Bolognese has held off challenges from Carbonara, Tomato & Basil and Tomato & Garlic to be named the UK’s favourite pasta sauce, in new research conducted by Bridgethorne Research for Beroni, the UK’s first fresh frozen, restaurant-quality pasta brand.
Bolognese topped the survey with 35% of respondents naming it as their favourite. Carbonara, which came second, was significantly more popular among the 18-34 age group (37%) than it was among the over 55s (26%). Tomato & Basil was the favourite of 30% of respondents, whilst Tomato & Garlic and Tomato & Mascarpone sauces were the preference of 23% of those surveyed. The least popular sauces were Arrabbiata (12%), Red Pesto (12%) and Olive Oil poured over or mixed with pasta (6%). Preferences were similar across genders, though Bolognese was the most popular among men, whilst Carbonara was the preference of most women surveyed.
But it’s not all bad news for some of the least popular sauces. Given a list of sauces they currently neither buy nor make, 49% said they would consider Arrabbiata on their pasta; 46% Red Pesto and 45% Mediterranean Vegetable.
Pasta sauces in jars remains the shopper’s favourite with two thirds of respondents saying they buy jars compared to just 13% who opt for fresh chilled pasta sauces. A fifth said they buy a combination of the two. Jars are by some distance the preference of the over 55s, with 81% preferring them to just 4% who opt for fresh chilled sauces. 46% of those surveyed said they make their own pasta sauce compared with 68% who purchase ready-made sauces.
Beroni, which is available to buy in Waitrose stores nationwide, is fresh frozen ‘al dente’ pasta that can be made at home in as little as 30 seconds, making it ideal for families – or anyone -looking for quick meal solutions. Made in the UK, Beroni pasta dough is freshly prepared by mixing the finest French durum wheat semolina with water. The fresh dough is then shaped into penne, fusilli or macaroni before being cooked ‘al dente’ and then immediately frozen to preserve its freshness. Pasta was one of the top four grocery items bought during the first Covid lockdown and remains one of the four items that households expect to continue consuming more of moving forward.
