- Burgers are booming at M&S, with record burger sales in May 2018 – up 49% on the previous year
- The new M&S Our Best Ever Burger has been a huge success, with sales exceeding initial expectations by 160%, shooting up the ranks to become the retailer’s best-selling new product of the summer
- As Britain goes burger mad, M&S has delved into the nation’s burger habits in a Burger Report: a snapshot of UK burger eating using YouGov research and M&S sales data
- The report reveals that home-cooked burgers are eaten by more than two million Brits at least once a week or more, with Northern Ireland eating more than any other region
- No longer just a fast food favourite, burgers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and nine out of ten Brits say that the most important thing about a home-cooked burger is the quality of the meat
- Brits truly do have a love for burgers with 61% going as far as to say that a BBQ isn’t a BBQ without a burger
- And with the World Cup kicking off, up to 1.9 million Brits are likely to be tucking into burgers believing that watching sport is the perfect occasion to do so
- The favourite occasion varies by region: the North West is the biggest advocate of eating a burger while the footy is on, while Wales is most likely to enjoy a burger as a midnight snack and Scotland believes the burger is the perfect food for a romantic date
- Luckily, the unpredictable British summer won’t affect our enjoyment. 40% of Brits say they enjoy burgers year-round, not put off by a bit of rain. Northern Ireland, Scotland and North England prefer to cook them inside, under the grill anyway
- Toppings are more important than ever before and the top three voted as essential for a home cooked burger in the survey are: cheese (54%), onion (47%) and lettuce (35%). Closely followed by tomato (30%), bacon (30%) and gherkin (16%). However some of us are branching out into new trendy toppings, with 1 in 25 of us opting for the omnipresent avocado; Londoners are more avo-obsessed with 1 in 10 choosing it as their favourite topper
- 54% of respondents said they can’t have a burger without cheese but our top choices vary by region: the South West are the least likely to choose the nation’s favourite cheddar, instead opting for Monterey Jack. While the North East are the most likely to add halloumi to their burgers
- When it comes to condiments, we keep it classic. 36% of Brits would choose tomato ketchup to accompany their burger, followed by burger relish at 14% and BBQ sauce at 10%. Most popular to clothe the perfect beef burger was a classic sesame seed bun (28%). Bucking the health trend, M&S data shows that white bread is clear winner to combine with a burger. Over a third of customers buy white buns, while only 1 in 20 buy brown
- However, healthy eating trends may affect some choices this summer, as a fifth of Brits say they don’t want cheese on their burgers and 4.5 million carb-conscious consumers will choose to have their burgers naked (with no bread). Women are more than twice as likely to choose a ‘naked burger’ than men, and are more likely to choose lettuce and tomato as toppings, while men prefer a fried egg or bacon
- The North East is the most health-conscious region with the highest number of M&S Skinny Burgers sold here – and they’re also the biggest consumers of wholemeal rolls. The North West are the biggest fans of the M&S veggie burger, while Wales consume the most fish burgers. The South West are officially the beef burger connoisseurs, consuming the most of the retailer’s new Our Best Ever Burgers
- As burgers have become increasingly gourmet and customers more sophisticated when it comes to flavour and cuts, M&S has always stayed ahead of the game and was first retailer to launch an Aberdeen Angus burger 15 years ago
- Our Best Ever Burger is the latest in the collection and the team spent a year obsessively developing it, crafted from specially selected cuts of British beef and a hint of bone marrow for that extra special flavour
