Research suggests it is the undisputed dinner of choice on Valentine’s Day.
But opinion is divided on how it is cooked and what cut, side and sauce to serve
Music isn’t the food of love: it’s a steak dinner. In a poll for Waitrose & Partners, sirloin – also known as T-bone - served with peppercorn sauce, chips and red wine was voted as the ultimate way to enjoy a steak meal at home on Valentine’s Day.
Chips trounced all others as the side of choice – mash (24%), potato dauphinoise (21%), greens (34%), salad (40%) and rice (9%) – with a whopping 70% of respondents selecting them.
The nation is in complete agreement when it comes to sauce, too, with peppercorn the hands-down favourite, topping the survey – of 2,000 people conducted by OnePoll – in every region and taking 39% of the total vote, with creamy mushroom its closest rival (23%).
We’re also united in pairing steak with red wine: it was the alcoholic drink of choice across all regions, age-ranges and genders. Women, though, are almost twice as likely than men to go for white wine (14% versus 8%).
Of the 23% of people who said cooking a steak supper was a Valentine tradition in their house, women were more generous about their partner’s culinary skills than men: 44% rated their loved one’s steak cooking as ‘very good’, compared to 34% of male respondents. No women rated their partner ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’, unlike a small number of men (less than 3%).
When asked for a meat-free alternative, Quorn was the most popular choice among those aged 18-24 (24%), with Portobello mushroom the next best thing for everyone aged 25 and over, the 35-44s being the biggest fans (31%).
Most people said they will spend between £10 and £12 on steak for a romantic meal (27%) and the biggest reservation, polling 25%, was fear of overcooking it.