Top chefs launch nationwide recipe search to help food-loving Brits out of a recipe rut

This exciting search to uncover our favourite shareable dishes is in response to new research from the people behind The Big Lunch, revealing that Brits love to cook but are in urgent need of inspiration to get themselves out of a recipe rut.

The new data reports that almost one in seven of all UK adults (14%) NEVER cook a completely new recipe, with around a quarter of people (24%) admitting that a lack of ideas discourages them from cooking from scratch.

The national survey, conducted by YouGov and revealed today, dives deeper into the nation’s kitchen habits, finding that while four in ten UK adults (40%) report they’re more likely to cook meals from scratch compared to five years ago, many of us hold back from trying new dishes due to a lack of ideas and inspiration.

With the latest research revealing that over a third (37%) of UK adults agree that eating food with others enhances how it tastes, The Big Lunch Recipe Search is on – aiming to find the nation’s favourite dishes to inspire people to try something new in the kitchen and share their creations at The Big Lunch events this June.

Top chefs are backing the initiative, with The Big Lunch Recipe Search promising to unearth hidden culinary gems and inspire people across the UK to roll up their sleeves and bring fresh ideas to the table. Showcasing the country’s diversity alongside our creative flair for home cooking, a host of celebrity chefs are calling on people from all walks of life to submit their go-to dishes, quirky childhood favourites and top crowd pleasers along with the stories behind them at TheBigLunch.com.

Briony May Williams, who starred on the Great British Bake Off and presents Escape to the Country and Food Unwrapped, is a long-term ambassador for The Big Lunch.

She said: “I’m thrilled to be launching The Big Lunch Recipe Search. There are so many incredible people cooking up a storm in kitchens up and down the country, and this is the most brilliant opportunity to share your treasured recipes. Whether your signature dish is something weird and wonderful that gets people talking, or a family favourite that you love to share, we can’t wait to hear from you. You never know – you might see your recipe shared at Big Lunches all over the UK this June.”

Big Lunch Ambassador, Dame Prue Leith said: “The Big Lunch Recipe Search is more than just a way of finding and rewarding the people behind the UK’s best home recipes. It is an invitation to people everywhere to join in with The Big Lunch and share food and friendship together. It is a chance to celebrate the recipes that we love sharing with others and the special role that food plays in strengthening relationships, celebrating who we are, our passions, culture and traditions and that sense of belonging where we live.”

Long-time Big Lunch supporter, Ainsley Harriott MBE, is also looking forward to seeing what people come up with in their kitchens for the Big Lunch Recipe Search.

He said: “It’s all about hunting down hidden culinary gems. Recipes that hold a special place in people's hearts... and stomachs. We want to hear about food that brings people together and is great for sharing. Throughout my life I've been so influenced by my mother’s cooking and I still make some of her recipes today, things like her wonderful red bean stew and fabulous BBQ chicken. Perfect soul food that everyone can dig into. I can’t wait to hear what’s cooking in the nation’s kitchens to tickle our taste buds and bring the whole country together over the Big Lunch weekend.”

One home cook getting ready to submit her recipe is Sarah Moore from Bude, Cornwall, where she helps to organise an annual Big Lunch at Bude Sea Pool. She bakes hundreds of scones to share out at the waterside event each year, and is excited to share her special recipe for the perfect fluffy scone – served with jam first, of course!

Other keen cooks entering their recipes include Noa Man from Cardiff, with her special pesto recipe made from basil grown at a unique walled garden in the centre of the city, and Emily Connally from Oxford, who plans to share a ‘climatarian burger’ - containing a mix of beef and grated mushroom to cut down meat consumption but retain delicious flavour!

Home cooks who submit the recipes that they feel bring people together are in with a chance to have their recipe featured in a Big Lunch online cookbook and shared at thousands of Big Lunch events up and down the UK this June. Submissions will be reviewed by the team behind The Big Lunch alongside chefs and supporters, and five finalists will receive some Big Lunch goodies and be able to join a special invite-only Big Lunch event in June, with one home cook in with the chance to take home a bumper hamper of treats to help with their own Big Lunch event.

Lindsey Brummitt, Programme Director for The Big Lunch, said: “The Big Lunch has always been about sharing food and making new connections - and with this new evidence confirming that people agree food tastes better when we eat it together we have the perfect excuse to get in the kitchen and make a dish to share! This recipe search is about finding new and inspiring dishes to try together, so add your dish to a growing recipe bank of shareable favourites and come together to feed community spirit with The Big Lunch on 7-8 June!”

In the coming months, the Eden Project team behind The Big Lunch will be popping up around the UK to host food sharing moments, with opportunities for people to bring their recipes along to share friendship and good conversation.

The Big Lunch is an idea from the Eden Project made possible with support from the Pears Foundation and partners Co-op and Greene King. It’s the UK’s annual celebration for neighbours and the biggest community-led fundraiser, bringing millions of people together in a nationwide act of friendship in June every year since 2009. Her Majesty The Queen has been patron since 2013.

To find out more and share your favourite recipes go to www.thebiglunch.com