A new YouGov survey reveals how long Brits like to burn their bread for
In 2015, Manchester United defender Marcus Rojo was subjected to ridicule online when he posted a photo (shown above) of breakfast in bed he had made for his girlfriend, prominently featuring four slices of severely charred toast.
Rojo’s apparent obliviousness to the state of the barbequed bread suggests that that is how he or his girlfriend likes their toast. Now a new YouGov survey finds that only one in fifty Brits like their own toast charred to a crisp.
This is perhaps just as well, with the UK Food Standards Agency saying in January that foods like singed toast could increase a person’s risk of cancer.
When shown five numbered photos of toast – each number corresponding to the number settings on a toaster* – the majority of Brits (53%) opted for the golden brown toast produced by toaster setting 3.
A quarter of Brits (24%) prefer their toast to be the deep brown provided by the number 4 setting, whilst a further 19% like their toast lightly browned (setting 2). Just one in a hundred Brits (1%) prefer the barely hardened bread you get from toaster setting 1.
Toast toppings
Butter is by far the nation’s favourite toast topping, with nearly three quarters (73%) liking it on a slice. Butter is far more popular than butter-alikes, with only 30% liking margarine/spread on their toast. Additionally, cheese on toast is enjoyed by 51% of Brits, while a similar proportion (50%) like jam.
Marmalade splits the generations. Just on in six (17%) of 18-24 year olds like it on their toast, a figure which rises to more than six in ten (62%) Brits aged 65 or older. By contrast, chocolate spreads go in the other direction. While 46% of young people like toppings such as Nutella on their toast, among older consumers this dips to just 7%.
*As a side effect of the study, YouGov can confirm that the numbers on your toaster do not represent how many minutes the bread will be toasted for
Photo: Marcus Rojo Instagram
