Which Breakfast Tribe Are You?
Breakfast is, as they all keep telling us the most important meal of the day. We are great champions of this and have breakfast every single day no matter how much of a rush we are in. We wanted to share some interesting statistics with you on how we all favour different breakfast types across the country.
Which Breakfast Tribe Are You?
Brits are divided into five Breakfast Tribes, according to new research from local milkman service Milk&More. By mining its rich grocery shopping data, Milk&More reveals how different areas of the country choose to eat the most important meal of the day – and the differences couldn’t be more striking.
The five Breakfast Tribes and their respective foods are:
- Protein Packed – Eggs and traditional fry-ups
- The Quickie – quick-fix foods such as cereal and toast
- Healthy – fruit salads, juices and smoothies
- Long-lasting – slow release foods such as oats and porridge
- On-the-go – bakery items, yoghurt drinks and biscuits
Milk&More internal sales data MONTH 1 – MONTH 3 2017 – product sales were split by depot location.
Residents of south-west London are far more likely to have an egg-based breakfast – indicating a penchant for a nutritious protein-filled start to the day. This part of the country purchases four times more eggs than any other. On the other side of the nation, South Wales is the epicentre of the great British fry-up, with the most number of orders for bacon.
Healthiest Region?
The title for the healthiest region of the U.K. goes to Hertfordshire, with the county’s residents stocking up on fruit and veg, we assume this region is keen on smoothies and fruit salads. . This supports the findings by the Family Food Survey 2015[i] that shows increases in purchases of fruit and vegetables between 2012 and 2015.
The Energy Boosting Region
Those living on the Isle of Wight are the most likely to consume a sensible energy-boosting breakfast, which provides a steady flow of energy through the morning. The demand for oats are the highest in this region, with traditional oats twice as popular as the flavoured varieties.
The rushed breakfasts on to go
It seems the residents of Kent and Essex lead some of the busiest lives in the country, as reflected in their propensity to purchase on-to-go breakfast items. These regions are the joint top purchasers of bakery goods.
Classic yet quick breakfast options like cereal and toast are especially popular in Kent, as well as in Somerset where the residents also order more milk than any other region.
How important is it for us?
Milk&More also asked the public about their favourite type of breakfast and how important it is to them. The results show The Quickie breakfast to be the most popular, with half (50%) of respondents citing cereal as their go-to choice. Having breakfast is seen as a must, with three quarters (75%) of respondents claiming they would not feel energised or set up for the day without it.
However, breakfast choices are mostly made on the day with only 37% of respondents knowing what they would be having the following day. And it may be this lack of organisation which is contributing to 42% of Brits not managing to eat their breakfast at home each morning.ii
Laura Titchiner, Head of Strategic and Digital Marketing at Milk&More comments: “These results offer a surprising glimpse into the nation’s morning eating habits. The fast pace of modern life can help explain why breakfast is often skipped or rushed, but the evidence is strong that a good breakfast can give you the best possible start to the day. Getting a regular order of your breakfast essentials is a great way of ensuring you find the time to have breakfast, whichever type you choose.”
These are really interesting stats on how we all see and treat breakfasts differently. They are obviously just a representation and not 100% accurate for all of us. So we’d love to hear in the comments below what you have for breakfast and what region of the UK (or the world!) you are from.
We’ll go first – Belfast – Porridge with Honey and a Cup of Tea.
In the USA, we seem to have the same commonalities that you do based on what part of the USA. I live in the Southern part which most like their bacon and eggs. Breakfast should never be rushed if you must then you go to your favorite local bakery (not a chain bakery) order a warm delicious croissant or other pastry , head off to do your business for the day! Sundays are for having delicious brunch with family and friends or by yourself with a wide variety of bacon, eggs AND pastry.
Really interesting article! Portuguese-based in Newcastle, UK: in summer, I will tend to have fruit, yogurt and oats; and in winter traditional porridge with fruit. I must however say that my morning eating habits have changed dramatically since I moved to the UK. I used to be more on The Quickie side when I was in Portugal 🙂