Scots are the UK’s biggest spenders when it comes to alcohol and tobacco, devoting over a fifth of their weekly food budget to the products, according to a new survey.
The research, by commercial kitchen specialist Maxima Kitchen Equipment using Office for National Statistics data, found that this was 50% more than people from London, the region which buys the least alcohol and cigarettes.
It will come as no surprise to learn that Scots are also very sweet-toothed, spending 15% more than Londoners and Yorkshiremen/women on sweet drinks, chocolate, ice-cream, and other confectionery, the areas which spend the least on sugary food and drink.
However, Northern Ireland is actually home to the UK’s biggest sugar lovers. Households in the region spend 23% more on sweet treats than London and Yorkshire.
London is the most vegan area in the UK, with Londoners spending 20% less on meat than people from Northern Ireland, which is officially the least vegan region in the UK. Residents of Northern Ireland spend 11% less on fruit and veg and over 10% more on meat than the national average for all areas in the UK.
The research reveals London also spends more of its food shopping budget on fruit and vegetables than any region in the UK. Londoners spend 37.5% more on fruit and vegetables than households in Northern Ireland, where residents spend the least amount of their weekly shopping budget on fruit and veg.
London also reigns as king of the carbs, spending more of its food budget (10%) on items such as bread, pasta and rice than any other UK area, the research found.
