Scots' outrage as iconic foods ranked as 'crap' in controversial YouGov poll

A YouGov poll charting the popularity of 50 classic British dishes has provoked outrage amongst Scots after iconic foods such as haggis and deep-fried Mars bars were voted as 'crap'.
Haggis has been voted among the classic UK dishes that Brits like the least. Picture: TSPLHaggis has been voted among the classic UK dishes that Brits like the least. Picture: TSPL
Haggis has been voted among the classic UK dishes that Brits like the least. Picture: TSPL

Generated using data from a sample of 6,367 British adults, the resulting YouGov charts ranks 50 of the best-known savoury and sweet British foods, including two dishes unique to Scotland.

Split into two charts, classic savoury and sweet British dishes are separated into five different tiers, depending on the percentage of people who have tried the dish and enjoyed it.

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Classic dishes such as the traditional Sunday roast (84 per cent), Yorkshire pudding (85 per cent) and fish and chips (84 per cent) appear in the God Tier of the savoury chart, with more than 80 per cent of respondents saying they enjoy the dish.

But stuck at the bottom of the rather controversially-named 'Crap Tier' is the beloved Scottish staple haggis, which shares its lowly position alongside jellied eels, steak & kidney pudding and kippers as one of the dishes that fewer than 50 per cent of Brits enjoy.

And it gets worse for Scottish cuisine in the chart for Britain's best sweet dishes, with the famous deep-fried Mars bar listed as the only food in YouGov's Crap Tier.

According to YouGov data, just 22 per cent of Brits who have consumed the Scottish-invented treat admit to having enjoyed it, compared with the more than 80 per cent who voted scones (85 per cent) and Victoria sponge (81 per cent) into the God Tier. The percentage of people who enjoyed Mars bars rises to 30 per cent north of the border, YouGov add.

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Closer inspection of the data reveals there is a gender divide when it comes to the two Scottish foods featured, with more men admitting to enjoying haggis and deep-fried Mars bars than women.

Predictably, the two charts have not gone down particularly well in Scotland.

Writing on Twitter, @Josh_More wrote: "Haggis is one of the greatest foods ever given to this country. Absolute heathens."

@crgmllr wasn't happy either.

"First deep fried mars bar and now haggis," they wrote, "In the crap tier.. are you having a f****** laugh.. Dissolve the union."

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@BuckmasterFresh added: "Straight up. No one who has actually tasted haggis would rate it so low. I call shenanigans on this whole list."

One non-UK national, @dagsly, agreed: "As an American who once spent 5 days in Scotland, I LOVE HAGGIS. I don't know how haggis has not conquered the world."

Meanwhile, @mccat88 noted the lack of other well-known Scottish foods to choose from in YouGov's original poll.

"You are having a laugh," they tweeted, "No mince and tatties?"

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