Milk chocolate, cheddar and margherita pizza: Britain’s most popular dishes, according to scientists

Fish and chips is not Britain’s favorite food, scientists claimed today.

And even full English is not in the top 20.

Instead, chocolate, cheddar and margherita pizzas top the list of the country’s most beloved treats.

Researchers surveyed more than 2,000 Britons about their food preferences to create a ranking chart of the UK’s most searched items.

Fish and chips, a staple of British cuisine, came in fourth, just ahead of spaghetti bolognese.

Snacks from McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut were also in the top ten.

Oranges were the most searched-for healthy option, ranking 13th on a list of more than 500 foods people were asked to give their thoughts on.

At the other end of the scale came the glasswort – a salty-tasting vegetable, similar to asparagus, that is usually served with seafood.

The scientists, who surveyed more than 2,000 Britons about their food preferences, found milk chocolate, cheddar and pizza margherita to be the most popular snacks. Chain items also ranked high on the cravings scale, with McDonald’s Double Quarter Pounder, Pizza Hut’s Pepperoni Feast and KFC’s Tenderloin Tower Burger all making the top 10.

What should a balanced diet look like?

Meals should be potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains, according to the NHS

• Eat at least five servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruits and vegetables count

• Meals based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starches, ideally whole grains

• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is equivalent to eating all of the following foods: five servings of fruits and vegetables, two whole-wheat cereal crackers, two thick slices of whole-grain bread, and a large baked potato with the skin on.

• Have dairy products or dairy alternatives (like soy beverages) choosing low fat and low sugar options

• Eat beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including two servings of fish per week, one of which should be fatty)

• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume them in small amounts

• Drink six to eight cups/glasses of water a day

• Adults should consume less than 6 g of salt and 20 g of saturated fat for women or 30 g for men per day

Chicory and bone marrow round out the three less runny foods.

Researchers from Cardiff University have created a database of people’s opinions on foods that other scientists can use in their own studies.

They asked 2,150 people in the UK to share their perception of the taste and safety of 520 foods, as well as their cravings.

The items – which were either baked goods, savory treats, desserts, takeout, cookies, confectionery, fruits or vegetables – were presented in pictures in front of them.

For food cravings, they were asked “how much have you craved this food in the last seven days?”, on a scale from “not at all” to “extremely”.

The answers were then translated by scientists into a score out of 100.

Milk chocolate was the most sought after, on average, with a score of 59.5.

It was followed by cheddar (49.6), pizza margherita (48.4), fish and chips (46.7) and spaghetti Bolognese (45.7).

Other top 20 items included crest cut crisps, sweet chilli crisps, chocolate cupcakes, roast beef, full English and cookies.

Samphire had a craving score of just 2.2, followed by chicory (2.7) and marrow (2.9).

The results have been published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

The researchers, led by researcher Dr Mark Randle, noted that energy-dense foods are “generally highly desired and inform subjective experiences of taste and cravings”.

They said: “These are often processed foods high in fat, salt or sugar, with the exception of fruit which has been reported as commonly sought after.”

The volunteers ranked healthy foods “significantly lower” in taste compared to junk foods, the team noted.

And participants who felt hungry when sharing their views on food were more likely to rank junk food higher and healthy food lower, they said.