Commuters were brought to a halt this week when an orchestra performed music made entirely from vegetables and kitchen utensils, with vocals from Strictly Come Dancing’s La Voix.
The unusual instruments included carrot recorders, potato flutes, and butternut squash horns. Together, the group played a short jingle encouraging people to head home for the day and make time for dinner.
The performance took place at exactly 5pm, marking the end of the working day and highlighting dinnertime. The ‘HelloFresh Kitchen Orchestra’ performed on London’s South Bank as crowds passed through towards Waterloo station.
The event followed new research commissioned by the meal-kit brand, which found that 45 per cent of adults believe they eat dinner together as a family less often now than they did ten years ago.
The poll of 2,000 adults also showed that 35 per cent feel mealtimes now happen later in the evening than they used to.
Many said this is due to time spent deciding what to cook, waiting for family members to return home, or work commitments that extend into the evening.
One in five workers said they manage to leave work on time for dinner twice a week or less.
The study also found that the ideal time for dinner would be 6:28pm. However, only 40 per cent said they achieve this each day.
People reported eating alone on average two days a week. For 17 per cent, this happens every day. Families said they manage to eat together around the table on four evenings each week.
Mimi Morley, senior recipe development manager for the meal kit brand, said:
“They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but they’re all vital.
“When you’ve had a long day of work, parenting or anything else, a proper meal at the end of it is often what keeps a lot of people going.
“But there are barriers to not only how often we eat together as families, but the times we get to do so.”
Despite changes to eating habits, many people still value shared meals. The research found that 47 per cent believe eating together helps build stronger relationships.
A further 39 per cent said shared meals make eating more enjoyable and less repetitive, as people can talk and connect.
Overall, 84 per cent said it is important to eat with others, whether with family, friends, or flatmates.
The findings also showed that 31 per cent feel stressed about finding time to cook and eat during the working week, according to figures from OnePoll.com.
Mimi Morley added:
“Nobody should get stressed when trying to get a meal on the table, whenever that might be.
“Little changes like meal planning, meal preparation earlier in the week or even quicker solutions can help resolve some of these issues.
“It’s important not to let meals start to feel like routine, so people can truly enjoy what they’re eating, and who they’re eating it with.”