Researchers found that modern-day hectic lifestyles, fussy children and spouses who work long hours mean mums are stuck in a rut when it comes to dinner-time.

Nine in 10 mothers polled admitted to cooking the same meals over and over again, while one in four made the same meals on the same day of the week.

The most common dish was spaghetti bolognese, followed by the classic roast dinner, shepherd's pie or cottage pie and a pasta dish.

Merchant Gourmet, who conducted the study of 4,000 Britons, said: "It’s not surprising, given the demands of modern family life, that home cooks revert back to the recipes they know and love.

"People are put off experimenting with new meals and ingredients as they’re convinced it will be time-consuming or expensive."