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Mum knows best

Women get recipe ideas from their MUMS not celebrity chefs, says new poll

New research found 64 per cent of mums use handed-down family recipes and are rejecting trendy online cooking hacks

IN today's era of celebrity chefs, health bloggers and fad diets - it turns out the averages mum's repertoire of meals are inherited from their own mothers rather than from cookbooks.

New research found 64 per cent of mums use handed-down family recipes and are rejecting trendy online cooking hacks on Pinterest and Instagram in favour of tradition recipes, according to a new study by food assurance organisation Red Tractor Lamb.

 Six in ten cooks say they will pass family recipes onto their kids
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Six in ten cooks say they will pass family recipes onto their kidsCredit: Getty Images

Lamb came out on top as a dinnertime favourite with shepherd's pie on the menu in 40 per cent of homes.

Roasts, cottage pies and curries using mums old recipes are regularly served up too.

Seven in 10 respondents said there is an element of comfort in using a recipe they remember their parents using.

Six in ten cooks say they’ll pass recipes they learned from their parents down to their own children, and the average age they’d teach their kids to cook is a tender 10 years.

However, two thirds of today’s mums admit that while the dishes don’t change, every now and then they give an old school meal a makeover by adding slightly different ingredients.

 Traditional dishes like shepherd's pie are still a regular feature of the dinner table
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Traditional dishes like shepherd's pie are still a regular feature of the dinner tableCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

Nick White, Head of Marketing at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, said: “Over a quarter of Brits say they struggle to find time to cook for their family in the evenings, which is why people reach for the same recipes over and over again.

"Red Tractor Lamb is on a mission to make things easier with the wonderfully versatile Keema (spiced Indian lamb); learn to cook the delicious base recipe and you can open the door to over 10 different dishes for the whole family now and for future generations.

"We know from this research that adding one little twist to a meal can elevate it to a whole new experience."

The classic spaghetti bolognese is the dish people are most likely to make an alteration to, either by modifying the ingredients or serving in a different way.

A quarter of people also make a tweak to curries, with 57 per cent of recipe renegades declaring that a love of experimentation is what keeps their interests alight in the kitchen.

However half of respondents think that sticking to the recipes we’re used to is easier, with a third believing that the old classics simply can’t be improved.

The idea of keeping cultural traditions alive is strong, with a fifth of respondents saying they wouldn’t want to change a recipe, either because their mum wouldn’t like it or because they want to keep the formula the same throughout the generations when they pass it down.

 Respondents said they were more likely to jazz up a traditional dish like spaghetti bolognese with a new ingredient.
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Respondents said they were more likely to jazz up a traditional dish like spaghetti bolognese with a new ingredient.Credit: Getty Images

Mr White added: “Our research has shown that Brits are swapping social media for traditional recipe books - owning an average of six books - and, what’s more, two thirds of the average mum’s meal repertoires are inherited from their own mothers.

"That’s why we at Red Tractor Lamb have created The Keema Sutra in collaboration with The Keema Nans, to pass on their family heritage of cooking minced lamb.

"One thing to look out for when choosing your meat, including lamb, is to look out for a quality mark like the Red Tractor logo to guarantee that lamb is quality assured and responsibly sourced by people dedicated to producing great food."

Over a million people in the UK cook for four or more people each evening, and almost a third of the nation has made at least one ‘hand-me-down’ recipe for their family in the last month.

But despite such a reliance on old favourite dishes, 63 per cent of Brits occasionally dip into a recipe book for a refresher on a method, and we own an average of a huge six cookbooks each.

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