‘Dinner or tea’ or ‘jam or cream first’: The UK’s top nine regional debates revealed

There’s nothing that gets people going quite like a good old fashioned debate - and some of the fiercest and funniest debates are sure to be between Northern and Southern people. But, what is the most hotly contested regional debate?

One survey now claims to have finally revealed the answer. We’re not going to say what it is just yet, though you will find the answer further down in this article. For now though, we’ll give you a hint - it centres around a quintessential British treat.

The study of 2,000 adults was commissioned by coach operator megabus to mark 20 years of helping people travel across the country, and also found that more than four in 10 (41 percent) have become involved in intense debates with their loved ones linked to the great north/south divide. The survey also found that these differences of opinion have also led to 17 percent stopping talking to someone altogether as a result of their heated discussions.

TV presenter, and proud East Londoner, Joe Swash has teamed up with megabus to bring these regional rivalries to life by capturing the public’s reactions to these light-hearted debates. Swash says: I love bringing people together by having a good laugh and a joke, so teaming up with megabus to celebrate its 20th birthday felt like a no-brainer. My love for where I grew up has definitely shaped my own view on music, food and sport.”

So, just what are these top regional debates and what did the full results of the survey reveal? Here’s everything you need to know.

What are the top regional debates?

These are the top nine regional debates, listed in order of the most hotly contested first:

• Sconegate (Cornish vs. Devon cream tea)
• The dinner vs. tea debate
• The home of UK music
• Bread roll vs. the barm
• Ketchup vs. brown sauce
• Rugby union vs. rugby league
• The nation’s preferred chip topping
• English breakfast tea vs. earl grey tea
• The home of the UK’s best curry

What else does the survey reveal about the regional debates?

The study found 33 percent prefer a scone with jam first, but 18 percent disagree as they enjoy clotted cream as the base ingredient. When it comes to the traditional British cuppa, which is considered as the perfect partner to a scone, 35 percent favour an English breakfast brew over an Earl grey tea (nine percent).

In addition, according to 24 percent of those polled, Birmingham is the ‘curry capital’ of the UK, versus advocates for Bradford (11 per cent) and Manchester’s famous curry mile (10 per cent). Another big food related question is which sauce is the best. Topping chips with ketchup is the preference in London (35 percent) but for those in the North East, curry sauce came out on top (25 percent), while gravy is the best choice for those in the North West (25 percent).

Another bone of contention was the correct name for a bread roll, with a ‘bap’ ranking highly for those living in the South East (44 per cent) while ‘roll’ was the most common term of phrase for Scots (28 per cent). East Midlanders, on the other hand, prefer to use ‘cob’ (36 percent) and ‘barm’ is by far the most popular term for those living in the North East (60 per cent).

It’s not just food topics which create tension between regions either as 27 percent of Brits prefer to follow Rugby Union at its Twickenham home, as opposed to supporting Yorkshire-based Rugby League (16 per cent).

People who took part in the survey also shared why they chose their preferences when it comes to these subjects. Being proud of where they come from (37 percent), being brought up ‘this’ way (30 percent), and their childhood influencing how they do things (21 percent) were reasons why those questioned were so passionate about their preferences. A total of 38 percent also admitted to only knowing their way of doing things is different to others after viewing content on social media.