The formula for the perfect all-you-can-eat holiday breakfast buffet has been cracked by a mathematician who even revealed what time Britons should arrive to make the most of the feast.
Dr Tom Crawford cooked up the equation after researchers found a quarter of Brits had delayed their plans for the day after stuffing themselves on the hotel self-service meal.
The Oxford University mathematician and self-proclaimed buffet king used his brains to come up with a formula that reveals what order you should eat the buffet – and it says that people should start with a hot meal rather than cold.
The equation tells diners how many plates they should use as well as how long they should leave before rising from the table for a second helping.
Dr Crawford said: ‘There are six key ingredients to the buffet experience, including the obvious elements (such as the type and amount of food), but also the time of arrival and the amount of time spent digesting your meal.
‘Each of the variables is represented in the formula, with the optimal solution based on the habits of the average British holidaymaker.
Arrive at 8.17am
16 minutes later…
Leave at 9.02am
‘To achieve the best buffet experience and a maximum score of 10, holiday goers must arrive at 8.17am and consume two plates of food.
‘The first being a hot plate with one piece of toast, a portion of eggs, a helping of beans, two pieces of bacon and two sausages (veggie or otherwise).
‘The second plate, which is to be eaten 16 minutes after the first to aid digestion, should include two slices of smoked salmon, two servings of fruit, one pastry, one yoghurt and a bowl of cereal. Who knew eating breakfast could be so complicate!’
The poll for Asda Travel found three in five Britons choose a holiday destination based on the quality of the all-inclusive buffet, with the Spanish island of Mallorca voted as the top place to get a fry-up.
Neil Foster, head of Asda Money added: ‘Our research has proved we’re a nation of breakfast-buffet enthusiasts, but we’re going about them wrong, resulting in post-breakfast power naps or disappointment that we didn’t get round to that delicious-looking muffin.
‘At Asda Money, we’re serious about helping our customers get the most out of their summer.
‘We hope this guide helps banish common breakfast-munching mishaps and enables anyone and everyone to get the very best out of their holiday experience.’