Dinner inspiration: trendiest meals to make tonight

It can be tiresome having to think of different meals each night and quite often you can turn to the same meals you always have. If you are bored of eating the same food, then read on as this guide lists Britain’s favourite dinners and shares which of these are the most popular meals and are currently the trendiest on social media.

An article published in the Independent has listed the most popular dishes in the UK, following a poll commissioned by gravy brand Bisto, which surveyed 2,000 adults.

Of the most popular dishes in the list, we have looked at which ones are the trendiest on social media by looking at the number of hashtags each meal has on Instagram and the number of views on TikTok the dinner gets as of July 2022.

So no matter whether you are a carer cooking for somebody else, or you are an older adult, read on to find out the 5 most trendiest meals in the UK.

The 5 trendiest meals in the UK

• Pizza
• Burgers
• Fish and chips
• Stir fry
• Lasagne

1. Pizza

Number of hashtags on Instagram: 63.1 million

Number of TikTok views: 33.4 billion

Pizza only ranked third in the poll conducted by Bisto, but according to Instagram and TikTok data, it is the trendiest meal at the present time.

It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise as pizzas are a great go-to dinner if you need an easy meal at home and it can also be the perfect meal if you have friends or family over as it is a food which can be shared around.

There are so many different types of toppings you can also enjoy on a pizza and this ranges from your standard cheese, veggie, and Hawaiian pizzas to your BBQ chicken, pepperoni, and prawns and chilli toppings.

Steve Hall, a writer for Food On The Blog, talks about why pizza is one of his favourite meals: “So, why pizza? I think pizza is simply a 24/7 food. I can think of no time of the day or night when I would not willingly eat a pizza. It fulfils a basic human need of replacing calories but, more than that, a pizza is a true ‘Any time, any place’ food.”

You can see pizza recipes here.

2. Burgers

Number of hashtags on Instagram: 8 million

Number of TikTok views: 1.5 billion

With more than a billion views on TikTok and millions of hashtags on Instagram, the second trendiest meal on social media was burgers. They are a hugely popular meal because you can quickly and easily make them at home, and they can be made from a variety of different ingredients. Fillings can range from beef burgers to chicken burgers, and they can be accompanied by bacon, cheese, gherkins, crisp lettuce and a selection of sauces.

Liana runs her own blog called Liana’s Kitchen, which is dedicated to cooking, nutrition and enjoying the food you eat, and she says you can easily make your own burgers at home.

She says: “Making burgers at home is easier than you might think. And homemade burgers are definitely the best way to be sure of exactly what you are eating!

“Once you get the hang of making them, and become familiar with a few burger recipes, you’ll never buy premade ones again!”

If you are a grandparent, then making burgers is a fun activity you can consider doing with your grandchildren at home. It is a really accessible activity, so even if you suffer from a mobility problem meaning you need to use aids such as curved or straight stairlifts, you can still enjoy making burgers with your family.

You can see a homemade burger recipe here.

3. Fish and chips

Number of hashtags on Instagram: 1.9 million

Number of TikTok views: 370 million

Rounding off the top-three trendiest meals is the UK’s national dish of fish and chips. This is a meal that is somewhat of an institution and with thousands of fish and chip shops across the country, it is an easy takeaway to pick up.

You can also make this iconic meal at home, and it doesn’t take that long to prepare. The Spruce Eats food blog talks a bit about what you need to do if you are planning to make the dish at home: “Use a thick white fish for this recipe; sustainable cod, haddock, or pollock are preferable. The fillets are dipped in a flour batter that includes both dark beer and sparkling water, and the carbonation ensures a light, crispy fried fish. The ‘chips’ are simply freshly cut fried potatoes. Use one pot to fry the chips, then the fish, then the chips again (for that crisp exterior and fluffy interior) to ensure both fish and chips are ready to eat at the same time.”

You can see a fish and chips recipe here.

4. Stir fry

Number of hashtags on Instagram: 1.5 million

Number of TikTok views: 307.3 million

Stir fries came out as the fourth trendiest meal in the research with 1.5 million hashtags on Instagram and over 307 million views on TikTok. The dish is a popular weeknight fix for many people across the UK as they are quick to put together while also providing a balanced meal all in one bowl.

Stir fries can be made with a variety of ingredients and depending on your preference you can include meat such as chicken or beef, or you can instead look to make it a vegetarian dish.

Olivia Parker, a food writer for the Mindful Chef blog, recommends including pork mince in your stir fry recipe: “Pork mince stir fry incorporates the traditional flavours of Asia while being super quick to cook! In as little as 20 minutes you can have one of our recipes plated on your table and ready to eat. Perfect for those midweek meals when you need something filling and delicious that does not take hours to prepare.”

You can see some recommended stir fry recipes here.

5. Lasagne

Number of hashtags on Instagram: 974k

Number of TikTok views: 341.3 million

Despite originating from Italy, lasagne is now a hugely popular dish across the UK and the rest of the world. This was backed up on social media as views on videos of the dish has had over 341 million views on TikTok and it has more than 974,000 tags on Instagram, making it the fifth highest trending dish in the study.

Lasagne is a comfort food which you can easily make at home. A traditional lasagne includes ingredients such as ragu or meat sauce, pasta sheets and bechamel sauce. However, you can mix it up and add vegetables such as onions, carrots, garlic cloves, and chopped tomatoes. You can even make it vegetarian if you would prefer that.

You can see some recommended lasagne recipes here.

What are the other top trendiest meals?

Below are the other dinners which made up the top 10 trendiest meals in the UK:

• Fajitas - Instagram hashtags: 1 million, TikTok views: 255.4 million
• Stew - Instagram hashtags: 1.1 million, TikTok views: 242.8 million
• Chicken Curry - Instagram hashtags: 790.5k, TikTok views: 163.1 million
• Casserole - Instagram hashtags: 409.8k, TikTok views: 218.7 million
• Roast Dinner - Instagram hashtags: 529.4k, TikTok views: 113.7 million

Methodology

We started with a list of the most popular dishes in the UK, following a survey of 2,000 adults. To create the rankings of the trendiest meals to make tonight, we looked at the number of Instagram hashtags for the meals and the TikTok views for the dinners.