With ‘Blue Monday’ – believed by most to be the most depressing day of the year - on the horizon, an AXA study looking at the little things that mean a lot has revealed that a roast dinner is the nation’s number one meal to chase away those winter blues.

Food and Drink on Female First

Food and Drink on Female First

In a study of 5,000 people, shepherd’s pie was voted as second most popular comfort dish, with chips in third place.

The humble bacon sandwich managed only 16th in the list and the ‘Full English’ fry up made the list in 18th place. In the battle for most popular international dish, Italian cuisine comes up with two dishes in the top ten, lasagne at number four and spaghetti bolognaise in fifth. While our other favourite international dishes included chilli con carne (12th place) and propping up the table in 20th position was chicken curry.

Examining the reasons why people turn to comfort meals like a roast dinner or shepherd’s pie, one in six (17 per cent) stated that it alleviates depression, feelings of loneliness and combats homesickness. Conversely, healthy food only banishes feeling of depression and loneliness in five per cent of the UK population.

Chocolate topped the list as our favourite comfort snack when feeling blue. Almost a quarter of women (23 per cent) cite it as their top pick-me-up, compared to just 15 per cent of men.

Commenting on the research, nutritionist Angela Dowden, said: “People think ‘comfort food’ means ‘naughty and out of bounds food’, but the act of indulging in favourite culinary treats is one of the little things that means a lot in life. The top comfort foods can actually be pretty healthy – a roast dinner supplies at least a couple of your five a day and can be a good source of protein and iron, whilst shepherd’s pie provides zinc and protein, and doesn’t have to be laden with saturated fat and calories if you choose leaner lamb mince. 

“Diets that cut out the enjoyment and ban favourite foods aren’t sustainable and having modest portions of comfort foods could actually make it more likely that you’ll stick to a balanced diet and lifestyle overall. There are ways to tweak comfort food meals to make them healthier – with a roast dinner for example, simply cutting excess fat off the meat and adding an extra portion of vegetable will help. If chips are your weakness, opt for oven chips over deep-fried and with shepherd’s pie add plenty of carrot.”

Commenting on the research, psychologist Donna Dawson, said: “What we forget is that the food we eat is more than a practical matter of sustenance for survival; specific foods also collect emotional associations over our lifetime and they become a little thing that means a lot in improving our mood. Traditionally, a roast dinner is the one meal when everyone in the family sits down together, even if it is only once a week.”

“Alongside Shepherd’s pie, a roast dinner is what we remember our parents cooking for us while we were growing up, and we associate these particular meals with shared family time, happy memories, and feeling safe, secure and cared for. So when we are older, every time we have these meals again we will re-experience the same feelings of comfort, warmth and satisfaction.”

Top 10 most comforting meals

1.     The roast dinner

2.     Shepherd’s pie

3.     Chips

4.     Lasagne

5.     Spaghetti Bolognaise

6.     Macaroni cheese

7.     Cheese on toast

8.     Mashed potato

9.     Cottage pie

10.   Sausage and mash

By Toma Sukyte - for Female First


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