The first-ever Great British Gravy Map from Aldi has laid bare the nation's regional gravy preferences, with Londoners favouring the palest option and the North opting for the strongest. The supermarket giant quizzed the country about their habits to map out the UK's regional 'gravy personalities', revealing five levels of gravy, from level one, the nation's palest, to level five, a darker, thicker sauce.
Regional preferences revealed
Londoners favoured level one, a pale cream/light golden tan, while the north takes the top spot for strength, opting for a deep espresso/charcoal brown colour with spoon-standing-up thickness. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland plump for a level two, sticking to a classic, smooth warm amber finish.
The Midlands takes the middle ground with level three, a traditional, medium-rich brown, while the South East and South West opt for level four, featuring a richer, darker chestnut hue.
Britain's gravy obsession
The survey found 94% consider gravy essential to a roast dinner. Aldi has sold nearly 13 million jars of gravy in the past two years. A quarter say they'd secretly judge someone for not liking gravy, while running out of gravy at the dinner table was voted the number one worst roast dinner disaster.
More than a third of Liverpudlians love gravy so much they claim they could handle drinking a full mug of it straight. The same number of Londoners say they'd happily have gravy with their breakfast.
Beyond the Sunday roast
31% of Brummies say they'd take their own homemade gravy with them when eating at a pub or restaurant, while a third from Wales say they love gravy so much they pack it in their suitcase when going on holiday. Beyond the traditional Sunday roast, Britain's gravy obsession extends across the entire weekly menu with bangers and mash, chips and toad in the hole claiming the top three spots.
Meanwhile, some of the nation's more adventurous gravy pairings included pasta, pizza and even cereal. Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, said: "Gravy sits at the heart of British home cooking and the research shows every region has its own take on the perfect pour."
