Are these Britain’s happiest menus?

Hotel chain offers up dishes that make the nation happy, and a new cafe serves mood-boosting foods

The idea of increasing well-being through your diet is nothing new, but there's a new generation of menus full of dishes specifically aimed at upping your happiness quota.

Hotel group Jurys Inn have launched a new menu as part of their new manifesto to help guests stay happy. Britain’s Happy Menu features the dishes that ranked highest in a poll of over 2,000 Brits who were asked which foods made them happiest.

As you can probably guess, it wasn't cold, green salad that came out on top, but burgers, roast dinners, steak, and cottage pie.

The resulting menu is a bizarre fusion of the foods that the survey respondents said made them feel their cheeriest. There's a rib-eye steak cottage pie burger, which combines all the best elements of several favourites in what feels a bit like 'one-course-tapas'. Or how about the apple brownie sundae, a hybrid of apple crumble or chocolate brownie, making it the ultimate dessert choice for the chronically indecisive.

The hotel group commissioned the research to mark the end of British Food Fortnight which encourages people to discover products they may not have been aware of before, and to use new and innovative ways of celebrating British food.

Despite the pervasive trends of 'clean eating' and veganism, it was predictably hearty comfort foods that came out on top when it comes to grub that make the public smile. But new London cafe High Mood Food is aiming to help people think differently about how lunch can affect your happiness - and even your brain power.

The ethos behind High Mood Food is “highly energising food that is nourishing for both the brain and the gut”. Their dishes aim promote brain energy and clarity of thought, with an emphasis on vegetables, whole foods and lots of probiotics, with no sugar, bad fat or hidden nasties.

And the promise of boosting happiness is not just a ruse to lure you in on your lunch hour. Dr Cecilia D'Felice, author of 21 Days To A New You, says it is possible to eat yourself happy, and the key is to eat foods that will increase your serotonin production. She says: "Serotonin is a hormone that helps regulate your mood and make you feel positive and confident. A lack of it is believed to contribute towards negativity, obsessive behaviour, worrying, irritability and even insomnia. This happiness hormone is converted from the amino acid, tryptophan, which is found in high-protein foods such as pulses, fish, eggs and some meat".

For more information on Jurys Inn visit www.jurysinns.com and for High Mood Food visit www.highmoodfood.com