Bread and rice off the menu as UK turns to quinoa and flatbread

Staple foods such as bread, rice and pasta are disappearing from British dinner tables '“ replaced by trendy alternatives such as quinoa and flatbreads, new research reveals.

A third of Brits say their dietary essentials have changed in recent times, with sweet potatoes, couscous and pitta bread now commonplace.

Seven in ten have expanded the variety of food they eat and a third of British homes have introduced ingredients like olives, avocado and chorizo.

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The study into the food preferences of 2,000 people found that travel and new experiences are the main reason for changing tastes in food.

Six in ten say holidays abroad have increased their interest in international cuisine, according to the research by Lurpak.

Wholemeal bread is now more popular than white bread, with 47 per cent claiming they buy less white bread now than they used to.

In fact, the plain white loaf may soon be toast thanks to a surge in popularity of wraps and pittas – half the study had purchased both in the last 12 months, while 30 per cent regularly buy flatbreads.

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And the trend isn’t limited to breads. Six in ten haven’t served up a prawn cocktail in over a year, while one in five hasn’t had fish and chips or sausage and mash in the last 12 months.

Nearly a fifth buy fewer potatoes than they used to while a quarter buy less white pasta, results showed.

While nearly half hadn’t had scampi at home in the same time period, four in ten hadn’t eaten toad in the hole, and 52 per cent hadn’t fried up a good bubble and squeak.

Award-winning baker Dan Lepard said: “Now more than ever, people are being exposed to exciting new taste experiences from around the world and these are influencing our food choices back home.

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“Our thirst for experimentation is encouraged by the variety of alternative breads, exotic foods and ingredients now available in the UK and this is helping us in our search for new flavours. With this comes a natural progression to more adventurous tastes.

“We’ve shaken off any fear of venturing forth from the classic white sliced loaf towards the flavoursome alternatives sitting next to it on the shelf. Flatbreads, wraps, pittas and sourdough are readily available and are rapidly becoming the new order of the day.”

As well as a wider range of options in the supermarket, changing tastes were also given as one of the biggest reasons for straying from traditional foods.

Six in ten said they place increasing importance on flavour in their diet and are less happy to settle for plain traditional options.