2026
9
UK Attitudes towards the Evening Meal at Home: 2026
2026-05-28T16:01:00+00:00
REP35B9B59C_9371_4F23_B9B5_9C9371AF2325
2195
193721
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Report
en_GB
Fractured meal patterns abound in Britain. There is an even split among 2+ person households of members eating the same dish at the same time, and their eating different foods…
UK
Cooking
simple

UK Attitudes towards the Evening Meal at Home: 2026

"Pressure on incomes in 2026 will buoy at-home meals and favour established brands. Aligning with new influences and shopping approaches is essential for long-term."

Alice Baker, Food and Drink Analyst

Alice Baker, Food and Drink Analyst

  • Fractured meal patterns abound in Britain. There is an even split among 2+ person households of members eating the same dish at the same time, and their eating different foods or at different times. This represents a formidable pool of demand for meals that can wait for the diner or can conveniently flex to cater to different needs and preferences.
  • Continued pressure on household budgets in 2026 due to the Middle East crisis will continue to favour at-home meals over eating out and takeaway options, and scratch cooking over ready meals. However, the associated ‘trade up while trading down’ mindset creates opportunities for premium variants.
  • The substantial influence of social media and AI chatbots in younger home cooks’ evening meals points to a growing need for brands to embrace these touchpoints to stay visible and relevant to what will, going forward, be a growing group of consumers drawing inspiration from them.

This Report Looks at the Following Areas:

  • The impact of the rising pressure on incomes and accelerating food prices on evening meals
  • Evening meal patterns, including cooking choices and households sharing meals
  • The need for companies to embrace social media and AI’s growing influence on evening meals at home
  • The opportunity to drive engagement by encouraging ‘safe experimentation’
  • The rise of rapid delivery services and the scope to tap into this for impulse buying
Collapse All
  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Opportunities
    • Embrace social media and AI to support sales
    • Offer “safe experimentation” suggestions to engage home cooks
    • Leverage rapid delivery to make the most of impulse buying
  2. THE MARKET

    • Continued income squeeze will favour at-home dining in 2026
    • Further food price rises are on the cards for 2026
    • Companies must be mindful of consumers’ health focus
  3. THE CONSUMER

    • Cater to cooking differences and fractured meal patterns
    • Reliance on prepared meals declines in 2026
    • Graph 1: type of evening meal prepared most often in households, 2021-26
    • Scratch cooking patterns vary by age and gender, but not by finances
    • Fractured meal patterns are the norm for many
    • Offer shortcut solutions for people with fractured meal patterns
    • Align with new information sources to stay relevant
    • Social media and AI are ones to watch
    • Craft an accessible and aspirational brand identity
    • Align with social media trends
    • Include interactive elements to build engagement
    • Adapting to AI search tools is essential
    • Grocers must launch their own AI assistants
    • Encourage ‘safe experimentation’ and customisation to boost enjoyment
    • Many people don’t like to – or cannot afford to – experiment
    • Encouraging variety has benefits
    • Emphasise ease and reliability
    • Anchor experimentation in familiarity
    • Shift customisation to the plate
    • Team up with rapid delivery services to facilitate impulse buying
    • Rapid grocery delivery services are set to grow
    • Rapid delivery services gain momentum in 2025
    • Explore non-store impulse purchase prompts
    • Offer recipes and bundle deals via rapid delivery
    • Use timed adverts to catch people’s attention
  4. APPENDIX

    • Report scope
    • The market
    • Market drivers – food inflation
    • Graph 2: CPI inflation for ready-made meals, vegetables/potatoes, poultry and all food, 2021-26
    • The consumer
    • Consumer research questions
    • Consumer research methodology – EMEA
    • UK generation groups
    • Abbreviations

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