Brits Reveal the Best Christmas Party Foods — And the Festive Buffet Etiquette We Still Get Wrong
Are you even British if you’re not a lover of a festive buffet, complete with a glazed ham, a prawn ring, bowls of Twiglets, salted nuts, and mountains of cheese.
As many as 74% of Brits will be hosting a festive dinner or lunch party this Christmas, with 49% insisting British festive food is “top tier”.
And, according to the data, 36% of us actually PREFER the picky bits to the Christmas lunch itself – with an oozing baked cheese such as camembert (27%) emerging as the greatest ever Christmas party food.
Also, featuring high on the 30 strong list of best Christmas picky bits, were mini sausage rolls (47%), a glazed ham (39%), smoked salmon (28%), twiglets (20%) and a quintessentially British jar of mini gherkins (15%).
Mini pork pies, pigs in blankets, stilton and houmous also made the list, along with potato salad and a plate of sliced, rare roast beef.
Overall, 56% said they love to post their festive food to social media to show off their tablescaping skills.
On average, Brits tuck into four festive party spreads each year, with ten guests considered the perfect number for a Christmas soirée.
Yet despite our love of a festive buffet, a resounding 81% agree, there is a certain etiquette to conducting oneself, with leaning across others to dip (49%), putting olive pits back in the bowl (48%) and dripping melted cheese over the table (48%) among the worst buffet crimes. Along with dipping meat into a veggie dip (27%), cutting pate or cheese with a used knife (23%) or hovering too long at the table (19%).
Data from Asda show that sales of platters and olives are up 55% year-on-year and cheese bakes have risen by nearly 10%.
“The festive spread is where Christmas memories are made – and where etiquette sometimes melts away,” said an Asda spokesperson. “Eight in ten Brits say there’s a right and wrong way to behave at the buffet.”
THE GREATEST BRITISH CHRISTMAS PARTY FOODS REVEALED…
1. Baked cheese (camembert / fondue) 50%
2. Mini sausage rolls 47%
3. Pigs in blankets 45%
4. Cheese straws 40%
5. Mini pizzas 40%
6. A glazed ham 39%
7. Coleslaw 34%
8. Posh crisps (Tyrrells or Kettle Chips) 33%
9. Mini pork pies 33%
10. Scotch eggs 32%
11. Mini quiches 31%
12. Potato salad 30%
13. Breadsticks 30%
14. Pate 28%
15. Smoked salmon 28%
16. Rare roast beef 28%
17. Mixed nuts 26%
18. Sour cream dip 25%
19. Chorizo 23%
20. Prosciutto 22%
21. Meatballs 22%
22. Serrano ham 22%
23. Caramelised onion chutney 21%
24. Stilton 21%
25. Twiglets 20%
26. Quiche Lorraine 19%
27. Houmous 18%
28. Vol-au-vents 16%
29. Poached salmon 16%
30. Mini gherkins 15%