End of the roast dinner? Families are shunning the traditional Sunday favourite because of the cost of cooking it in the oven amid cost-of-living crisis
Britons are turning away from the traditional Sunday roast because of the cost of cooking it in the oven.
Many traditional dishes, including roast chicken, lamb, pork or beef, can take several hours to cook in an oven.
As energy prices rocket, more than a third of adults (36 per cent) are choosing to have the Sunday dinner less often than a year ago.
This rises to almost half amongst under-35-year-olds as younger people look to reduce their energy bills.
In news that will upset food purists, supermarket Tesco said people are experimenting by cooking Yorkshire puddings in the microwave and making potato dauphinoise.
Many traditional dishes, including roast chicken, lamb, pork or beef, can take several hours to cook in an oven (file image)
People are buying smaller chickens for roasts as they look to cut back on costs in the face of inflation and higher energy prices (file image)
Executive Chef James Robinson told The Sunday Times that cooking Yorkshire pudding batter – a combination of eggs, milk and flour beaten together – in the microwave or air fryer makes little difference to the result.
People are also buying smaller chickens, which take less time to cook. A one kilogram chicken takes approximately an hour if roasted at 200C (180C in a fan oven).
Farmison & Co, an online butcher, said 61 per cent of the whole chickens it sold this year were smaller, compared to half of the chickens last year.
A butcher from west Yorkshire’s JB Wilkinson & Sons believes the Sunday roast is in a long-term decline.
Joe Wilkinson said his six butchers’ shops had seen a decrease in the number of roasting joints being bought.
‘People live very different and busy lives these days.
‘We used to get the ‘lady of the house’ come in on a Friday and buy a joint every week to eat hot on the Sunday and cold throughout the week.’
The butcher said the dish was now something people had for special occasions, rather than an opportunity to cook a lot of meat at the weekend and eat it throughout the rest of the week.
‘These days a joint is generally bought for a special occasion or family gathering.
‘People want something quick and easy that they can cook in less than an hour, preferably.’
Big meat dishes can easily be replaced with cheaper alternatives, like sausages, bacon, burgers or chops, which can more easily be fried.