What makes a house smell like a home?

There's no smell like home

Garlicky pot-roasted chicken with a porcini risotto stirred through (Jonathan Gregson)

One in six adults say that the right smell around their house or flat is crucial in making it feel like home.

New research from Barratt Homes has pinpointed exactly what the key elements are in this ‘home fragrance’, with a third of people in a special poll putting ‘roast dinner’ smell at the top of the list, followed by coffee and warm biscuits (pesto pasta and a full English breakfast were in fourth and fifth places).

Indeed, Barratt has now developed a reed diffuser scent which it will be placing in show homes in Scotland, Liverpool, Birmingham and Wakefield to “evoke feelings of comfort and homeliness” for potential home buyers.

It says the smell has hints of roast herbs, coffee beans and caramel undertones. In a rigorous roadtest by The Independent's property section, a smidgeon of vanilla and maybe a touch of marshmallow was also detected.