It's a trifle harsh, but traditional festive foods have fallen out of favour with Gen Z and Millennials who deem them dated and old fashioned, according to a new survey by Aldi UK.
Mince pies, Christmas pudding, and cranberry sauce, are the most disliked with 78% of Gen Z respondents wanting to switch up the traditional dinner with a more modern twist.
Over half, 56%, describe classic dishes like Brussels sprouts and bread pudding as 'dated', and want to introduce crispy fried chicken, deep-fried halloumi and pizza to the Christmas dinner table, while 64% want to swap traditional pudding for an alternative dessert.
Global-Inspired Christmas
The poll of 2,000 adults who celebrate Christmas found that 78% of those born in 1996 or later would love to find space for plant-based roasts and global-inspired dishes at the dinner table on 25 December.
The likes of loaded fries, crispy fried chicken and even pizza are things Gen Z would most like to be at the table for Christmas dinner, whilst cheesecake (33%), chocolate gateau (29%), and ice cream (25%) are amongst those preferred as festive desserts.
The most popular cuisines Gen Z would like to see influence their Christmas meal are American foods (29%), African-inspired dishes (26%), and Chinese food (20%).
Instagram Worthy
Additional research from the supermarket found that the main reasons young generations want a Christmas dinner change is to fit personal taste preferences better (34%), be more inclusive for dietary restrictions (27%), and to be more exciting or adventurous (26%).
For Gen Z, two-thirds (67%) think it’s important that their Christmas dinner looks good enough for Instagram.
The fun findings were revealed in tandem with Aldi UK's launch of this year's Christmas Pudding Exchange Service, which allows British customers to swap unwanted puddings for a different festive dessert.
Launching today and running until 28th December, shoppers can return any Christmas pudding, no matter where it was bought from, by dropping it off at a Community Donation Point in store and emailing photographic evidence to christmaspuddings@aldi.co.uk.
In return, they’ll receive a £10 voucher to purchase a new dessert from Aldi.
The top 10 Christmas foods that Gen Z and Millennials are turning their back on:
1. Mince pies – 31%
2. Christmas pudding – 29%
3. Christmas cake – 25%
4. Cranberry sauce – 25%
5. Brussels sprouts – 24%
6. Bread sauce – 22%
7. Chestnuts – 21%
8. Brandy butter – 20%
9. Turkey – 20%
10. Trifle – 19%
