their plate, and 5% even opt for potato dauphinoise.
Ready to chat sweet treats? When it comes to dessert to finish things off, traditional classics like Christmas pudding (41%) and mince pies (31%) come out on top, but a little lower down the list you’ll also find trifle (18%), sticky toffee pudding (9%), and even stollen (5%).
Read more:
- One in six Brits would rather have a curry than a Christmas dinner, new survey reveals
- Top 10 most disliked Christmas foods revealed
- More than 12 million Brits think Yorkshire puddings belong with your Christmas dinner
On the flip side though, the survey also found that a traditional roast dinner doesn’t feature in everyone’s festive seasons, with 7% of Brits saying they have something else as their main meal on Christmas Day.
Featured Image – Nicole Michalou (via Pexels)
Trending
The nominees for the Critics’ Choice award at the 2026 BRITs in Manchester have been revealed
Danny Jones
With the upcoming BRITs ceremony coming to Manchester, we’re more all over the nominations than ever, especially now that the Critics’ Choice nominees for 2026 have been confirmed.
In case this rather massive news somehow passed you by, Manchester is set to host the BRIT Awards for the first time ever next year, and we’re understandably buzzing about it.
2023 was the annual Chanel ‘Metiers D’Art’ show, 2024 was the MTV EMAs, and next summer will see the BRITs; gosh, Manchester really is in vogue, isn’t it?
Anyway, here’s who’s been nominated this year:
The 2026 BRITs Critics’ Choice Awards nominees
Jacob Alon
First up is a non-binary singer with roots all over the country, best-known for tracks like ‘Don’t Fall Asleep’, ‘Fairy In A Bottle’ and ‘Liquid Gold 25’. This year really has been a golden one for him, having also been nominated for the Mercury Prize, despite ultimately missing out to Sam Fender.
Commenting on the nomination, he told the BRITs: “Ya beauty! Tapadh leibh [‘thank you’ in Gaelic] for recognising my work for this award, you legends! Even though I’m Scottish and Irish before I’m British, I appreciate the BRITs critics for this recognition.
“I really care about and believe in this music, and it makes my world brighter every time it reaches someone else. Hopefully, this nomination means some more beautiful people might find something in this wee album. ‘Mon the gays!”
Rose Gray
Next up in the nods is London’s Rose Gray – a solo star who has developed a cult following thanks to songs like ‘ATTENTION!’, ‘Wet & Wild’, ‘Angel of Satisfaction’ and more.
Also the long-time partner and childhood sweetheart of Babygirl, Iron Claw and The King’s Man actor, Harris Dickinson, Gray has been riding a particular wave of popularity over the past year or so, especially after the release of her A Little Louder, Please (Deluxe) double album this past October.
She said in a statement: “I’m so excited for this nomination! This moment feels like a special reminder of how far this journey has carried me and what a crazy year it’s been. One year ago, I was manifesting so hard for my album to travel, to find its people, to really get its light. And it did. Releasing this record has genuinely changed my life…”
we made a movie https://t.co/dKMzWiY4fn pic.twitter.com/MuKAcqyc7F
— ☆*:. ｡Rose Gray ｡.:*☆ (@rosegray_) November 22, 2025
Sienna Spiro
Lastly, in at number three is the 20-year-old singer-songwriter, Sienna Spiro, whose soulful voice sounds like one with much more life experience and years of emotion under its belt; it’s no wonder that she’s resonated with multiple generations, let alone been recognised by the panel.
With big theatrical ballads like ‘Die On This Hill’, ‘You Stole The Show’, as well as heavily-streamed songs like ‘MAYBE.’, ‘BACK TO BLONDE’ and more in her impressive and fast-growing discography, we know she’ll go far even if she doesn’t win – you can bank on that.
She added: “So beyond honoured and grateful to be nominated for this year’s Critics’ Choice BRIT Award! To think I started releasing music last year, I would never have expected this at all. Thank you so much!”
@siennaspiro Die On This Hill Visualizer OUT NOW ON YOUTUBE Link in bioooo 🦕
♬ Die On This Hill – SIENNA SPIRO
Having looked again at the list of people who’ve been both shortlisted and those who have gone on to win it, trust us, you’ll want to be paying attention to this one…
For context:
Past BRITs Critics’ Choice / Rising Star winners and nominees
- 2008 – Adele (Duffy, Foals)
- 2009 – Florence + The Machine (Little Boots, White Lies)
- 2010 – Ellie Goulding (Delphic, Marina and the Diamonds)
- 2011 – Jessie J (James Blake, The Vaccines)
- 2012 – Emeli Sandé (Michael Kiwanuka, Maverick Sabre)
- 2013 – Tom Odell (AlunaGeorge, Laura Mvula)
- 2014 – Sam Smith (Ella Eyre, Chlöe Howl)
- 2015 – James Bay (George The Poet, Years & Years)
- 2016 – Jack Garratt (Izzy Bizu, Frances)
- 2017 – Rag ’n’ Bone Man (Anne Marie, Dua Lipa)
- 2018 – Jorja Smith (Stefflon Don, Mabel)
- 2019 – Sam Fender (Lewis Capaldi, Mahalia)
- 2020 – Celeste (Beabadoobee, Joy Crookes)
- 2021 – Griff (Pa Salieu, Rina Sawayama)
- 2022 – Holly Humberstone (Bree Runway, Lola Young)
- 2023 – FLO (Cat Burns, Nia Archives)
- 2024 – The Last Dinner Party (Caity Baser, Sekou)
- 2025 – Myles Smith (Elemiene, Good Neighbours)
So yeah, it’s fair to say that anyone even in the running for this accolade tends to go on to do even more bigger and better things than they already have.
Tickets to be at the 2026 BRIT Awards at Co-op Live in person for whoever picks up the Critics’ Choice gong, as well as all the other categories, are live now.
If you’re interested, you can grab yours HERE.
Read more:
- The biggest rock band on Earth is coming to Manchester, with hundreds of musicians on stage
- MCR Xmas Parade 2025 – all the important info you need to know-ho-ho
- Peter Hook set for special anniversary Manc show, with a veteran punk band supporting
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — Audio North/Press shots (supplied)
More Trending
Audio
Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute
Eats