Irish people name their favourite evening meals

The most popular evening meals eaten by the people of Ireland have been revealed by Bord Bia.

The Irish Health Board conducted a study on our eating habits and found the top ten evening meals enjoyed by both adults and children.

Meat and two veg is still the most popular evening meal for adults with the dish accounting for 11% of dinners eaten.

Pasta sauce dishes such as spaghetti bolognaise was the most frequently eaten dinner by kids (14% of meals).

As the world of food evolves, so do our eating habits. There is much social pressure on people to reduce their meat intake due to the impact the industry has on the climate.

Vegetarianism and veganism are on the rise and families also have to work their mealtimes and food choices around their busy work lives.

Bord Bia report that and healthy eating is the main consideration by people when choosing what to eat, with 80% of trying to stick to a balanced diet.

However, home cooking is on the decline with just three in ten being created from scratch now compared to four in ten in 2011.

Daytime snacking and grazing is also on the rise, meaning evening dinner is now not the main meal of the day for 17% of people.

Here is the list of the top ten adult evening meals:

1. Meat & Two Vegetables
2. Chicken Dish (for example Roast Chicken)
3. Pasta with Sauce (for example Spaghetti Bolognese)
4. Italian Foods (for example Pizza & Lasagne)
5. Diner Style Favourites (for example Burger or Steak & Chips)
6. Fish Dish (for example Fish Bake or Fish & Chips)
7. Light Meal (for example Toasted Sandwich or Beans on Toast)
8. Chinese / Oriental meal
9. Stew or Casserole
10. Indian Dish (for example Chicken Tikka Masala, Korma, Curry)

And here is the list of top ten kid’s evening meals:

1. Pasta with Sauce (for example Spaghetti Bolognaise)
2. Chicken Dish (for example Roast Chicken)
3. Meat & Two Vegetables
4. Italian Foods (for example Pizza & Lasagne)
5. Diner-Style Favourites (for example Burger or Steak & Chips)
6. Stew or Casserole
7. Fish Dish (for example a Fish Bake or Fish & Chips)
8. Chinese / Oriental Meal
9. Indian Dish (for example Chicken Tikka Marsala, Korma, Curry)
10. Light Meal (for example Toasted Sandwich or Beans on Toast)

Bord Bia Consumer Insight Specialist, Grace Binchy said: “Over the past decade Ireland has experienced huge social, economic and technological changes which have significantly impacted consumer attitudes.

“Manufacturers should consider how they can deliver healthy products while creating convenience in people’s lives and addressing their changing demands around sustainability.”

The study found a few more interesting trends regarding Ireland’s eating habits.

For example, despite the move towards reducing our meat intake, 29% of all adult evening meals still include red meat, and 21% include chicken. Only 7% of evening meals are fish dishes.

Eggs are present on 10% of our plates at dinnertime and cheese is part of the meal 17% of the time.

Potatoes are the main source of carbohydrates, with 28% of evening meals including spuds in one form or another, and finally pizza is the most popular takeaway option for Irish people.

Anyone else getting hungry?