Modern lifestyles redefine role of the kitchen

Buying a home with a kitchen that has room for a table may top Brits most wanted wish list for their dream home, but few people have plans to regularly sit and eat together around the table, according to latest research by Legal & General.

With concerns that families who do not eat together could risk their children having future health problems, Legal & General’s new Changing Face of British Homes study reveals the extent to which eating regularly round the kitchen table has become a minority past time:

Less than one in three households, 30% have dinner together each evening;
Only 11% have time for breakfast in the kitchen before leaving the house;
The traditional Sunday Roast remains a highlight of the week for a mere 17% of Britons.

So what’s happening in the kitchen?

As part of Legal & General’s “Changing Face of British Homes” research, the household insurer asked over 4,000 Britons how they spent their time in the kitchen, which is regarded by many as the heart of the home.

Tech zone: Perhaps not being able to afford a home with a study, dual income young couples with no kids are those most likely to work remotely from their kitchen table, 18%, with almost one in four also using their kitchen as an internet café, allowing them to browse the net, 15% and check emails, 7% from the kitchen table.

Love zone: True to the standard set by TV show ‘Friends’, young people in house shares are most engaging with house guests and friends, 31% of this group will chat with house guests round the table and 9% making love on the kitchen table.

Study zone: 40% of children sit at the kitchen table to do their homework while their parents join them catching up with home admin and paperwork, 22%. However, the kitchen may also act as a distraction to serious study with one in five families playing games around the kitchen table, 19%.

Booze zone: Older couples whose children have left home share with retired people a fondness for an indulgent tipple. These older couples, along with the retired and multi-generational families are the people most likely to be boozing around the kitchen table, with almost one in five, 17%, having heart-to-hearts over a glass of wine.

Quiet zone: The kitchen table becomes a quiet zone for older couples, 42% reading papers at the kitchen table and 13% using it to write letters.

Ruth Wilkins, Head of communications for Legal & General’s general insurance business, commented: “Changes in the kitchen are symptomatic of broad changes in modern home life. Our research shows that less than one in four, 24% of British households are what is viewed as the traditional 2.4 family and that our homes are changing to meet our different lifestyles, this includes people putting their kitchen to different uses. The kitchen remains the heart of the home for most people although what they do and have in their kitchen is changing. As a house insurer in tune with the changing needs of British homes, we would encourage people to check their home insurance cover to ensure it keeps track with their changing home life.”

Britons’ top kitchen table activities, apart from eating:

Rank – Activity - %

1 Reading papers 32%
= 2 Talking to house guests 21%
= 2 Home administration 21%
4 Talking on the phone 16%
=5 Homework 15%
=5 Having a heart to heart over a drink 15%
7 Playing games 12%
8 Working on hobbies 10%
=9 Browsing the internet 9%
=9 Writing letters 9%