Forget the fatty fry-up, we’re going to work on an egg

Brits are returning to cooked breakfasts, but with healthier choices such as scrambled or poached eggs replacing fatty fry-ups, according to new research – and with a phone or laptop the most likely accessories. 

While fewer than one per cent of Brits now eat a ‘full English’ every day, Britain’s love affair with a cooked breakfast is far from over.  The research shows that around one in five of us choose to go to work on an egg at least once a week, with the most popular time for breakfast during the week being 8.12am.

And more than a third of families report that they sit down together to enjoy a weekend breakfast, after treating themselves to a 45 minute lie-in, eating at 9.02am.

Top egg choices in 2015 include scrambled (26%) and poached (16%).

But the research, among almost 2,000 Brits, showed that even at breakfast time, technology is taking over, with a third of people using breakfast as the first opportunity of the day to catch up on emails or check their phones.  And one in ten Brits eat on the run or at their desk as time-poor workers cram even more office time into their day.

Egg sales have increased by 22% in the past seven years and are up a further 5% this year, led by an increase in people eating eggs for breakfast.

Nutritionist, Cath McDonald, said:  “It’s no secret that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so it’s great to see that it’s getting healthier.  High protein foods such as eggs give people a fantastic start to the day, as they will fill you up and help stop you snacking.”

Andrew Joret, Chairman of British Lion Eggs, which commissioned the survey, said:  “We’ve seen a significant increase in eggs being eaten at breakfast in recent years.  We’ve put this down to families wanting to enjoy the cooked breakfast experience, but in a healthier way.”

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Notes to editors

Research conducted online on 1,512 UK adults by Ggem research in July 2015