British dessert eating surges after people ditch healthy eating in February

Brownies are back on the menu

(Getty Images)

If you managed to stick to your healthy eating intentions for January but then fell spectacularly off the bandwagon come February, you’re not alone.

In heartening news for anyone feeling guilty about quitting their New Year diet, it seems lots of us have given in to our sweet tooths (teeth?) once again.

New data from nationwide food-delivery service Deliveroo reveals there was a surge in Brits ordering desserts in February compared to the first month of 2017.

After delving into the ordering habits of people across the UK, the company found that orders for sweet treats soared by a third (33.7 per cent) last month.

What's more, the figures for January were only slightly lower than December, so it seems the surge is real and not just a reversion to the norm.

After a month of green juices and punishing gym workouts (for some), yet before the commencement of Lent (which starts today), where many people give up their favourite vices, February clearly provided many Brits with a delicious four weeks of indulgence.

Despite the cold weather, the top sweet treat ordered was ice cream, followed by cheesecake and apple pie, showing our fondness for traditional American desserts.

That said, Italian Tiramisu and Spanish churros also make the top ten.

The top 10 desserts ordered on Deliveroo in the UK in February:

1. Ice cream - Scoops

2. Strawberry cheesecake - Jak’s

3. Deep filled apple pie - Chicken Shop

4. Oreo cookie waffle - Creams

5. Warm chocolate brownie - BRGR Co.

6. Red velvet cakes - Hummingbird Bakery

7. Nutella pancake with cream - My Old Dutch

8. Homemade banoffee pie - Hache

9. Tiramisu - La Pappardella

10. Churros - Street Burger & Burrito

Caroline Hazlehurst, UK General Manager at Deliveroo told The Independent: “We can see that people’s January diet resolve began to crash early last month, with dessert orders rising in the first week of February and rapidly increasing since.

“Overall, a third more desserts were ordered last month – ending in style on pancake day. We don’t blame them given the delicious variety on offer, why resist?!”.

As they say - life’s short, eat the cake.