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Old favourite: Toast beat competition from cereal, porridge, and yoghurt drinks in being declared our favourite breakfast
Toast declared our favourite breakfast food
By
Chris Parsons
Last updated at 9:33 AM on 27th September 2011
It’s said to be the most important meal of the day, but it seems most of us still want to keep it simple when it comes to breakfast.
The humble slice of toast is our favourite breakfast, according to research released yesterday.
It beat other breakfast favourites such as cereal, a cooked breakfast and even fruit.
And despite the emergence of alternative breakfasts involving yoghurt drinks or cereal bars, toast is still eaten by more than eight in ten people in the morning.
Experts say its popularity as a breakfast meal is down to the variety of ways it can be eaten, with sweet or savoury spreads.
TOP TEN OF THE MORNING
1. Toast
2. Cold cereal
3. Fruit
4. Cooked breakfast
5. Hot cereal
6. Sliced bread/roll
7. Yogurt/yogurt drink
8. Hot roll
9. Granola/muesli
10. Breakfast bars
It can also be be eaten on the go, making it popular with commuters in a hurry.
The launch of numerous premium, healthy breads has contributed to a resurgence in toast as a favoured breakast.
A report into the breakfast market by analysts Mintel found 81 per cent of people said toast was their favourite breakfast.
Alex Beckett, senior food analyst at Mintel, said: ‘Toast is the most popular breakfast option for Britons, eaten by eight in 10 consumers.
‘It enjoys broad appeal across all age groups.
‘A raft of premium healthier breads have entered the market, helping to support consumption among lower-income households and the more affluent consumers at very similar levels.’
On the up: Researchers recorded a 37 per cent growth in the consumption of porridge in the past five years
The report said toast has stronger appeal among women of whom 84 per cent say their favourite breakfast is toast, compared to 78 per cent of men.
Consumers now have a wider variety of breads with health claims to make their toast from, said Mintel.
However, Mintel said competition in the breakfast market is intense.
It said there had been a massive growth of 37 per cent in hot celeals like porridge in the past five years.
Cold winter temperatures last year were celebrated by porridge manufacturers as sales rocketed.
Many people who tried porridge for the first time continued to eat it even after the weather improved.
However, weather remains a key influence on porridge sales and more people reach for hot oats when the weather gets cold.
