The Millennial generation – those of us born after the 1980s – have already got enough on our plate. Whether its crippling student debt or an uncertain career path, but we are making it even harder on ourselves, apparently…
In an age where convenience reigns supreme, we have developed some pretty fucked up food habits along the way. Funnelling all our cash into our JustEat accounts is now replacing the weekly supermarket shop, and it’s taking a toll on our bank accounts, new research suggests.
A poll carried out by the Good Food Magazine revealed 16 to 24-year-old Brits spent the most on a weekly basis- thanks to our takeaway and coffee splurges no doubt.
Despite earning the least, people in this age group spent almost £20 a week on takeaways, compared with the adult average of £11.31 and only £3.20 for over-65s- that would barely get you a Tesco meal deal!
Those ‘posh’ nights out and coffee brunches are also taking their toll, with the 16-24’s spending £28.26 in cafes and restaurants per week compared to the adult amount of £17.22.
Overall, the study found out that we spent an average of £63.65 a week on food, compared with the usual spend for all adults of £57.30.
This over-reliance on fast food has been put down to our sheer lack of cooking skills, with the poll revealing we only know how to make four recipes. Four? Are you fucking kidding me? Whilst adults could make six (still, not much better really). I guess when your cooking repertoire is that limited I guess that Domino’s sounds pretty tempting ay?
Speaking to The Independent, Children’s food campaigner Henry Dimbleby stressed how important it was to teach young people to cook and encourage them to be a bit more adventurous.
He said:
We’ve got two generations now where primary cooking skills have been lost. Learning to cook is so important. It’s very expensive if you don’t learn to feed yourself but it can also be a one-way ticket to a life plagued by diabetes and obesity.
Dimbleby might be concerned about those of us who think beans on toast (topped with cheese) is a gastronomic innovation, but according to Good Food editorial director Christine Hayes we shouldn’t be so hard on ourselves.
She said:
To be able to cook four recipes from scratch isn’t too bad if you’re 16 to 24 because some may not have left home. I’m actually quite impressed. There are so many other things vying for our time, especially at that age, that being able to cook that much isn’t that bad.
Sod making something from scratch, you’ve got enough shit to deal with already…
