While half of Brits (53%) believe they excel in the kitchen as ‘good cooks’, new findings reveal one in four only feel confident cooking up to five dishes from scratch. Ben’s Original aims to instil all cooks with confidence in the kitchen with the new One Pan Creations, bringing full flavour with ease.
It’s clear we are a nation of “meal watchers”, obsessed with food and cooking as we celebrate the start of The Great British Bake Off and the recent crowning of this year’s Master Chef winner. Despite a fascination with watching others cook and the likes of Gordon Ramsay whose irate tone echoes through all households, Brits’ confidence wavers when it comes to preparing simple dishes. One in five are not confident preparing beans on toast whilst over two thirds (78%) prefer to stay in their comfort zone, relying on staples such as jacket potato.
The microwave rice pioneer has teamed up with cooking newbie, Whitney Adebayo, who fans witnessed starting her culinary journey in this year’s Love Island villa. Taking to her TikTok platform, Whitney has showcased how One Pan Creations can inspire everybody to get in the kitchen to create delicious and adventurous meals from scratch.
Brits are inundated with new recipes, with social channels flooded with the likes of pesto eggs, famed TiKTok ramen and countless airfryer recipes encouraging explorative cooking. Recent research states one in two Gen Z’s look to social media for inspiration in the kitchen, whilst a third of Brits own up to 5 cookbooks. Despite this, the majority (23%) of respondents have attempted less than 1% of cookbook recipes*.
To offer Brits the opportunity to expand their cooking repertoire, Ben’s Original recently launched One Pan Creations, meal kits celebrating flavourful and creative cooking without requiring lengthy cooking times and long lists of ingredients. The range introduces delicious rice dishes, inspired by kitchens all over the world, to encourage everyone to try new dishes.
Gareth Williams, Ben’s Original™ Marketing Manager said: “Our research shows that people are seeking inspiration in the kitchen, but often lack the time, ingredients, or confidence to try recipes that may seem complicated. With Ben’s Original One Pan Creations, we’re offering the perfect solution as they can now effortlessly bring those inspirations to life in minutes.”
Additional research suggests that time is growing increasingly limited for Brits as they would prefer to use their limited hours on activities other than cooking. As 24% of adults admit that a lack of time is their biggest deterrent when it comes to cooking, many still prefer using their limited hours to catch up on the latest TV series (43%) or with family and friends (39%). This disassociation with cooking is largely due to the time it takes to cook from scratch. As bustling schedules cause more Brits to become time constrained, takeaways have emerged as the leading substitute from traditional avenues of cooking. London (42%) and Sheffield (46%) are the takeaway capitals of the UK, showcasing an expensive habit in avoiding cooking.
Williams explained: “Ben’s Original One Pan Creations provides the perfect opportunity to encourage anyone to try something new, without the usual time and cost constraints. These new meal kits enable everyone to quickly whip up a wide range of deliciously diverse meals.”
One Pan Creations is now available at all major retailers, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons from £1.99.
