Some like it hot - a Celebration of Britain’s love of curry

We’re a nation that loves our curries, with new research revealing that the Chicken Tikka (25%) has stood the test of time, ranking as the top curry choice followed by Chicken Korma (20%) and a Lamb Rogan Josh (12%).

Indian varieties are the popular option, with over half (51%) of those surveyed saying it’s their most frequented type of curry, with dishes from Thailand (12%) coming in second. Pilau rice (47%), poppadoms (46%) and a garlic naan (40%) were the favourite curry accompaniments as well as over 1 in 4 (29%) UK adults preferring to have a pint of beer as their drink accompaniment to their curry.

The new spicy survey also found that some really do like it hot... very hot... with 28% saying the hotter the better when it comes to a curry, although the same number (29%) admit they prefer their dishes on the milder side.

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The research by Co-op reveals that the average Brit enjoys a curry (4 per month) once a week.

In fact, almost a third (30%) would describe themselves as curry lovers, with 37% saying they love to try different types of curry and 35% saying they are becoming increasingly adventurous when it comes to flavor (35%).

However, it’s the men of the UK that come out on top again in the spicy battle of the sexes, 14% of men tuck into a potential mouth-blistering curry, but only 4% of women will dare take their taste buds that far, preferring medium (51%) and mild (34%) heat.

However we enjoy our curry, the findings also confirmed that when it comes to convenient and an easy mid-week meal, curry is king! A third (33%) are likely to choose a curry as an easy meal after work whilst 36% see it as the perfect mid-week treat.

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Dan Toombs, The Curry Guy said: “I’ve always loved cooking and barely a day goes by where I’m not making a curry so it thrills me to see that there are so many other people that share my passion for spice. What’s great about a curry is that it can be for everyone - you can heat it up and mix up the flavours and ingredients to suit all tastes and you certainly can’t beat one for the perfect mid-week meal.”