Most Britons love nothing more than filling up a Yorkshire pudding on their Sunday roast with piping hot gravy.
Others dream about pouring it over their pie and mash or adding lashings to a salty portion of chips.
But one in ten of us are apparently so obsessed with the hot meat sauce that we even put it on our breakfast fry-up.
While ketchup remains the stand-out favourite condiment, with a quarter of Brits pairing tomato sauce with their bacon, sausage and eggs, gravy is now preferred to traditional brown sauce, a new survey has found.
Customers at 200 Best Western Hotels were questioned about their breakfast habits for the poll.
It found that, while one in four Britons go for ketchup on their full English, 14 per cent of us like to spice up breakfast with sweet chilli or horseradish sauce, while 12 per cent reach for mayonnaise.
Gravy came in fifth place, with 11 per cent of people pouring it on their morning meal, followed by the latest restaurant trend for hot honey – which was favoured by eight per cent of those quizzed.
Traditional brown sauce came in as the least popular condiment, with only seven per cent of the nation now putting it on their fry-up.
Around nine per cent of those surveyed also said they liked their breakfast plain, with no sauce at all.
But, despite the recent rise in popularity of healthier morning options, such as avocado on toast and overnight oats, the good news for the traditional fry-up is a quarter of Britons still eat one every day, while 41 per cent enjoy bacon and eggs at least once a week.
However, the survey suggested that the contents of the full English are changing, with a fifth of Brits confessing to never adding a fried egg to their breakfast and a similar number preferring scrambled tofu over scrambled eggs.
Britons were also questioned about where their liked to eat their first meal of the day, with very few of us opting to sit at a table.
One in ten said they ate their breakfast in bed, while seven per cent said they preferred to sit on the sofa and eat in front of the television.
As many as 17 per cent admitted eating on the go, in their car or on public transport on the way to work, while 10 per cent said they always ate breakfast at their desk.
Shockingly, six per cent of Brits confessed that they ate their first meal of the day on the toilet.
Tim Rumney, chief executive at BWH Hotels said:
‘Breakfast is undoubtedly the most important meal of the day, and we believe everyone deserves a breakfast experience as unique as they are – even if we can’t guarantee a gravy boat at breakfast.’
‘Inspired by the results of the survey, chefs at the hotel chain, which is offering a free breakfast to every customer in 2025, have devised the ultimate breakfast gravy recipe.
‘As well as beef stock and onions, it includes traditional breakfast ingredients, such smoked streaky bacon, Marmite and instant coffee, which they say gives the sauce a ‘delicious and lovely rich undertone.’
Around 2,000 people were questioned for the survey.
Ingredients:
– 2 medium onions, finely sliced
– 2 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, finely diced
– 30g unsalted butter
– 2 tbsp vegetable oil
– 2 tbsp plain flour
– 500ml beef stock
– 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
– 1 tbsp black coffee (instant or freshly brewed)
– Optional: 1 tsp Marmite
– Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
1. Fry the diced bacon in a dry pan until crispy. Remove but leave the fat in the pan.
2. Add butter and oil to the bacon fat. Add sliced onions and cook slowly for 15-20 minutes until deeply caramelised and golden brown.
3. Return the crispy bacon bits to the pan. Sprinkle over the flour and stir continuously for 2-3 minutes.
4. Gradually whisk in the hot beef stock.
5. Add Worcestershire sauce, coffee and a spoonful of Marmite (if using).. The coffee adds a subtle depth that makes your fry-up even more delicious.
6. Simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until thickened to your desired consistency.
7. Season to taste (be careful with salt as the bacon is already quite salty).