A new study has unveiled the top 20 weird and wonderful food combinations that Brits love, ranging from apple slices with cheddar cheese to pizza crusts dunked in soft serve ice cream. The poll of 2,000 adults, commissioned by Costa Coffee in partnership with McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes, found that 27% enjoy apple slices with cheddar cheese, while 18% adore fries and milkshakes. Some 8% even eat eggs with jam.
Sweet and Savoury Mixes Dominate
Other unusual combinations making the top 20 include cheese and chocolate spread, hot sauce on chocolate desserts, and banana with mayonnaise. However, 56% of Brits prefer to stick to traditional flavours and avoid quirky culinary mashups altogether. The research highlighted a generational divide: 66% of 18-24-year-olds enjoy mixing sweet and savoury flavours, compared to just 15% of those aged 65 and over. Conversely, 78% of over-65s stick to traditional tastes, versus only a third of Gen Z.
Willingness to Try New Pairings
Despite the preference for tradition, 75% of adults are open to trying new food pairings. When faced with unusual menu items, 29% would only try them if there was a free sample, and 26% would consider it but ultimately stick to their usual order. The OnePoll.com data also showed that 43% of all adults believe the best food combinations are the ones you least expect to work.
Coffee and Chocolate Orange: A Winning Combo
The research was tied to Costa Coffee’s new ready-to-drink frappe with McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes, combining coffee with chocolate orange. A spokesperson said: “Some pairings strike the perfect balance between familiarity and discovery. Coffee and chocolate orange is a great example – bringing together two flavours people already know and love in a way that feels both comforting and exciting.”
Top 20 Weird and Wonderful Food Combinations
The full list includes: apple slices with cheddar cheese, fries and milkshake, honey drizzled over fried chicken, coffee with chocolate orange, garlic bread with ketchup, watermelon and feta cheese, strawberries and black pepper, noodles and peanut butter, eggs and jam, mango and chilli powder, cheese and chocolate spread, crisps with jam, hot sauce with chocolate desserts, popcorn and hot sauce, avocado and chocolate, salt on watermelon, peanut butter with pickles, banana with mayonnaise, pizza crusts dunked in soft serve ice cream, and ice cream with olive oil and sea salt.
