Scots warm to soup – even in the summer
IT is the ultimate comfort food during the cold winter months.
But the wet and chilly Scottish summer has seen sales of s oup maintain t heir cold weather level.
Heinz yesterday said it had sold 15.5million cans during the 12 weeks of ‘so-called’ summer, with Scots opting for piping hot bowls of nourishing soup rather than traditional summer delights such as strawberries and cream.
Bad weather and Scottish taste have combined to maint ain soup sales at winter l evels, in a situation Heinz admits is ‘odd’.
Despite soup traditionally being thought of as a winter dish, 64 per cent of Scots consume it at least once a week throughout the summer, according to a new Heinz survey, with nearly half 44 per cent of the nation saying they enjoy it ‘any time, any place’.
Meanwhile, 71 per cent admitted they had eaten soup as part of a weight loss plan for summer. Food psychologist Dr Christy Ferguson said that, whatever the weather, Scots are soup fans because of the f eelings of ‘warmth, comfort and love’ it evokes.
She added: ‘ Even when the weather is hot, soup remains one of our firm favourite comfort foods and the Scots enjoy it during the summer more than any other area of the UK.
‘If we have grown up consuming soup while having fun and happy experiences, such as during the school holidays, camping and picnics, then over time we can create associations between soup and those positive emotions. All of this means we are drawn to soup because we associate it with feelings of warmth, comfort and love.
‘For those of us who are trying to get in shape for summer, a bowlful of soup is a great way to help us achieve our goals.
‘ Plus soup has the added benefit of giving us that allimportant comforting and reassuring feeling that we all need from time to time – especially when we are on a diet.’
Scotland’s washout summer caused chaos at the weekend, with the Open delayed due to wind and rain as storms battered swathes of the country.
Downpours r ai s ed water l evels i n several Perthshire towns, with Alyth worst hit, as cars were washed away by up to 3ft of water.
July 1 was the warmest for nearly 40 years, as temperatures i n Scots hotspots reached highs of 84.9f (29.4c), but within days thunderstorms caused flash flooding.