New research into the nation’s dining habits, has found a staggering 45 percent of Brits voted the Potato salad as king of all salads, beating off still competition from more modern options such as Caesar, Niçoise, Greek and Beetroot and Goats Cheese.

British-style potato salad is widely believed to have originated in Germany from where it spread widely throughout Europe and later to European colonies. Ingredients often include mayonnaise or a mayonnaise-like substitute (such as yogurt or sour cream), herbs and spring onions or celery.

But the nation’s love affair with the spud can be dated back to the 16th century, when Spanish explorers discovered the potato in South America and brought the vegetable back to their homeland - from there the potato was introduced to Europe by farmers and merchants.

Second in the list of ten top salads, was a good old-fashioned coleslaw, with 43 percent of Brits claiming the grated carrot and onion salad, mixed with mayo, was the single best dish to serve during the summer months.

Pasta salad came third in the list (39 percent), with a plain green salad with French dressing coming in fourth place (32 percent) and the American born Caesar salad making up the top five with 25 percent of Brits choosing it as their favourite.

The research, commissioned by recipe box Gousto in conjunction with the launch of their new Alfresco dining range, found other salads to make the top ten include beetroot and goats cheese salad, bean salad and Cobb salad.

Overall, 60 percent of those polled claimed they are stuck in a summer cooking rut, wheeling out the same tired old dishes again and again.

The survey also revealed that strawberries and cream is the most loved summer pudding (44 percent), followed by trifle (23 percent), pavlova (16 percent), summer pudding (11 percent) and grilled peaches (7 percent)

And when it comes to what we love to drink in the sunshine, an ice-cold lager was the clear winner with 24 percent of the vote, followed by Aperol Spritz (11 percent) and in third place, Pimms (9 percent)

Food Director Rachel Chatterton from recipe box company Gousto who commissioned the survey said; “This research shows that we are a nation that love fresh summer salads but we’re struggling to find inspiration to try new twists on our old favourites, which is why Gousto has launched its new outdoor dining range.

“The new recipes are classic al fresco including salad and barbecue dishes with a signature Gousto twist - like our Ham Hock, Pea and Buttery Potato Salad. These recipes will help families to spend less time in the kitchen this summer and more time enjoying the outdoors together.”

(source: Gousto, image: pixabay)