• 63% of Brits want to try new things, experiences, and foods but we’re being held back

• 1 in 10 admit to being ‘too busy’ to explore new flavours despite wanting to expand their palates

• Pilgrims Choice partners with What Willy Cook to help the nation experience new flavour as 21% say they simply don’t know where to start

LONDON, Wednesday 17th September 2025: Brits are busier than ever. Our time-poor lifestyles are costing us more than just downtime - they are robbing us of new experiences, from trying new foods to building friendships.

New research from Pilgrims Choice reveals the Great British Food Paradox: while 63% of Brits say they love trying new foods and want to expand their palates, over 1 in 10 are simply ‘too busy’ to do so. Our desire for discovery is there, but daily routines, packed schedules, and the pressures of modern life are squeezing out opportunities for it.

The data found that 98% of Brits regularly eat the same snacks, and 33% never stray from their comfort zone. Despite this, 30% admit they’re bored with their routines.

But this isn’t just about food. The same habits that lead to a ‘flavour rut’ are echoed across our lives.

• 55% of the nation admits to being stuck in the same daily habits

• Almost a third can’t remember the last time they tried something truly new

• Among Gen Z and Millennials, 29% say a lack of time due to work stops them from making new friends

The research from Pilgrims Choice explored our barriers to everyday adventure a little further and found that while 21% of Brits want to be more adventurous, they simply don’t know where to start. Over a third (37%) cite a lack of inspiration for holding them back from new flavours and experiences and 20% say there is comfort in the familiar.

But there’s hope - and it’s on our plates. Food is a simple but powerful tool to improve mood and bring people together and so, Pilgrims Choice has partnered with viral sensation What Willy Cook to solve the endless cycle of busyness and boredom.

Together, they are making flavour discovery simple, fun, and accessible to help the nation to ‘Bite Into Bold’. Willy has created three new, flavour-packed recipes inspired by the food pairings Brits are most curious about, but are yet to try:

1. Mussels & Nduja: only 1% of Brits have given this combo a go

2. Apple Pie & Cheddar Cheese: nearly 1 in 5 are keen to give this a try

3. Pickled Onion & Ice Cream: tried by only 1% but 5% are willing to sample

Through accessible, fun videos, and easy-to-follow recipes, What Willy Cook will show the nation that embracing a bold new flavour is not an added chore - it’s a simple, delicious way to start a new adventure.

“We’re done with playing it safe,” says Sarah Burrow, Senior Brand Manager at Pilgrims Choice. “This isn’t about trying weird things for the sake of it — it’s about making food fun again. We want people to pick up their cheddar and feel unstoppable.”

What Willy Cook, culinary creator of the wild new combos, says: “I like to have fun with food, I always have and I maybe always will. Can cheese go in ice cream? From my meticulous research it has become far more of a possibility than previously considered. Cheddar with mussels has also been a revelation. Pilgrims Choice has encouraged a sense of flavour freedom and I reckon that’s a brilliant thing”.

Willy’s Recipes:

Cheddar Stuffed Apple Pie

1. Purchase apple pie, unless you’re ambitious enough to make from scratch

2. Prize open said apple pie and jam in two or three slices of Pilgrims Choice Mature Cheddar cheese

3. Bake in the oven or airfryer (180 degrees if in the oven) for about 5-7 minutes to give the cheese time to melt and the molten apple time to absorb that cheese

4. Leave to cool a little bit or you will burn your mouth off, then tuck in after about 9 minutes

Mussel, Nduja, and Cheddar Gilda

1. Get the finest little stick you have ever seen

2. Mix a little oil with your nduja ‘til it is a thin paste and stir in your mussels for a spicy kick

3. Slide a couple onto your stick

4. Slice up some cuboids of cheddar and whack them on the stick with the mussel

5. Tuck right in

Vanilla Ice Cream with Cheddar Crisp & Pickled Onion Crisps

1. Grate a load of cheese (Pilgrims Choice Vintage Cheddar preferred) into a non-stick pan and get it over a medium heat. This will create your cheddar crisp which will need time to cool. About 8 minutes or so.

2. Scoop out your ice cream into a bowl

3. Smash your pickled onion crisps up to a fine dust

4. Drizzle a little olive oil over the ice cream, followed by the crisp dust and finally jab in that cheese cracker

5. Enjoy the weirdest dessert you may ever have

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2192 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 10th - 11th July 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

For more information, images or product samples, please contact:

TASTE / pilgrimschoice@taste-pr.com / 020 3920 9339 /@pilgrimschoice

About Pilgrims Choice

Pilgrims Choice is renowned for its quality and bold flavour profile. The brand celebrates full on flavour and great tasting cheese, which is brought to life through their range of block cheddars, including Mature, Extra Mature and Vintage, as well as flavoured cheeses available in grated and sliced. Stocked in major retailers throughout the UK, Pilgrims Choice encourages consumers to live a life full of more flavour, and has been recognised at the International Cheese & Dairy Awards 2025, winning three major awards at the event including The Reserve Champion Overseas, Champion Overseas Cheddar and Best Irish Cheddar. These top awards were supported by an impressive number of others across various categories, including: Gold for Irish Cheddar (Irish Producers Only), Mature Cheddar (Non-UK Producers Only), and Additive Cheese (The Mexican One), Silver for Mature Cheddar (UK and Non-UK Producers), Additive Cheese (The Italian One), and Sliced Cheese (The Mexican One), and Bronze for Additive Cheese (The British One).

About Ornua Foods UK

Located in Leek, Staffordshire, Pilgrims Choice is produced by Ornua Foods UK, part of the Ornua Food Group. The group produces and purchases butter and cheese which is packed into a range of formats selling into the retail own-label and branded market, primarily in the UK. As the largest supplier of British and Irish cheese in the UK market, the company is focused on delivering quality, customer service excellence and innovative ways of working for major UK retailers.

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