In a world where eating out and ordering take-aways has become the norm, it seems as a nation we’re struggling to take time to really appreciate the benefits of mealtimes at home.
Relationships on Female First
According to new research commissioned by Barker and Stonehouse, many British couples (45%) are more likely to eat dinner on the sofa in front of the TV than in the kitchen or dining area, despite 86% having an appropriate dining space to eat in.
What some couples don’t realise, however, is that there are a number of benefits that come with taking the time to prepare and enjoy a meal together.
Nutritional Psychologist Antonia Magor provides her top reasons why cooking can bring us together:
Connection
There’s nothing that allows you to connect more than sitting down together to enjoy a meal. Whether a big occasion or a simple weeknight, it gives us the chance to slow down and focus on the familiarity of eating a meal, chat, bond and share an experience together.
Memories
Food is evocative where taste, flavour and texture all help bring back memories. Food is part of our central experiences as children and growing up. We all have our favourite childhood meal or treat that we still love or recipes that have been passed down.
Learning
Everyone has their own tips and tricks in the kitchen, and everyone can get involved. The beauty of cooking is that it isn’t exclusive, it’s open and evolving, you can always learn from someone else and it isn’t a practice you can ever totally master.
Equality
When we are all sharing a meal together at the table, young or old, male or female, we are sharing the experience together and we are all equal.
Wellbeing
Food is our most basic need and a constant within our lives. When we take the time to cook and create meals we are prioritizing our health and ourselves. It is so important to look after ourselves but often gets put to the bottom of the do list with our busy, hectic lives, but cooking is one of the most fundamental ways we can look after ourselves through good nutrition.
Of the 1,000 couples surveyed, more than one in ten (15%) also said they never make the effort to cook together, and 22% wish their partner would cook for them more often.
Couples that do dine together much prefer to do so outside of their own homes, with one in ten eating out together at least three times a week.
Almost 30% (28%) of more mature couples aged 45 and over said they never eat together during the week, nor do they cook together as a couple (30%).
For more tips on how to create the perfect couples dining space, visit the Barker and Stonehouse blog: https://www.barkerandstonehouse.co.uk/yourhouse/create-perfect-couples-dining-space/