A survey has revealed the top 20 comfort meals as picked by thousands of Brits...but has your pick made the cut?
We've all got our favourite comfort meal.
Something that tastes like a warm hug feels, the meal we dream of at the end of the day, or the perfect way to close out a busy week.
But it stands to reason that we all have different tastes, which means the comfort meal to hit the spot likely switches up depending on who you ask – and this is why online cake shop Jack and Beyond has enlisted the help of 3,280 food lovers from up and down the country to devise the ultimate top 20 list.
Putting the question to the public to create the final ranking and allowing respondents to pick multiple answers, the company asked: ‘Which savoury comfort foods are the best of all-time?‘ – and the answers came in thick and fast.
Taking the top spot as the UK’s favourite comfort food is cheesy pasta, with a whopping 71% of Brits describing the dish among the best meals of all time.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Does this sound about right to you?
In second place is pizza, receiving the title of best comfort food from 68% of the country, while taking the crown of the UK’s third favourite comfort food is the British classic, a roast dinner – which is a dish voted as a favourite by 67% of Brits and let’s face it, it’s not hard to see why.
A hot meal that’s easy to make (and even easier to order from the local takeaway) is the humble curry, which takes the fourth spot with 65% of the British public voting it among the best comfort foods ever.
A simple cheese toastie rounds out the top five, receiving 62% of the vote.
The UK’s Top 20 Comfort Foods
Comfort Foods
Percentage describing it as the “best comfort food of all-time”
1
Cheesy Pasta
71%
2
Pizza
68%
3
Roast Dinner
67%
4
Curry
65%
5
Cheese Toastie
62%
6
Sweet and Sour Chicken
59%
7
Lasagne
54%
8
Macaroni cheese
51%
9
Poutine
46%
10
Carbonara
45%
11
Chips
45%
12
Crumpets
41%
13
Pesto pasta
40%
14
Bacon Sandwich
39%
15
Biryani
39%
16
Fried Chicken
37%
17
Full English
36%
18
Jacket Potato
33%
19
Sausage Roll
32%
20
Bangers and Mash
30%
Following in sixth place is sweet and sour chicken – an authentic Chinese dish that appears to be the way to a Brit’s heart as voted by 59% of people – and placing in seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth position is lasagne (54%), macaroni cheese (51%), poutine (46%), and carbonara (45%).
A bacon butty, bangers and mash, sausage roll, and of course, a Full English breakfast also feature in the top 20.
Our mouths are watering just reading this list.
Have your favourite comforts foods made the cut? What you you add to this list?
Manchester's favourite Mexican bar is about to become your newest nightlife destination in Leeds.
It's been a long time coming, but Salon Madre is officially ready to open in Leeds.
Although we may have to wait a little bit longer for Madre, the day-to-night eatery that has made waves over in Manchester and Liverpool, Salon Madre, its lively tequila bar and pool hall sibling, is officially opening on Friday 20 February.
Salon Madre, which will be located just around the corner from Madre at 114 Wellington Street, is where the party really gets started.
Image: The Manc Group
Expect tequila-fuelled nights, pool tables, lively DJs and Lucha Libre on the big screens.
There will also be plenty of tacos being flung out the kitchen to keep you going until the early hours.
If you’ve ever visited one of their venues in Manchester or Liverpool, you’ll know it’s an absolute riot and we can’t wait to welcome them to the city.
Images: The Manc Group
Co-founder Sam Grainger, inspired by countless trips to Mexico, says: “Mexico is alive with passionate artisans and cooks, mastering everything from street tacos to regional delicacies. It’s a world where traditions blend and evolve and we’ve built that ethos into the heart of both Madre and Salon Madre.”
Madre Leeds will open soon and you can even grab yourself a free margarita by signing up to their newsletter here.
We’ll keep you up to date with their opening times but for now, we'll see you at Salon Madre for a boogie, margarita and game of pool next week.
Award-winning Leeds restaurant announces shock closure just months after opening
Clementine Hall
Emba in Leeds will be closing its doors with the owner blaming rising costs and pressure on the hospitality sector.
Back in April last year, one of Leeds' top restaurants The Owl closed its doors.
Run by renowned Chef Liz Cottam, The Owl was reimagine into Emba - a trendy restaurant tat bridged 'the gap between cosy bar and vibrant dining room'.
To open Emba, Cottam opened a Crowdfunder where supporters would be awarded with prizes such as VIP dinners and merch depending on how much they donated.
But sadly just months after opening, Emba is to close permanently.
Cottam confirmed the sad news with a statement shared with customers over the weekend, saying she was completely "heartbroken".
She said: “This is no longer the right time to own independent restaurants like Emba,” she said. “Under the current conditions they cannot survive and the recent budget confirmed what so many of us already knew: no meaningful help is coming for hospitality.
"The experience of being here and the harsh financial reality of running a business here no longer stack up.
"Being award winning, popular, admired and loved no longer means profitable and as an industry if we’re honest most of us have not truly been okay since Covid."
She signed off the statement promising to return to the restaurant world, she said: “What I do know is this, I am not done. I will keep cooking, keep creating and keep finding ways to do the thing I love.”
Emily Sergeant -
18th August 2023 
