Almost a quarter (23%) of adults bake at least once a week, while one in 20 (6%) consumers have been well and truly bitten by the baking bug, baking every day.
In the last year, as many as 22% (equating to nine million) of home bakers claim to have upped their baking. Furthermore, the market for home baking rose 59% between 2007 and 2012 to reach £1.7bn as cash-strapped Brits engaged in home-based activities to save money.
Mintel’s baking research also highlights the inspiration cookery shows are bringing to Britain’s households. 44% of Britain’s bakers say they have been inspired by cookery shows to bake more, increasing to over half (54%) of the nation’s young bakers, the under-25s.
Emma Clifford, senior food analyst at Mintel, said: “Home baking is one of the few food categories to have flourished during the recession. In fact, the onset of the economic downturn actually helped to kickstart the revival in home baking. With real incomes under strain, Britain has become more of a stay-at-home nation and consumers have sought low-cost activities such as baking to save money.
“But while the economic downturn may have helped to reignite interest in home baking, its revival cannot solely be attributed to economic pressures, and it’s clear that many Britons have embraced baking because of its enjoyment factor. The explosion in the media on the topic has made home baking more accessible than ever, drawing more novice cooks to the baking aisle and helping the more experienced to develop their baking prowess.”
While the UK’s men filled the finals of The Great British Bake Off, Britain’s women remain the keener bakers, with 90% baking. Nevertheless, not to be left out in the cold, an impressive seven in 10 (68%) men bake. Almost a quarter (22%) of male bakers are baking at home more than they were a year ago, compared to 13% who are baking less.
Encouragingly for the future of the industry, the younger generation emerge as the keenest bakers. Although the propensity to bake from scratch wanes with age (79% of 16-24-year-olds bake from scratch vs 70% of those age 55 and over), the decline in the proportion of consumers who bake partly from scratch is far more prominent (74% of 16-24-year-olds vs 57% of those aged 55 and over) with mixes holding significantly more appeal among young, inexperienced adults than older consumers, who tend to have more traditional baking habits.
Source: Mintel
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