Half of Brits cannot cook traditional Christmas dinner, survey shows

Nearly half of adults in Britain cannot cook a full Christmas dinner that includes all the traditional trimmings, according to a survey unveiled on Wednesday.

Around 47% of respondents admitted they would be unable to cook a Dec 25 meal featuring roast turkey, cranberry sauce, bread sauce, Christmas pudding, mince pies and other storied elements.

The poll of 2,001 adults conducted earlier this month by researchers Censuswide on behalf of food and grocery chain Co-op found that around one in three do not plan to cook a Christmas dinner.

Around a third blamed never having been taught the cookery skills needed, while a third said they did not have the space or equipment to pull off making the dinner.

Cranberry sauce was the most challenging part to cook, with around four out of five people saying they could not make the sweet turkey accompaniment from scratch.

Bread sauce – another festive staple made from milk thickened with breadcrumbs – and Christmas pudding were next on the list of insurmountable dinner elements.

Nearly three-quarters of respondents conceded they would not be able to cook them.

However, people were more comfortable with roast potatoes and turkey, with only a third not able to make the vegetables and 40% not confident of cooking the bird.

More than half of those surveyed – 55% – said they would rely on others to cook for them on Dec 25, while 15% revealed they would not eat a Christmas dinner.