King prawns set to outdo burgers as Brits' 'Fav Barbeque Food'

London, Aug 2 : The humble burger, it seems, has lost its magic on Brits' taste buds, for the scrumptious patty filled sandwich is about to be overtaken by king prawns as the nation's 'favourite barbecue food', new figures show.

The figures provided by market research firm TNS reveal that due to appearances in recipes by celeb chefs Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver king prawns have become popular.

More exotic middle class tastes, boosted by a generation of gap year travellers, are also thought to be behind the change while concerns over obesity have persuaded others to cut back on meat.

Sales of king prawns have increased by 14 per cent in a year - twice the rate seen by burgers, the study shows.

The study, commissioned by Marks and Spencer, found that sales of old fashioned frozen burgers were flat.

Separate data from the Sea Fish Industry Authority now ranks warm water prawns - which include king prawns and tiger prawns - as the fifth most popular type of seafood after salmon, cod, haddock and cold-water prawns.

British shoppers spent just over 169 million pounds on warm water prawns last year while frozen burgers accounted for just 44 million pounds of sales.

"Once upon a time a barbecue meant bangers and burgers but now people are more adventurous and want a range of dishes to serve," Telegraph quoted M and S fish specialist Lesley Saunders, as saying.

"King prawns are popular because they are more unusual and also a light and healthy option. Another reason for why they have become so fashionable is because they are quick and easy to cook," Saunders added.

ANI