Brits are most nostalgic about 1990s foods like potato smiles

A STUDY of 2,000 adults found the decade was considered to have had the most memorable food, but it was closely followed by the pre-1950s, thanks to classic dishes such as Shepherd’s pie, bread and butter pudding, and bubble and squeak.

In comparison, just 12 per cent consider food from this century to be among the most memorable.

Sticky toffee pudding is the most nostalgic dish, followed by toad in the hole, trifle and jam roly-poly, with rice pudding and Arctic roll also featuring among the top 20.

Along with syrup sponge pudding, scampi and chips, prawn cocktail and treacle tart.

The study, commissioned by Lyle’s Golden Syrup, also found seven in 10 adults have recreated nostalgic dishes from their childhood, to relive old memories and introduce their children to the popular meals.

Nearly six in 10 (59 per cent) long for the comfort and familiarity of their childhood foods, while 57 per cent find them appealing because of the memories they evoke.

This comes as supper clubs are making a comeback, with the research pointing to a revival in social dining as a quarter of people (24 per cent) said supper clubs encourage them to try a retro dish they’ve never eaten before.

Gen Z is also getting involved, with 15 per cent of 18- 24-year-olds recreating retro dishes from before they were born for dinner parties with friends.

To celebrate the social dining resurgence, Lyle’s Golden Syrup has partnered with a number of supper clubs around the UK to continue to bring communities together and get more people trying retro dishes and different cuisines.

One of these partners, Zoey Phoon, who co-founded Jiran Supper Club in London with Sareef (Lip) Naknan, said: “Supper clubs bring people offline, around a shared table, over food that actually has a story to tell.

“With the pressures that modern life brings, I think this is the reason we have seen them grow in popularity recently.

“We’re all keen to evoke a sense of togetherness whenever we can.

“Jiran started as intimate dinners for friends in our backyard, with six people at a time, sharing plates of the Southeast Asian dishes we grew up on, cooked from memory and instinct rather than from recipe .

“Now, we host 30 people who arrive as strangers and leave as friends, having tried something new and shared passions for food.”

The research, conducted by OnePoll, also found while Brits are hungry for nostalgia, they aren’t necessarily looking to recreate the past, 65 per cent would also be keen to try old classics with a modern twist.

Including 25 per cent who would be keen to experiment with a combination of golden syrup and chilli.

For 40 per cent of all adults, curiosity could sway them to try a retro dish they hadn’t eaten before, while 61 per cent would order a classic meal in a restaurant if it was offered.

Olivia Haley, from Lyle’s Golden Syrup, said: “There’s something special about the foods we grew up with.

“They can instantly bring back happy memories of family meals; childhood treats and time spent together around the table.

“But nostalgia doesn’t have to mean simply recreating the past.

“As people explore their own food rituals and styles, we’re seeing a renewed love for the dishes we grew up with.

“Whether that’s giving childhood favourites like potato smiles a gourmet makeover, trying an unexpected flavour combination or a younger generation discovering retro classics for the first time, it’s all about having fun with food and making these dishes our own.

“Personally, we think Syrup Sponge Pudding is particularly underrated.”