Steak is Ireland’s most popular alternative Christmas Day meal, it has been revealed.
The traditional turkey and ham may soon be a thing of the past as a surprising 41% of Irish people claimed they would rather eat something else on the big day.
A quarter of us would choose a steak over a turkey for our Christmas dinner, according to the research.
And the ever-controversial brussels sprouts were also in the firing line, with 37% saying they would happily cast them aside this festive season.
The findings come from a survey of 500 Irish adults carried out earlier this month by fast-food giants Subway.
Other popular alternatives to the traditional Christmas Day meal included pizza, a favourite of 17% of people, while curry and Chinese were each favoured by 15%.
And 13% of those surveyed said they would rather serve up a pasta dish on the 25th.
Of those who do stick to tradition, nearly a third complain that their turkey is served too dry, and 17% would prefer if the dinner was served with either roast chicken or beef.
Commenting on the findings, psychologist Greg Tucker claimed we should be willing to look beyond the standard Christmas roast when planning our festive meals.
He explained: “Traditions trigger emotions that we want to experience and being a sensory delight, food is a short-cut to these feelings.
“But whilst food is the catalyst to these emotions, it isn’t the root cause, so we shouldn’t be afraid to step outside of our comfort zone and enjoy something different this Christmas.”
