BBC Good Food Nation, the annual national survey carried out by BBC Good Food, has revealed spending so much time at home during the pandemic has led to an influx of kitchen gadgets, with over half (52%) of people surveyed having bought new cooking or kitchen equipment in the last year.

Coffee machines were the most popular gadgets, bought by 13% of people surveyed, and they were the most used purchase, with barista-style coffees being made an average of 5 times a week.

The next most popular were air fryers (12%), slow cookers (11%), and smoothie makers (8%) – linked to the one-in-four people (26%) who said they prioritised eating healthily over the past year.  

The downside of the new purchases is the need for additional storage space - over a third (35%) of adults surveyed said they do not have enough space in their kitchen to accommodate their appliances. The kitchen is the happy place in the home for a 40% of people, but just over a fifth (21%) said they’ve started to dislike their kitchen because they’ve spent too much time in it. And almost 3 in 10 people (30%) said they would like to completely redo their kitchen following the pandemic.

BBC Good Food Nation also reveals a dramatic shift in our drinking habits over the past year. Almost half of people surveyed (48%) have been drinking more water since the pandemic began, with just over a fifth (21%) saying much more water.

The rise in popularity of alternative milks continues with a fifth (20%) of people surveyed say they have been drinking more alternative milks since the pandemic began. And when it comes to alcohol, almost equal numbers of people saying they are drinking more alcohol (20%) and drinking less alcohol (23%).

Christine Hayes, Editor in Chief of BBC Good Food, said: “Spending time in the kitchen, preparing meals that sustain us and support our health and well-being has been a mainstay for many people throughout the pandemic – it’s great to hear that 40% of people say their kitchen is their happy place. There has been a huge increase in the number of people coming to www.bbcgoodfood.com over the past year, from those who enjoy experimenting with new ingredients and methods, and as the survey shows, new kitchen gadgets, as well as those finding comfort in cooking traditional favourites.”

Top findings – BBC Good Food Nation 2021

·         Over half (52%) of people surveyed have bought new cooking/kitchen equipment in the last year.

·         A coffee machine (13%) was the most popular gadget bought and the most used – with coffee          

·         machines bought in the last year being used almost 5 times a week.

·         Over a quarter (27%) people surveyed said they don’t have enough appliances/cupboard space to

·         accommodate how much they now cook.

·         40% said their kitchen is their happy place in their home.

·         Almost half (48%) people surveyed have been drinking more water since the pandemic     began,

·         with just over a fifth (21%) saying much more water.

·         A fifth (20%) adults surveyed have been drinking more alcohol since the pandemic began.

·         And over a fifth (23%) have been drinking less alcohol since the pandemic began.