Recession has Brought the Family Together at Mealtimes
As cooking budgets decrease, the importance of families eating together increases with 35 per cent of families eating together more often than they did five years ago, according to new research from the instant food brand Maggi.
Making the most of family mealtimes and following simple cost-saving tips can ensure that parents save money whilst bringing everyone together over a delicious meal
Despite food budgets often being squeezed in tough economic times, two thirds of parents surveyed think that eating together is the best way to catch up and testament to this is the survey result which revealed that 68 per cent of the UK families surveyed, eat together at least five times a week.
Of those families who reported eating dinner together more often since the recession, 16 per cent say that it’s due to cutting down on dining out, and 13 per cent find it more cost effective to eat together at dinnertime. However, of those parents who admit that the recession has caused their family to eat together less, 38 per cent attributed working longer hours to make ends meet.
The study of over 1,000 UK parents also looked at which regions in the UK eat as a family unit the most and revealed that Welsh families topped the list with 43 per cent sitting down together for dinner every day, whereas only a mere 22 per cent of those in the North East eat as a family every night.
Maggi Home Economist, Cath Edwards, said: “It’s great to see the UK embracing family mealtimes with the realisation that it doesn’t need to cost a lot to get everyone round the table.
"Making the most of family mealtimes and following simple cost-saving tips can ensure that parents save money whilst bringing everyone together over a delicious meal. Cooking with a tighter budget needn’t mean that meals become boring, buy seasonal veggies and alternate your cuts of meat to keep the family satisfied," Cath said.
For top tips on how to save money when cooking for your family, click here
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Shabana Adam