More Brits than ever are planning to add a vegan twist to their 2019 Christmas celebrations - and new research has resulted in a heatmap that shows which parts of the country are embracing veganism this Christmas.
The “Vegan Christmas Heatmap”, from data provider SEMrush, reveals people in the Isle of Wight are 60 per cent more interested in skipping their pigs in blankets than at this time last year – the biggest spike in the UK.
The number of people searching for vegan alternatives has also risen dramatically in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, with searches for both terms rising 58 per cent and 57 per cent year on year respectively.
On a national scale, the research revealed an increasing appetite for more nut roasts and plant-based substitutes on Christmas day.
The figures revealed that about 39,410 people were actively searching for vegan and meat-free options ahead of last year’s Christmas festivities.
This marked an encouraging 16 per cent increase on the average 33,840 searches from December 2017. Based on trends in current online activity, there are already 25 per cent more searches this year for meat-free options for Christmas day.
However, despite 93-year-old Sir David Attenborough’s recent announcement that he gave up red meat in his 90s, people living in County Durham, East Sussex and West Sussex seem to be resisting the "Blue Planet" effect.
They were the only three regions where searches for meat-free Christmas recipes have declined year on year.
Durham’s interest in the subject plunged by a whopping 18 per cent, and searches in the two parts of Sussex dipped by 2.5 per cent and 2 per cent respectively.
Northumberland, Gloucestershire and Somerset also appear hesitant to forgo conventional meaty roasts as vegan Christmas meal searches in all three areas showed no movement over the past year.
Olga Andrienko, head of global Marketing at SEMrush, said: “Veganism has been big news in the UK this year – you only need to look at the response to Extinction Rebellion and Gregg’s vegan sausage roll launch – so sustainable meat was likely to influence this year’s Christmas celebrations.
"It’s great so see people in nearly every region in the UK are willing to add a vegan element to their Christmas menus.
"And with more people trying out flexitarian lifestyles, I’m sure this new trend will bring some festive cheer around dinner tables come the big day.”
