Brits come clean about how often they give their fridge a good scrub

One in five British homes give their fridges a scrub-down twice a year, flying in the face of expert recommendations to clean them out following every major grocery haul, according to new research.

The study, penned in Lakeland's Trends Report, shows that 18% of homes stick to a biannual fridge-cleaning regimen. And 16% admit they only clean their chillers sporadically, waiting until they notice grime build up. Meanwhile, just 38% take a monthly approach to fridge hygiene, despite Lakeland advising a comprehensive clean with each substantial supermarket spree.

In more appetising news, this year's survey reveals that chocolate cake has taken the title from Victoria sponge as Britain's top tea-time treat for the first time in almost a decade. A sweet 23% of those quizzed crowned it their cake of choice, besting the classic sponge by a slice -- at 20%.

Leanne Murphy, Lakeland's connoisseur of all-things baking, remarked: "It's always great to see new trends emerging, but I didn't think anything would topple the crown of the Victoria Sponge, which has almost become our national cake. We know this switch to chocolate is being driven predominantly by the under 25s, who are more likely to seek out and replicate bakes they've seen on TikTok which is where the chocolate cake reigns supreme."

The study highlighted that nearly half of UK homes now feature a utility room, and a fifth of those who don't would happily ditch their garage to accommodate one. While only 49% of over 65s had hosted or entertained at home in the last 12 months, 75% of those aged between 25 and 34 had done so, with reasons ranging from showing off their culinary prowess to it being a cheaper alternative to dining out with mates.

The comprehensive survey also unveiled that 44% of households now favour pasta as their go-to comfort food, edging ahead of the traditional roast dinner on 41%, curries on 37% and stews (34%).

About 36% of cooks named family as their "biggest gastronomical inspiration", with a mere 30% of respondents now sourcing recipes from cookbooks. The survey was conducted by Dynata, who polled 3,000 UK adults in July.