Photo by Cinderellasg

In the news you may have heard that, overall, people in the UK are doing less cooking from scratch than we did in the 1980’s. However, at Great British Chefs, we found more positive insights from the latest IGD ShopperTrack research, those under 35 are doing much more cooking from scratch compared to those over 35.



In the survey, 51% of younger consumers claimed to be cooking more from scratch now, compared to 35% of the over-35s - which the ShopperTrack research company puts down partly to TV cooks.



Said chief executive Joanne Denney-Finch: “The last 20 years have seen a foodie revolution as people have grown up watching celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and Gordon Ramsay."



Younger shoppers are also more inventive with 43% of younger shoppers cooking more with leftovers, compared to 30% of over-35s. Good news for high end food suppliers is that 30% of the under-35s are prepared to pay extra for premium quality food while only 16% of people over 35 are prepared to do this.



This news applies for independant shops too. Twice as many younger shoppers expect to buy more organic food over the next 12 months, also 19% say they will use more specialist stores like bakers, fishmongers and butchers, compared to just 8% of the over-35s.



”The under-35s have travelled abroad more than their parents and grandparents,“ Denney-Finch went on. ”They are more aware than ever of the challenges facing our global climate. And the internet has brought recipes from around the world direct to people’s kitchens.“



She added ”Our food industry continues to provide shoppers with a wide range of great quality, tasty food from around the world. They are well placed to please younger shoppers who are more concerned with ethics, the environment and animal welfare and who select their supermarket based partly on its commitment to environmental sustainability“.

What do you think? How much cooking from scratch do you do each week? Is it just younger people who are more experimental & more likely shop in independent stores? Are you influenced by celebrity cooks & chefs on TV? We’re discussing this over on the Great British Chefs Facebook page.