Dealing with poor customer service (52%), putting up with noisy neighbours rather than confronting them (39%) and getting a bad haircut and insisting “it’s fine” (24%) are among the top things Brits simply grin and bear. We’re a nation that runs on social etiquette and unwritten rules: queue patiently, never send food back, say sorry to whoever barges onto the Tube before you’ve got off, and tut quietly rather than ask someone to stop playing music out loud on the bus. And for many, the habit starts as soon as the alarm goes off.
A poll of 2,000 adults, commissioned by ready-to-drink smart food brand yfood, found that 43% of Brits describe their weekday mornings as busy, hectic or total chaos, rising to 69% when parents of 5–10-year-olds were polled. Not having enough sleep before a busy day at work (41%), doing the school run in the rain (35%), drinking a cold coffee or tea because they got distracted by the kids (28%) and a busy school WhatsApp group (21%) are among the things these parents most often grin and bear before the working day has even started.
With so much to fit in, breakfast is usually the first thing to give. In the week, 17% of Brits have had to grin and bear not having enough time to make and eat breakfast, rising to 47% in parents of young children aged 0-10, and one in five (21%) skip breakfast altogether at least a few times a week because they’re short on time. And a bad breakfast can set the tone for the day: of those who have one, almost three in ten (29%) are left wanting something else, more than a fifth (22%) end up snacking more, a fifth (21%) feel their day has started wrong and 16% say they’re less productive.
Ready-to-drink nutritionally balanced meals are already the answer to time-poor mornings for more than one in four Brits (28%), and a further 13% have seriously considered them. Among those who have tried one, wanting something quick and convenient (37%), being in a rush (27%), and needing something to keep them going until lunch (20%) were the top reasons.
However, we’re a nation of compromisers, and over one in three of those who have tried one are simply grinning and bearing the taste. Brits expect them to taste “artificial” (25%), “bland” (17%) or “chalky” (15%), and a quarter (26%) of breakfast eaters say a ready-to-drink meal is a breakfast they do or would have to grin and bear.
With yfood, Brits do not have to grin and bear a bad-tasting breakfast. Its Classic Choco and Cold Brew Coffee flavours have both been recognised by Great Taste, the largest and most respected food and drink awards in the world, where every product is blind tasted by a panel of food and drink experts. Each bottle is a nutritionally balanced ready-to-drink meal with 30g of protein, 8g of fibre and 26 vitamins and minerals in 500 calories, so even on the most hectic mornings breakfast is something to look forward to, not put up with. You just grab one from the fridge on the way out the door and drink it on the school run, with no prep, no crumbs and no washing up. Y wouldn’t you?
Breakfast isn’t the only thing Brits grin and bear. The research found that three-fifths endure a miserable daily commute without complaint, dealing with delays on the way to work (36%), a packed train (24%), and almost a third (32%) have sat next to someone playing loud videos on public transport.
Meanwhile, 44% have bitten their tongue when someone jumped in front of them in a queue, 24% have tolerated a trip to the seaside in the rain and 40% have shrugged off friends cancelling plans at the last minute. Almost all of us (96%) grin and bear things, an average of three times a day, rising to almost five times a day for 18-24s.
Brits are particularly reluctant to complain about food. More than eight in 10 (85%) would eat something they don’t enjoy without saying a word, whether that’s choking down bad-tasting food at someone else’s house (27%) or putting up with a disappointing takeaway or restaurant meal (35%). yfood is on a mission to change that, because when it comes to taste, there’s no need to compromise.
When it comes to foods people tolerate rather than enjoy, brussels sprouts (23%), tofu (16%), aubergine (13%) and blue cheese (12%) are ranked among the nation’s most divisive dishes.
Pete Rosier, Head of Marketing at yfood, said: “Grinning and bearing it is practically a national pastime, but it’s surprising how early in the day it starts. For parents especially, me included, mornings are a juggling act, and breakfast is the first thing to get squeezed out or swallowed down without much thought. We think breakfast should be the one part of the morning you don’t have to compromise on. That’s why we’re so proud that our Classic Choco and Cold Brew Coffee have been recognised at the Great Taste Awards. It’s proof that a simple, nutritionally balanced on-the-go breakfast that fits into the busiest morning can taste genuinely delicious.”
yfood is available nationwide in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Boots, Holland & Barrett and Co-op, and online at uk.yfood.com.
