Brunch is on the rise

ANEW survey has found that one in five people now have brunch as a regular meal, with 44% of these people skipping breakfast to go straight to brunch.

The research, undertaken by Jarlsberg cheese, found that nearly 80% of people changed their brunch habits during the pandemic, with one in three brunchers making the switch as they are waking up later thanks to working from home.

The weekend is still the most popular time to brunch, with Saturday the most popular day.

Somewhat surprisingly, 73% of brunchers choose to have brunch at home with their family rather than going out to a café or restaurant.

Cheese is a very popular ingredient in a brunch meal according to 40% of brunchers, while one in two people like brunch to involve eggs.

And, although the trend is towards a plant-based diet in the UK, it still appears that 50% of brunchers like to have meat as part of this meal.

English cuisine is still overwhelmingly the favourite cuisine for brunch, according to 76% of people compared to the next favourite, American food, being preferred by 33%.

“The pandemic has changed much about our lives and routines,” said Dorota Dziedzic, assistant brand manager for Jarlsberg.

“We have been at home much more than usual and our eating habits have certainly changed. Our survey shows that many people are now skipping breakfast and prefer eating a brunch-type meal mid-morning as they have got used to getting up later because they don’t have to commute to their desks any more.

“Brunch used to be a weekend thing, but people are now brunching all through the week. We found that 65% of brunchers like to have brunch multiple times a week, and Friday and Wednesdays are catching up with Sundays in terms of percentage of brunchers who partake on these days. Around 40% of brunch-eaters have brunch on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday too, so it’s becoming an every day meal.”

Ms Dziedzic added: “The variety of food that people like in their brunch is also a bit of a revelation with half of brunchers liking a mix of sweet and savoury for their brunch. Unsurprisingly cheese and eggs are popular choices when it comes to brunch.

“And with hybrid working looking set to become the reality for many people, it will be great to see how businesses will accommodate their employees desire to opt for brunch over breakfast.”

The UK’s first-ever National Brunch Weekend

Jarlsberg said it conducted this survey ahead of the country’s first-ever National Brunch Weekend to celebrate the UK’s love of brunching and how it has become such a social event over the last decade.

It will take place this Saturday and

Sunday.

Ms Dziedzic said: “We are really excited about launching the UK’s first-ever National Brunch Weekend and celebrating the slower pace of life that weekends and brunches symbolise.

“We will be creating some dedicated

National Brunch Weekend recipes featuring Jarlsberg that people will be able to recreate at home, including a sourdough with Jarlsberg cheese recipe.

“We are optimistic that National Brunch Weekend will become a major part of the UK’s foodie calendar.”

Jarlsberg will also be running a competition on social media, teaming up with Robert Dyas on some prize giveaways. n For updates, follow @Jarlsberg cheese on Facebook, @Jarlsberg_ on Instagram and @ No1Jarlsberg on Twitter