People Are Sharing The Strange Food Combinations That They Love

People have been sharing the food combinations that they love to face plant but are, on the face of them, utterly abhorrent.

A survey carried out by Ocado and Marks and Spencer found that eight in 10 Brits have a weird concoction they love.

And there are some properly odd flavour combinations out there, including strawberries and balsamic vinegar, cold baked beans in a salad, chicken and marmalade, and watermelon and feta. Yikes.

But each to their own, I guess.

Ocado also teamed up with 'flavour expert' and author of The Flavour Thesaurus, Niki Segnit, to get her thoughts on the findings and also share her own ideas for pairings we might not have considered.

She said: "Everyone knows the traditional food combinations like bangers and mash, or fish with chips. But have you ever tried coffee and orange, or spinach and strawberry? There are many wonderful matches to be discovered, and you don't need a PhD in molecular gastronomy to start experimenting.

PA

"Interesting and unusual flavour matches can be made with common store-cupboard ingredients, like cheese and marmalade, or chocolate and aubergine."

Adding: "Part of my job is to discover classic, interesting and occasionally bizarre ingredient matches, understand where they come from and why they work. So that people can feel inspired to try new ways to cook foods they love or have at home in abundance."

Lisa McDowell, Head of Brand Marketing at Ocado added: "Clearly we all have our own tastes and preferences, so if you've found a food combo you love, stick with it!

"With the largest range of any grocer - and now the full M&S Food offering too - we hope Niki's novel pairings will empower cooks to discover the many food and flavour combinations available at ocado.com and to look at the contents of their fridge and store-cupboard with a fresh pair of eyes."

PA

Here are the top 50 weird food pairings, according to the study:

1. Mixing mayonnaise and ketchup together

2. Cheddar cheese and apple

3. Salt and porridge

4. Pasta and ketchup

5. Pizza and tuna

6. Milkshake and fries

7. Sugar sandwiches

8. Prosciutto and melon

9. Chocolate and crisps

10. Banana and sugar sandwiches

11. Ham marinated and cooked in cola

12. Strawberry and basil

13. French fries and pickles

14. Strawberries and balsamic vinegar

15. Watermelon and feta

16. Baked beans and rice

17. Butter and sugar sandwiches

18. Dipping toast into tea

19. Ketchup and rice

20. Salad cream and sausages

21. Dry, buttered Weetabix

22. Tuna with salt & vinegar crisps

23. Cold baked beans in a salad

24. Mango and chili powder

25. Pot noodle on toast

26. Cheese and strawberry jam sandwiches

27. Yorkshire pudding with sugar

28. Ice cream and fries

29. Honey and pizza

30. Cold Brussels sprouts and gravy

31. Mayonnaise on toast

32. Crisps and brown sauce

33. Watermelon and salt

34. Pasta sandwiches

35. Blueberries and steak

36. Salami with grapes

37. Tea and coffee in the same cup

38. Banana and bacon

39. Chicken and marmalade

40. Mince pies topped with cheese

41. Lettuce in a sugar and vinegar dressing

42. Banana bread with cheddar cheese

43. Melted chocolate on a cheese pizza

44. Apple and bacon on toast

45. Hot dogs and jam

46. Peanut butter and burger

47. Ketchup on popcorn

48. Chocolate and avocado

49. Chips covered in chocolate/honey

50. Fish fingers and custard

Did yours make the list?

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

@SmithersDom